Mojo has FCP which is another form of Elbow Dysplasia...I'm presuming Duggy's OCD is in her elbows.
Mojo first went badly lame after a fall (foot down a pothole at full speed) but after a few days it was evident that the pain was coming from her elbow. She had x-rays taken (I'm presuming Duggy has had these too) and you could see there were tiny changes in the joints (both elbows even though she was only lame on one leg) which signified she already had Osteo Arthritis (she was 14 months old). All x-rays were then sent to a specialist and she was put on cage rest....plus my vet started her on a course of Cartrophen (not to be confused with Carprophen, which is Rimadyl).
She had a camera placed in her elbow joints, so that the damage could be assessed before any major surgery was done and thankfully this showed that she wouldn't need any surgery at the moment.
After that she had to have more cage rest for 2 weeks, then cage rest with several very short walks daily.....Until after 6 weeks she had another check up at the specialists and then we could extend the walks and take down the crate.
Mojo is 3 years old now and as long as I'm sensible with her exercise then she remains sound....However if she chases tennis balls, or runs up and down steep banks, she does suffer for it later...sometimes going lame for a few days. We have had to rethink some day to day stuff....no more tennis balls or retrieving at full pelt...no more Agility...and keeping a very strict eye on her weight...But other than that her elbows don't really interrupt life that much.
Mojo does still have a 6 monthly injections of Cartrophen, she also has a Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM tablet daily....and she wears a magnetic collar. I'm sure all these things help slow the progression of the OA.
I know there are several people here who's dogs have OCD, some have been operated on to remove the loose cartilage and some haven't....I'm sure more people will be along to tell you about their dogs soon.
Jack has OCD, this is on one elbow and he was diagnosed last year after limping and becoming snappy with other dogs he was 4 yrs old when diagnosed.
We manage the symptoms with a magnetic collar and supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondroiton and Cod liver oil capsules, we also make sure he has regular exercise but we have ahd to limit the 'hooleying' around and jumping to catch balls.
He does get stiff if we have over done it the day before, but a nce swim in the lake and some massage seems to sort that out
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
It's actually her shoulder not elbow, not sure whether that's better or worse.
Vet gave her an injection think it's Cartrophen which she's going to be on every week for 4 weeks as well as pain killers. No xray as yet, vet wants to see if there's an improvement first.
Problem is she's absolutely crazy running, rolling, jumping so it's a nightmare trying to persuade her that calm lead walking is the way forward!
The vet said she's at the age where it's most common as she's growing so much.
Thanks for your replies so far and if any dogs have had specific shoulder issues I'd be very interested in hearing
Can this (OCD) actually be diagnosed without x-rays
I think thats what I'd like done 1st to be sure of OCD..............are you sure she hasn't just pulled a muscle or ligament/tendon?
and I've just re-read your post, Molly had a shoulder injury which is why I queried ligament/tendon/muscle strain. The Vets automatically assumed OCD, but luckily I saw her run into something and hit her shoulder...........it took an x-ray for them to confirm that she didn't have OCD
Well I did raise this with the vet as she started limping during a walk - one where she quite suddenly pulled back on her lead causing quite a yank, think she must have smelled a rabbit or something! Problem was it was a night walk and I was quite tipsy so didn't really see what had happened exactly.
He was so quick to diagnose with OCD that we didn't question it - nor do we have the knowledge to.
She's on painkillers atm and actually her limp has stopped considerably. I think whatever the issue is, shortening her walks and keeping her on lead for a couple of weeks will do no harm.
Hmmmm, to be honest, I think x-rays are definitely needed to rule out OCD too... Sadie started limping at around 5/6 months, quite badly, we were at the vets a few times, he said it could be a strain but he did mention Elbow Dysplasia but thought it wasnt.... x-rays proved that it was OCD and that Osteoarthritis had set in... Sadie then had an operation at 7 months old to remove a 5p piece of cartilage from her left elbow... she's now 2 years old and doing fine... very rarely does she limp, as like Mojo, its always after a long busy day or she's turned wrong chasing something!! But it is manageable and we give her green lipped mussel and glucosamine tablets every day... we keep a bottle of metacam in the cupboard for the times we feel she needs it, vet said this was fine...
If its still happening you know for the next month or so, I would ask for x-rays, just to rule out the OCD...
She's on painkillers atm and actually her limp has stopped considerably. I think whatever the issue is, shortening her walks and keeping her on lead for a couple of weeks will do no harm.
Definitely the way to go, and try to keep her restricted for mucking around at home too...............maybe even go so far as to not even take her out for walks, keeping her as quiet as poss, then you'll have done everything possible to aid recovery hope it continues improves
hi, first time post, so be gentle!
i had a large male pup 13 years ago who developed ocd at about 7months. i eventually saw a specialist who said to exercise as normal (off lead) but try to reduce prolonged play with other (especially older) dogs as twisting and turning whilst chasing exacerbates the problem. he also suggested i reduce the level of protein in his food. he said that he should grow out of it at about a year old, and lo and behold, at 12 months old (almost to the day) he stopped limping!! this was ocd of the shoulder and i also had his litter sister who was smaller and didn't limp at all! he is still going strong, limp free! i would also suggest keeping your pup slim, as extra weight adds its own problems.
i think if you over react and try to restrict activity too much, this can mean that when they get the chance to play, they go totally crazy and do more damage than if they were having normal exercise all the time.(the specialist recommended normal off lead exercise so my dog could develop normal muscle around the area)
i hope this is of some reassurance to you.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
hope it continues improves
