ROTTWEILER HEALTH PROBLEMS - ELBOW DYSPLACIA

Elbow dysplasia means abnormal development of the elbow joint. In dogs there are several developmental abnormalities which can occur and which form part of this disease syndrome including: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) , Ununited anconeal process, Ununited (or fragmented) coronoid process.
There is a strong genetic influence in the development of elbow dysplasia in certain breeds. In others a genetic cause has yet to be confirmed. However, because there is likely to be a genetic influence affected dogs should not be bred from and owners of affected breeds are encouraged to submit their animals to the screening programme being run, in the UK, by the British Veterinary Association and the Kennel Club.

Symptoms:
All forms of elbow dysplasia may cause front leg lameness which starts between 6-12 months of age. If the condition is bilateral (common) both front legs will be lame. Other signs include:
- Some dogs have elbow dysplasia but show no clinical signs
- Abnormal posture - the elbow may be held out away form the body
- Abnormal gait - the foreleg may be thrown out away from the body during walking/running, and the dog may take short stilted steps.
- Stiffness - the dog may walk with a stiff, jerky action in the affected foreleg(s)
- Limited range of movement - the range of movement in the elbow joints may be greatly reduced.
- Pain - the dog may yelp when it uses the leg
- Swelling of the joint - as secondary changes occur in the elbow, soft tissue swelling and new bone deposition around the joint will increase it's size.
- Reluctance to exercise - especially if the elbow(s) is(are) painful

Treatment:
Treatment depends upon the primary cause of the disease:
- Surgery to remove or fix in place an ununited anconeal process
- Surgery to remove bone and cartilage fragments in fragmented coronoid process
- Surgery to remove bone and cartilage fragments in osteochondrosis dissecans
- Analgesics - to reduce pain
- Anti-inflammatory drugs - to reduce the inflammatory reaction going on in the joint
- Reduce body weight if the animal is overwieght/obese
- Controlled exercise - avoid excessive exercise