Hip and Elbow Dysplasia in the ACD
Hello Australian Cattle Dog lovers,
I have grave concerns for the future of the
breed and am writing this letter in an attempt to raise awareness on...
I've learned Elbow Dysplasia is a
common problem these days - just like Hip Dysplasia.
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia are not well
recognised in ACD's - but have been documented for many other breeds overseas -
mainly large, working dogs.In fact, dogs that are prone to hip or elbow
dysplasia, often develop both complications.
My current dog "Jet" is 11 months old
and underwent bone surgery two weeks ago to have bone fragments removed
from both his elbows. Jet has Elbow Dysplasia and is significantly lame in both
front legs with associated pain and arthritis.
My last Cattle Dog "Strop" had
Hip Dysplasia. Most of the litter he came from were put down by the age of
12 months. Strop lived to 14 years - we kept him going with a lot of love, care
and anti-inflammatory's.
Elbow Dysplasia has been a very difficult and expensive problem to diagnose. ACD's are an extremely courageuos breed and sometimes it is impossible to guage the amount of pain the dog is in. Jet has seen at least six different vets over the last six months for opinions on his lameness. At one point in time, one vet (not his usual) wanted to completely shave the dog - insisting he must have a tick. We knew that Jet did not have a tick but paid the bill for the visit and tick medication -all the same.
There are at least three various forms of elbow
dysplasia that you can read about on the links I've provided. In basic terms,
it is a misalignment of the 3 major bones that make up the elbow joint - the
bad alignment causes further degeneration of the joint very rapidly by
developing arthritis and cartilage damage - that is irreparable.
Jet was x-rayed at 6 months and 10 months
of age - elbows, wrists, hips, pelvis and back ! The x-rays at 6 months
appeared fairly normal, however the x-rays at 10 months showed some signs of
arthritis so the vet suggested taking Jet to a specialist for his opinion. The
specialist looked at the x-rays and recommended CAT scans be performed at the
human hospital. The vet and the
specialist both manipulated Jets elbows to see the range of movement and to
gauge the dogs response for pain. Jet exhibited severe pain on flexing the
elbow joint - every time a vet would manipulate him..CAT scans were taken at a
cost of $450 - which finally confirmed the vets suspicions. (results
attached).
Surgery was the best and really only alternative
to help the dog - cost $1500.
|
1st consultation
with vet |
$45 |
|
2nd
consultation with vet and painkillers |
$73 |
|
First set
of x-rays with anesthesia |
$430 |
|
3rd
consultation with vet |
$45 |
|
4th
consultation with vet |
$45 |
|
2nd set
of x-rays – no anesthesia |
$177 |
|
Consultation
with specialist, blood test and back x-rays |
$235 |
|
New vet
for 2nd opinion |
$42 |
|
Another
vet for 3rd opinion |
$52 |
|
CAT scans |
$434 |
|
Surgery |
$1190 |
When Jet was a young pup he used
to sometimes stand on his tippy toes looking a little awkward or
uncomfortable. The puppy school teacher pointed this out as a potential
joint problem to me when Jet was 3 months old - I was hoping she was
wrong? Looking back - she was exactly
right !
Next - continual lameness in the front legs
Symptoms of lameness started between 5
- 9 months of age - Jet started at 5 months and has been pretty
constant till now 11 months. The lameness typically affects both front
legs and lasts for longer than 14 days and often seems to be worse in one
leg than the other but it's difficult to determine which leg. It is difficult
to tell if the problem is the paw, wrist, elbow or shoulder. Jet often splays
the front paws outward - apparently this is a possible warning sign of the
problem.
At about 7 months of age Jet's walks became
severely restricted due to pain which was made obvious by him getting
very tired after only walking a few hundred meters. He also finds it difficult
to walk down stairs due to the increased weight on his front legs and tends to
slide down on his belly instead. After I'd rest Jet for a week, there
seemed to be improvement but after a few short walks he'd start limping again
on both or either front paw. Both legs show signs of continual lameness
for no apparent reason - he has never been obviously injured in a fall or
accident of any kind.
Pain
Jet also developed back pain from trying to
keep weight off his front legs - hence x-rays of his back too!
Jet will tire easily after short walks and will drink a lot of water
and pant due to pain response. The vet made us have blood tests taken earlier
in the diagnosis to ensure he wasn't diabetic due to his tiredness and drinking
large amounts. X-rays will usually detect the problem, but CAT scans are
recommended because they are more conclusive (and expensive).
In short if your pup starts limping at say 4 - 7
months and it wont go away after 2 weeks of rest - get the dogs elbows x-rayed
and check for signs of ED.
Surgery
The specialists believe that surgery helps
slow down the further development of Arthritis. The arthritis that is already
evident cannot be corrected and the dog will never be normal. This is because
there has been cartilage damage due to the loose bone fragments - so I think
the sooner you can diagnose the problem and have them removed the less chance
the dog has of future debilitation. The procedure the Vet wanted to
perform was to remove the loose bone fragments from both elbows and cut the
ulna bone in the right fore-leg to allow the joint to sit in better
alignment.
Cost of the operation $1500 and 4 - 5 days
in hospital.
Recovery period over 2 months.No plaster cast is
applied - the cut ulna bone is allowed to float until it finds its own
comfortable knitting position - which can takes ages depending on how active
the dog is during the recovery period. Try stopping a young ACD?
Decisions I have had to make ... a nightmare
Get x-rays?
Get CAT scans
Put him down?
Get a second opinion?
Get a third opinion
Do nothing and see if he grows up any better?
Put him on long term medication as a pup?
Operate to remove the chips?
Operate to remove the chips and cut the ulna?
Which surgeon would be best for the operation?
How can I prevent this from happening again?
How could I be so unlucky to have two dogs in a
row with dysplasia problems?
How will he recovery since he is so active?
Results of Surgery
I personally opted against having the ulna bone
cut - I found it too drastic and doubted the recovery would be successful.
Jet just had the loose fragments of bone removed. It is only 2 weeks now -
but he is already walking more freely than he has for months, although he is
still sore when he stops. He is eating better than he has for ages - so I am
hoping he is in less pain than he was.
ACD Breeders and Owners responsibilities
After the severe problems I had with my first
ACD I tried desperately to find a breeder that graded their dogs hips, but
found very few and none had any pups during the period I was
looking. There are almost no breeders that have any scores on elbows.
Most breeders know little of the problem or refuse to acknowledge it even exists
in the breed.
The ACD is unique to Australia and breeders
must learn to manage the few diseases that afflict them to ensure their
continuance.
Breed clubs or the governing bodies should be
able to stipulate testing for the known diseases that can bring the breed down
to its knees - so to speak, before dogs are approved to breed with them. This
would save the general public from being forced to make the tough
decisions I have had to consider.
The breeders are guardians of the breed -
they do not own it.
ACD breeders have a responsiblity to ensure
that the breed lives on without rampant hereditary diseases that can be managed
given the right processes.
Please read the websites I have linked and
spread this information to as many breeders and owners as possible.
America and England score elbows and hips for
their breeds. Isn't the ACD the best
breed of all? You are all obviously aware of their unlimited potential for
work, as loyal pets and guard dogs - their courageousness can never be
surpassed. Then surely we should band together and share this information and
save our heritage and preserve the breed for the future generations to enjoy.
How can we start a register and how do we
publicize it and maintain it - lets do it before it's too late.
For further information on "Elbow
Dysplasia" follow these links ...http://www.petsurgery.com/elbowdysplasia.htm
http://www.workingdogs.com/deboer_elbow1.htm
http://www.workingdogs.com/deboer_elbow2.htm
http://www.bva.co.uk/pdf/chs_elbow_procedure.pdf
http://www.acay.com.au/~dissi/elbow.htm
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/iewg/elbobbl.pdf
Regards,
Rod Smith