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Author
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Topic: Elbow dysplasia
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weimlover0816
Member
Member # 873
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posted April 23, 2004 01:50 PM
Hi all, just got back form the vet with my 10 month old weimaraner. We had been noticing lameness in her elbow for a little while now, and she had some inflammation, so I mentioned it (we were there to pick up her heartworm preventative meds). she is going in Monday for an x-ray, but they think she may have elbow dysplasia, ununited anconeal process is what it's called. I did a search online and saw that it mostly affected large dogs,the weim was mentioned a few times, but particularly the German Sheperd.. Anyone out there have any experience with this? Like did the vet do surgery? How does the disease progress/change as the dog gets older, etc. Like I said, it is just a preliminary prognosis, and I am still hoping for the best, but wanted a little insight from anyone with experience.
Thanks so much ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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"My Weimaraner is smarter than your honors student!"
Posts: 221 | From: USA-Maine | Registered: Apr 2004
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goombaya
Member
Member # 545
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posted April 23, 2004 05:14 PM
Weim, this is why I asked Scout if he had xrays on his dogs elbows and shoulders.
I did have a male that this happened to. In my instance I went to a Specialist (Arthroscopic) and had him do a complete exam of all bones and joints, it was pretty expensive.
In the end he decided that the dog might not have finished growing and we should wait prior to deciding on Surgery. We did, and the dog did grow more and ultimately the joint united. So, we never had a recurrance. The arthroscopic surgery was going to cost around 1800 per joint. Which I would have paid, but never had to.
He made his decision based on looking at both elbows, he noticed that while it was bilateral, one of the joints had just barely begun to join on its own, so he figured its best to just wait and see what nature brings. Again, in my case it worked out well.
I would suggest seeing a specialist if you havent already. (and if you can find one in your area) Have him look at both elbows. Have him look at everything you think is imporant (hopefully they'll have certified xray techs to get good pics)
In my case I did have him xray everything (about 13 shots) to help me in my decision making. Had the dog been dysplastic (hips) or any other problem surfaced - it was going to weigh into the decision to have the surgery if it were deemed needed. It sounds brutal, but if I was looking at a $3600 surgery, i wanted to know if hips or other joints would be sound enough to reasonably expect that future surgeries would not be needed. Again, it was all just info gathering to help me make a decision.
Im very sorry to hear about your dog, i do hope that it works out OK and that a surgery isnt needed. Good luck and keep us posted.
Posts: 129 | Registered: Jan 2004
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weimlover0816
Member
Member # 873
Member Rated:
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posted April 23, 2004 06:46 PM
Thanks goombaya, I really appreciate it. They are going to look at both elbows on Monday, and if it turns out to be ununited anconeal process, I will probably have a specialist see her. Large dogs tend to keep growing until they're between 1 and 2 years, so perhaps we can wait and see. I just don't want to wait too long if surgery is needed, I have read a lot about painful arthritis, and while I know it is more than likely even with the surgery, I understand that it tends to show earlier without the surgery.
I will keep you posted, and thank you again.
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"My Weimaraner is smarter than your honors student!"
Posts: 221 | From: USA-Maine | Registered: Apr 2004
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