Healthy Dog
Physiotherapy for dogs in 71120 Grafenau and surroundings
Elbow dysplasia (ED) is a term used to describe various diseases of the elbow joint, the occurrence of which is based on a mostly genetically determined predisposition (in rarer cases it can also be caused by trauma) and can be traced back to a skeletal development disorder. Mostly fast growing medium to large dogs are affected by it. Frequently ED disease occurs in breeds such as z.B. Rottweiler, Bernese Mountain Dog, Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd etc. in front of.
Causes
Severe overuse during the growth phase (in the dog's first year of life), z. B. by walking too long, riding a bike, climbing stairs excessively, feeding too much energy, feeding puppy food that is too "high quality" or supplementing with extra mineral supplements can harm a genetically predisposed dog and cause elbow joint disease or. cause rapid progression of the disease.
Three manifestations are summarized under the term ED: OCD, FPC and IPA
In all three manifestations of ED, painful arthrosis usually occurs as sequelae. The affected dogs show reluctance to move and lameness. As the duration of stress increases, so does the pain, which can be caused by passive bending and stretching of the elbow. In rare cases – without occurrence of free joint bodies – the disease can be cured by absolute sparing and change of food. As a rule, free joint pieces or. broken off pieces of bone must be surgically removed. The earlier diagnosis and surgery are performed, the greater the prospects for long-term cure. If surgery is not an option, alternative forms of ED treatment, early physical therapy, and if necessary. the gold acupuncture on.
Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD):
Due to mostly genetically caused developmental disorders, OCD results in a cartilage growth disorder with insufficient maturation in the mostly young dog. In this joint disease – often triggered by too rapid growth (or trauma) – pieces of cartilage in the joint detach and lead to painful inflammation. Thereby it comes to a mostly irreparable damage in the joint. Most often the shoulder joint is affected by OCD, then the elbow joint. But also in the knee and hock joint it can develop (more rarely). OCD is a typical disease of the growing dog. It occurs frequently in medium to large, fast growing, often temperamental (u. if necessary. severe) dog breeds before. Particularly often affected are z. B. Rottweiler, Bernese mountain dogs, Retriever, Labradors, the German shepherd dog u.s.w. In addition, OCD occurs more frequently in males than in females.
Causes of OCD
It is amed that a combination of hereditary factors, improper nutrition, if necessary. also an injury (trauma) and an overload of the growing dog leads to OCD. For example, an over-supply of energy and calcium to the young dog makes it grow "up" too fast, but the skeleton (bone density, cartilage, etc.) is too weak.) has not yet matured accordingly at this time. Meals that are too lavish and high in calories also accelerate growth and can make the dog too heavy for the growing skeleton. A possible additional supply of calcium-containing supplements will make it worse. Likewise, too much exercise puts a strain on the skeleton. The joints of the young dog. The young dog should not overexert itself when moving, playing and romping around. Should be avoided z. B. also longer ball games with abrupt stops. Tight turns – especially on hard ground. Ball games with abrupt stops. Tight turns – especially on hard ground. The walks of the adolescent dog should not be too long according to age and excessive stair climbing should be avoided. Riding a bicycle with a dog under one year of age is taboo.
Origin of OCD
In order to understand the disease process, it is necessary to have a rough understanding of the bone growth process:
Bones are formed from cartilage material that calcifies and thickens over time. A layer of cartilage runs across the still growing bone, in which the longitudinal growth of the bone takes place. Disturbances can occur at particularly stressed points in the joint during this calcification process. The joint cartilage increases irregularly in thickness and the underlying cartilage mass is insufficiently supplied with nutrients, degenerates and dies. The joint cartilage is no longer firmly attached to the underlying bone and detaches from the bone. Degradation products of the dead cartilage cells are released, which causes inflammation in the joint. In addition, cracks appear in the joint cartilage, through which synovial fluid can penetrate. Due to the accumulation of fluid in the joint, the joint capsule is "stretched", pain develops and the dog becomes lame. In addition, the detached "cartilage scales" – also called "joint mice" – can "wander" or "swim" freely in the joint and cause additional discomfort.
If the cause of the disease is not treated, the inflammation will persist and become chronic. As a result, painful osteoarthritis develops and, over time, bony growths occur in and around the joint. These changes are irreversible. Permanent painful damage to the joint occurs. An OCD disease shows itself in the lameness. The young dog is reluctant to move. Usually the first signs appear at the age of 6 – 8 months. At the beginning of the disease the dog is often lame only from time to time. In the course of the disease, the lameness can increase and can lead to the fact that the diseased limb is no longer properly loaded or set down. The diseased leg is often turned outward during movement. Pressed against the body at the same time. Likewise, the affected joint may be thickened (swollen). The veterinarian will perform a careful lameness examination. Take an x-ray of the affected joint. On the X-ray, the veterinarian can detect changes in the growth plates in the joint or cartilage detachments and decide on further treatment. If the disease is detected very early, a change of food and strict leash restriction for 2-3 months can be used as therapy if necessary. be sufficient. In many cases, however, the dog has to be operated on. The earlier the surgery, the better the prognosis. Your veterinarian will give you detailed information about this.
Fragmented Proces Coronoideus medialis (FPC):
FPC is also called "broken crown process" denotes. The "Proces coronoideus medialis ulnae" is the inner crown process of the ulna, which ossifies in dogs of large breeds only at the age of four to five months. Up to this point, he is very sensitive to any overloading.
If there is different growth in length of ulna and radius, (d.h. delayed growth of the radius) to a step formation with too short radius in the elbow joint, the crown process can break off partially by overloading from the too long ulna. A typical symptom is joint abduction, d. h. an outwardly rotated elbow (so-called. "Charly-Chaplin position").
FPC occurs in many dogs on both forelimbs. A subsequent minor lameness on both sides is difficult to detect. It often requires an additional trauma (mechanical impact) on one of the two forelimbs until the dog owner recognizes a lameness on the more painful leg. At this point, the dogs have not infrequently already reached an age of 10 to 14 months. The arthroses are accordingly far advanced.
Isolated Proces Anconaeus (IPA):
The proces anconaeus (IPA) is a bony prominence of the ulna, whose growth plate should be closed at the age of 16 to 20 weeks. If this bony connection is missing, the growth of the ulna is delayed. The resulting prere change leads to disturbances of the ossification in his growth plate and to the so called "ED". "Isolated Proces Anconaeus.". If the socket of the ulna is too narrow, prere is exerted on the proces anconaeus and the medial process of the crown.
Up to the age of seven months it can be tried to fix the proces anconaeus with a screw.
The dogs often show a typical posture with paws and forearms turned outwards and elbows turned inwards. IPA occurs particularly frequently in the German shepherd dog.
Physiotherapy for all three ED disorders
Pain relief (also of the other limbs and joints that are not affected but are overloaded due to a protective posture) is the main focus of physiotherapeutic treatment. In this case classical physiotherapeutic measures and additionally acupuncture and myoreflex therapy can be applied. This is followed by muscle stabilization exercises or.