Unfortunately my dog started limping with 13 weeks.
He was operated at the age of 7 months (October last year) on both elbows: OCD, LPC and also ulna resection was done on both sides.
In short: he was a mess before the operation.
After revalidation (until the end of last year) I could slowly start training again. Due to Happy's strong character and will he has recovered beyond the surgeons expectations. It is however to be expected that he will develop arthrosis sooner than other dogs.
What needs doing depends very much on just how bad it is. In days of old only the worst cases were operated on. In many cases the "Mouse" would break away and the problem would be gone. Whether there would be any problems late in life was debatable. As indeed we would never know if there would have been those same problems anyway!
Serious cases were operated on to remove the mouse. But they were few and far between.
With the advent of canine vet insurance the numbers of dogs operated on went through the roof and now it's the exception rather than the rule that a case is operated on. Is that the right way to go? Are we helping the dog, or the vet??? As I've said before, vet insurance is the "golden egg" and vets are killing it! Insurance companies are in it for the money and as the price of claims rise (Often unneccessarily in my opinion) premiums have to rise to keep the profit rolling in to the insurance company, and sooner or later it is going to price insurance right out of reach of the very people who need it most.
If a young dog develops OCD what is the likely outcome with treatment and/or surgery? Can this condition be cured or improved at all?
From what I was told by the Ortho vet, before we knew exactly what was wrong with Mojos elbows, it depends on the severity of the problem. With OCD bits of cartilage lift off and float around inside the joint and with FCP (which is what Mojo has) bits of bone can break off and float around inside the joint too. These act as sand would inside the joint, so causing inflammation and permanent damage. However, if nothing has broken off (as in Mojo's case, whereby she had tiny stress fractures but all the bone was still attached) just rest and future management was all that was needed.
Mojo does have arthritis in her elbows and this was already evident at 14 months old but with supplements and 6 monthly Cartrophen jabs we manage the problem and she is mostly pain free, as long as she doesn't over do it.
I'm assuming that if the broken bits of bone and/or cartilage were left floating around inside the joint, the inflammation they cause would greatly hasten the progress of the Arthritis.
As you know, I'm sure there is more in OCD than meets the eye. It's always been around, yes, but not in the kind of numbers we are seeing now. There has to be some reason for the exponential growth in numbers. And my money is still on diet.
There has to be some reason for the exponential growth in numbers. And my money is still on diet.
It wouldn't surprise me John...I think all these high protein, high fat puppy foods have a lot to answer for. I often wonder if Mojo's elbows would have been worse if I hadn't have fed her the old fashioned way. As it is it seems she got away without too much damage.
I know I have to feed the Guide Dog pups on whatever they tell me to, but when I get *my* next pup, I'm know I will revert to feeding it the way I always have done....the old fashioned, slow growing way.
I had an argument with the then Waltham's dietician at Crufts a few years back about just that Jules. I'm convinced that the only person winning when it comes to puppy food is the pet food manufacturers. I asked at the college if there was any link between diet and OCD and was told that undoubtedly there was a dietary component.
No, I don’t think diet (Other than maybe a really terrible unbalanced diet) can give either HD, or OCD. But I do believe these foods can make it a whole lot worse.
The Guide Dogs are in a totally different position to us. They now breed most of their own dogs and have 100% documentation on how every single pup for several generations fared. If even a single pup had a problem they would know. They had big problems with PRA, but because of their closed gene pool they have been able to pretty much breed it out without the need for DNA tests, something we could never hope to do because there are far too many untested dogs.
Jules, may I ask about the Cartrophen injetions you say are helping Mojo?. Six monthly, but for how long.... I mean can she have these for the rest of her life, and what side effects?
You say that her problems were evident at 14 months, but did this treatment start then?
BJ has been diagnosed with OCD and elbow ED at the age of 6.5 years. Surgery at this age is not a viable option.
Because he is on medication for epilepsy, we have to check out all other meds/supplements whether they are homeopathic or not in case they disturb the fine balance of the epilepsy drug and we end up with more problems than solutions.
We have had conflicting advice from various professionals, so the opinion of others who have 'been there and done that' would be much appreciated.
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