tio was limping the other day so we have been resting him for a couple of days. this happens from time to time and on previous vet advice we rest and it goes away.

he was much better yesterday so we were going to have him for a gentle walk tonight, however my partner woke me this morning to have a look at him. he was limping really heavily on a front leg and after examining him it became apparent his elbow was really hot and swollen.

we took him for an emergency vet appointment today and he's been given rymadril (sp?). we are to crate him for rest and take him back monday to see how he is by then. however she mentioned that she thinks it might be either arthritis or ED.

can you all give me some info on ed please? i must admit to not knowing terribly much about it- i pressume its much the same as HD but in the elbow? he is already kept slim for his cruciate problem but any other tips would be very welcome

I can only speak from experience, Molly has ED she had an operation on each when she was about 18 months old to try & repair the damage & has been okay since then.  She was like tio to begin with she'd limp for a few days so we'd rest her & it would go away & then flare up again.  She was also on rimadyl for about a year but has been 100% fine now for ages so we took her off it, we do supplement her with glucosamine & chronditon, which I know many other CDers do & we also did some hydrotherapy after the op which worked wonders.

I'm sure it could be a million other things that tio has with her elbow's but even if it is ED it's not the end of the world, there's so much stuff they can do.

Forget to add - what breed is she? is it common for ED to be found in her breed?

Hope she's on the road to recovery soon!

he's a bullmastiff and he's a big boy for his breed, so not uncommon but we've never had one with it (and thats through a few) but then he's a totally different line than usual.

he's also coming up for 3 now. i'd have thought we'd have seen more of a sign of ED by now if he had it, but as i say its not something i'm terribly familar with.

thanks though, its good to know its not an insurmountable issue. i know masitfflover copes ok with it in her boy to so its good to hear that a couple of people manage it.

will have a look at those suppliments

it could also be a septic joint, seen a few of these, especially in larger dogs. they go lame all of a sudden, and the joint in question is hot and inflammed as you described. it can be quite painful for dog, and tender to touch. we usually treat with intravenous antibiotics and cage rest, and generally they recover very well with no further problems.

hope he feels better soon!

hmm, that would be worth bearing in mind. i can't go to the vet on monday with him but will mention it to the bf so he can discuss with them. thanks.

Poor Tio :(

ED differs from HD, being that is a term that describes several developmental problems in the elbow.

Treatment depends on the type of ED & obviously how it is effecting the individual dog.

As i've said before Buster has unilateral (only in the 1 elbow) UAP, which means the nobbly bit (anconeal process) is detatched from the joint. We have the option to fix it in place (in some cases they would just remove it, it depends on the condition of the bones), but as he's doing so well with weight & exercise management the vet, specialist & I are more than happy to leave surgery for the time being :)
Also, if in the future, Buster's elbow is a problem for him, but it is past the point of fixing the UAP, there is always the choice of an elbow replacement.

Glucosamine has been fantastic, it had so much of an effect that I could actually stop using Metacam :) The biggest thing I've found to be of help is consistent exercise, as Buster was diagnosed as a pup I obviously started out with very short walks, gradually building up. Buster is now on 2 walks per day, I have in the past stopped his walks for a few days from me being ill, this has given him a limp and meant I had to ease him back into his exercises routine. If he is extra active at home (that's a rarity, LOL), I will shorten his walk a fraction so as not to over-do it.

Have you thought about alternating hot and cold therapy?  Like what we do with horses and sore joints.  We would cold hose the joint for about 5 mins a couple of times a day.  You could then hold a heat pack (more likely to survive than a hot water bottle lol) on the joint when he is in the house lying down for 5 mins a couple times per day.

thank you all, it doesn't sound unmanageable at least. we'll have to see what the vet says :(

lol he did have an oven glove with frozen sprouts on it earlier

LOL! So there is a good use for "mini brains" at least, I don't feel bad for turning my nose up at them now.

How's Tio doing ?

much better thanks :)

he was walking much easier after 1 day on the pills and now he's pretty much back to normal. he's still on tablets though and is not getting walks but i think the vet will be haapy to leave things for now since he's recovered so well.

thank you for asking :)

Glad he's doing better :)

Sorry for the late reply - I've been without an internet connection for what seems like an eternety (mix up over switching ISP's) :( :( :(

lol, no bother.

he's back at the vet for a check up tonight so hopefully they will be happy and leave things for now.