Elbow Dysplasia

The elbow is a complex joint involving 3 bones (humerus, radius, ulna).

Elbow dysplasia is a syndrome evolving from growth irregularities of these 3 bones.

There are 4 causes of elbow dysplasia. They have their various acronyms and, to keep things simple, they are FCP, UAP, OCD and joint incongruity.

If the 3 bones incorporating the elbow grow at different rates, there will be undue pressure on the various area of the joint, leading to the problems listed above.

Large breeds susceptible to elbow dysplasia are:

• Labradors
• Golden Retrievers
• German Shepherds
• Rottweilers
• Bernese Mountain Dogs
• Basset Hounds
• Chow Chows

Signs of lameness tend to start at 7 months of age. Always front leg, always localised to the elbow (by a decent vet).

Without early (surgical) intervention these problems will go on to cause end stage arthritis in 6-12 months.

We undertake all of the 4 surgeries involved in elbow dysplasia.

Surgical correction is aimed at removing diseased cartilage areas and normalising the size and shape of the joint, so that the 3 bones interact properly and there is a normalised distribution of forces that transmit through the elbow joint.

As with cruciate surgery and hip dysplasia, we recommend cartrophen injections to offset the development of arthritis following successful surgery of the elbow dysplasia patients. We don’t recommend it if surgery is not done because the outcome will be the same. i.e.: end stage arthritis from the diseased cartilage fragments being loose in the joint.