Elbow Dysplasia in my Golden Retiever - Diagnosis and Treatment

My Golden Retriever, Link, started showing signs of elbow dysplasia when he was about 7-8 months old. He was limping a little and was stiff in his right front leg. I talked to one of the vets at the clinic where I work and we decided to take x-rays of elbows and shoulder joints of both front legs. We also took x-rays of his hips to exclude any problems there that might cause more strain on the joints of the front legs. The hips where fine. From what we could tell from Link's symptoms and the x-rays, the problem was within the elbow joint. We could not however find what exactly the problem was. We decided to first try putting Link on an anti-inflammatory drug for a few weeks, to see if his condition improved. Unfortunately it didn't.

X-ray of Link's right elbow. (H = Høyre = Right)

I contacted the big referral animal hospital in Sweden, Djursjukhuset i Strömsholm, for an appointment with one of their specialists. We got two appointments; One the first day to examine him and one the day after for arthroscopy if it was found to be the best solution. When we got there, Link had been on the anti-inflammatory drugs for about 2 months. Thus he had not been in a lot of pain, but he refused to bend his right elbow. Link was not supposed to get any medication before the check and the possible surgery however, so I didn't give him any on the morning of the initial examination. He was fine that whole day, a bit stiff in the leg, definitely limping a little, but I was used to that by now. I showed the vet the x-rays and he bended and twisted Links leg to find out what the problem was. Link was such a hero! I could tell that he found the bending and twisting very unpleasant, but he let the vet do what he had to do. It was decided that Link should have a CT of both elbows and both shoulders, because the vet was not convinced that the problem was not in the shoulder joint after all. So Link was given a sedative so that he wouldn't move during the CT, and some routine blood samples were taken. I had asked for the blood tests, because I thought Link had not quite been himself lately, and also I wanted them to check these things before putting him under anaesthesia.

Link at the clinic after they had taken the blood sample.

The blood tests were all good, no problem with the liver, kidneys, blood sugar and he didn't have any signs of infection. What they found during the CT was what we had concluded with at the clinic where I work; There was nothing wrong with the shoulders, nor the left elbow. The problem was in the right elbow. What they found was that there had been improper development of the joint, with damaged cartilage and necrotic bone as a consequence. So Link was scheduled for arthroscopy the next day.

Link was really tired after waking up from the sedative they had given him. He spent most of the rest of the evening lying on his bed.

 The next morning, the anti-inflammatory drugs I had given Link up until two days earlier, had stopped working completely. Link was clearly uncomfortable using his right front leg and was limping worse than ever. I had not seen how much his condition had worsened, since he had been on the anti-inflammatory drugs since he first started having symptoms. I left him at the animal hospital and waited for them to call me. About five hours later they called me to tell me that the procedure had gone well. The damaged cartilage and the necrotic bone had been removed. The damage in the joint had been relatively small according to the vet, but it was good that it had been discovered early, before the onset of arthritis. Once that happen, there is nothing you can do but treat the symptoms.

The three stitches after the arthroscopy, on the inside of the elbow.

I went to get Link as soon as I could and when I got there he had a cone around his head. He looked so miserable! Poor darling!
After the surgery we were given strict instructions not to go for more than a few five minutes walks a day and as much as possible on soft, flat ground, during the first two weeks after the surgery. Then we could start with the rehabilitation. By that time we were back in Norway, so the physiotherapist at the clinic where I work made a rehabilitation plan for Link. I will tell you more about that in the next blog post!

Link out on one of the five minutes long walk the days after the surgery. This was ideal ground to walk on; soft and flat.

Here is a link to the next part:
Elbow dysplasia in my golden retriever - Rehabilitation after surgery