Swollen Elbows

[msgranma1948]

Hi!

I have a 9 mo old Great Dane mix Rescue Dog, male. His name is Bart. I have had him netured this past fall. Bart's elbows on both front leg's are swollen. They are mushy or soft. I took him to the vet & the vet drained his elbows but they swelled right back. He called the problem some long name he got out of a vet book. He said this problem was caused by him lying on a hard surface. I have put foam pad's in the dog house but Bart & our German Shephard puppy, Thor chewed it up. I have put hay in the house for bedding & replacing it when it is no longer soft. I did all of this before Bart's elbow's swelled. Thor's leg's are not swelled. The vet said that Bart might would need to have surgery to remove the swollen knots on his elbows. This would mean scraping the bone & removing. His leg's would have to be wraped & he would have to be kept up for a month. But, he also stated this may not cure his problem. He said the surgery would cost apprx $500.00 to $1,000.

I don't have the money to do this. He said as long as Bart is active & he is not in pain he would be alright. Bart does not show any pain & he is very active.

Do you know what this might be & what may had caused this problem?

Thanks

[Karin]

Here we go again with being on line and difficult issues...

I would have your vet go many steps further. A Great Dane and age given...I would also check lymph system and endocrine. This *could* be the start of something bigger.

My .02 cents.

Keep us posted please...

[Carina]

It would be helpful if you could provide the "long name" complication.
Could it be elbow dysplasia? Fractured corneal process? Ununited anconeal process? Osteochondrosis of the medial condyle of the humerus? (Those are all types of elbow dysplasia.)

None of these have anything to do with lying on hard surfaces....honestly, if this is the best your vet could do, get a second opinion.
Did he take x-rays? ED can be very tricky to diagnose, and often the dog needs to be sedated to get a proper diagnosis, because the legs have to be extended & stretched to a sometimes painful degree.

I have a dog with elbow dysplasia (FCP left elbow, UAP both elbows) and he is beginning to compete in agility. He was diagnosed at 20 months old, he is 4 years old now.
The osteo specialist recommended arthoscopic surgery for Cooper ($2,500) but it has a fairly iffy prognosis, and with the help of a couple of vets I've found ways to avoid surgery and keep him very active and symptom free.
If any of this sounds familiar, post back & I'll tell you what I know!

[msgranma1948]

Thanks! for the suggestion's & replies. I will have to call the vet & see if he can give me the name again.

If I don't do anything about this will this hurt him? Maybe I can post a picture of his elbows later.

Thanks again