Ive just had my 9 month old puppies elbow x-rayed, my vet has said that there is a grey patch on the elbow and has referred us to a specialist. After reading the messages on the message board I am particuly worried that he might have ED & HD.  He has been lame in his front right leg for a few months now, he has been to the vets on numerous occassions and has had anti-inflammitry injections which seem to help him have a few good days and then he begins to limp again.  His walks have always been 5 minutes and on the lead as I was aware of the problems over exercising a young pup can cause.  He also kicks his back right leg out when running which again I think is HD although he has not had an x-ray on this particular leg.  Does HD & ED cause severe pain?, as my pup doesnt seem to be in any pain at all as he has let the vet move his legs without being too bothered or seeming like he is in pain. I am increasing beginning to panic and need some advice as to what I should be prepared for and what to do to make sure he is as comfortable as possible.
Thank you

i can't advice about elbow/hip dyspasia but 9 months is young. i know the bva say that dogs should be over 1 before they are scored for the conditions. which gives you an idea of the score and likely hood of the dog having the problem.maybe the patch is a growth plate or new bone? what type of dog have you got? others may be able to advice you better if they have the breed.
it is meant to be very painful for the dog and i think it can swell because of the joint,but as far as im aware its meds to help the dog to be pain free.
hope it helps.

Can't say much about HD, but my pup had ED, starting limping at  3 months old and was operated on at 6 months after being referred to an excellent specialist. It too a good 2 - 3 months after surgery to recover, slowly building up the exercise and having a few knockbacks when he went a bit too mad, but he is 10 months old now and able to do normal walks, normal exercise and to have a normal life.  Unfortunately he has Osteoarthritis in the joints but he is lameness free at the moment and we give him Synoquin (glucosamine) supplement to help with future cartilage growth.

Hope that helps, you may be lucky in that your dog will be diagnosed with a soft tissue injury

Hayley

PS  Our specialist said he would be surprised if Obi wasn't in pain as he had a lot of bone floating around the joint and very little cartilage left to protect it.

Thanks for that, it has put my mind at rest, we are being referred to the specialist at the moment, so I suppose we will have to wait until he has taken a look at him.
But it is good to know that they do make a full recovery, I will keep you updated on his progress, thanks again

Thanks for that, it has put my mind at rest, we are being referred to the specialist at the moment, so I suppose we will have to wait until he has taken a look at him.
But it is good to know that they do make a full recovery, I will keep you updated on his progress, thanks again

You just have to remember that they will probably suffer from full blown arthritis earlier than the average dog, and they mustn't be allowed to do high impact activities like agility (which was our plan :( ) but it certainly improves their quality of life