Grace's ankle fusions - Fitzpatrick Referrals

Grace’s ankle fusions

16-month-old rottweiler, Grace, visits Noel with lameness affecting both back legs. She is diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), which is a degenerative disease that can develop in dogs’ ankle (hock) joints from a young age and leaves sufferers increasingly lame and often in significant pain.

Grace, like many dogs, hid the pain and got on with life for as long as she could until the pain and lameness overtook her.

Noel recommends Grace’s ankles are fused solid. For many families, one joint fusion is a scary thought, let alone two in such a young dog. To improve the chances of success, Noel offers the family a custom-made implant, which he has developed to overcome many of the failure mechanisms he has experienced with other implants used for this purpose. Whether the operations will be successful or not, however, only time will tell.