<h2>Elbow Dysplasia 2</h2>
<h4>Osteochondrosis (OC) / Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)</h4>
<h6>What is OC / OCD?</h6>
<p>OC is a developmental disease. It involves failure of the bone and cartilage of a joint surface to develop properly during the first few months of life, resulting in an area of excessive thickening of the cartilage. This thickening causes the cartilage to become malnourished and susceptible to cracking, resulting in a loose flap of cartilage within the joint. When the cartilage flap starts to separate, the condition becomes known as OCD. It can occur in any joint of the body, but the elbow joint is one of the most commonly affected. In the elbow, the medial (inner) part of the humerus (upper arm bone) is most often affected.</p>
<h6>Why does the disease happen?</h6>
<p>OC is a “multi-factorial” disease. Genetic factors are most important, with strong breed predispositions, particularly in Labradors and giant breed dogs. Various other factors such as dietary or nutrition problems, high growth rate or calorie intake over the first few months of life, and hormonal imbalances can also increase the risk of developing OC. There is also some suggestion that abnormal joint shape or excessive forces applied to the cartilage may play a role in development of OC, so although the disease is separate and independent to medial coronoid disease (MCD) and the other diseases grouped as “elbow dysplasia”, both OC and MCD often occur in the same joint.</p>
<h6>Will my dog develop osteoarthritis?</h6>
<p>As soon as OCD starts to develop, osteoarthritis (inflammation of the joint and associated tissues and bones) immediately starts to develop too. Once present, osteoarthritis cannot be cured, but in most patients, it can be effectively managed.</p>
<h6>What are the symptoms?</h6>
<p>The symptoms caused by elbow OC / OCD are very variable. The most common symptoms include forelimb lameness, stiffness, elbow pain, reluctance to exercise or play, or general depression. Some dogs have the disease in both elbows, so the symptoms may be less obvious and may only become apparent following examination by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon.</p>
<h6>How is OC / OCD diagnosed?</h6>
<p>OC / OCD is typically diagnosed by a combination of examination by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, x-rays of the elbow joints, and arthroscopy (examination of the elbow joint by keyhole surgery). Because OC often occurs in the same joint as some of the other “elbow dysplasia” diseases, some dogs may require additional tests such as CT or MRI scans and laboratory tests to gain a complete diagnosis.</p>
2009-08-27T14:35:41Z
Just to say thank you. Cassie the Boxer is back running at top speed after her elbow operation. It's great to see her running around again. Thank you so much!...
Elizabeth and Alec
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Total hip replacement for canine hip dysplasia, total knee replacement, TPLO, TTA, slipped disc and bone fracture management are a few of the operations we perform on a daily basis.
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Veterinary Surgery | Knee and Hip Pathology Veterinary Surgery | Knee and Hip Pathology
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We are continually introducing new technologies to remain at the forefront of neuro- orthopaedics and to consistently improve our service to referring clinicians, clients and patients.
elbow_dysplasia_2
Elbow Dysplasia 2
2009-08-27T15:37:02Z