Elbow joints

[stokie]

I love my lab to bits . If I'm honest she's a naff gundog but a great friend an companion .

She was diagnosed with bone degenerative disease a few years ago but she has never really let it bother her and I don't work her hard at all . She's only 8 years old

Over the last few weeks her limp has been getting worse so vet upped the metacam . Today she went for X-rays and it confirms my worst fears . Her front elbows are completely goosed . Almost bone on bone . The vet want to replace the joints one at a time . But I'm not so sure if it's the right thing to do . She said as an alternative they could clean up the fragments and polish her own joints and give medication to ease any pain .

I'm of the opinion that vets arent just concerned with animal welfare but also lining pockets and can easily get carried away if you let them . Its cost £700 today and that's only to X-ray and blood test . God knows what major surgery will be

Shes not a gonner yet as she still jumps up and wants to go out just not particularly far . She is insured but I put the long term welfare before anything else . What would you guys do

........ Kev

[Hector Vector]

I have a very similar problem with my 10 year old Lab dog. Both front elbows are in a right mess and the stifle joints aren't much better. Fortunately his shoulders, spine and hips are pretty damn good for a Lab of his age. I took him on as rescue about 5 years ago but the damage was already done and the moron that owned him then had done nothing much about it. He's turned out to be a fine rough/pigeon shooting dog and you won't find one keener - just try leaving him behind!!!

 

Just over a year ago I really thought I was going to lose him; it had become so bad that his front end problems were causing lameness on his back end after about 100 yards of gentle walking on a lead. Took him back to the vets and we tried just about everything to improve things including acupuncture, anti-inflammatory drugs, glucosamine, cod liver oil, etc, etc. The anti inflammatories (Previcox and Rimadyl) helped but irritated his stomach. But my vets are very good and we found one that he's fine on (Carprodyl), but the thing that really turned it around for Hobs was hydrotherapy. He started about 12 months ago and the improvement was apparent after the first couple of sessions. He now goes for his swim once a week and is back out working pretty much every weekend. I keep it gentle, his movement is a bit awkward but he still comes Pigeon decoying and has an occasional walk for Pheasants. I've no reason to suspect that he won't get another couple of seasons, barring any other unforseen problems - had a bit of a scare with him last week but that's resolving itself OK.

 

I'm not saying the anti inflammatory and hydrotherapy route will work for your girl but it's worth considering, particularly the hydro as it has no undesirable side effects. It allowed Hobs to build up his lost muscle mass (caused by him being unable to exercise) that he otherwise wouldn't have regained and he's looking really good once more. I think in these cases we have to be realistic and accept that their condition will probably shorten their life a bit so it's even more important to maintain their quality of life. I seem to have found the best compromise for Hobs; weekly hydro, daily Carprodyl, R-A formula oil and Noractive glucosamine and loads of shooting. I'm not convinced about the acupuncture...

 

I sincerly hope you can achieve the same for your girl.

[WGD]

Keep her comfortable for as long as you can and then take the tough decision.

 

At 8YO IMO you have to balance the time surgery and recovery will take with the quality of the dog's life during this period and the quality of life she can expect for the remainder of her life assuming no complications.

 

Tough, tough decision - but ask yourself if you are keeping the dog going for her benefit or yours.