Ocd + Arthritis

[MrBusy]

Morning all,

Our 2yr dog has had an opertion on his right hock for OCD when he was 12mths old. The vet advised these ops generally do not have a great outcome -he was right. Dog is now on painkillers on an as required basis for life and tends to hold up his right back leg and limps especially after sleeping. Vet has indicated that there is nothing more that can be done and it seems arthitis has developed in the joint, not unexpected.

Dog is taken for walks each day, jointguard + fish oil is added to his food. Weight is keep off.

I have been doing some research on the web and was wondering if anyone has had any luck with the Adicell Stem cell or the no needle acupuncture treaments for this type of problem. I really just want him to be painfree, I understand nothing will make it back to normal but would like to see him pain free as he has a lot of time left.

I have no problem in travelling for any treatment that would work for him.

[KJ]

My Lab Henrietta had surgery for hock ocd when she was 6 months old. After she recovered from her surgery, Henrietta was probably good for a month then started to become progressively lame and uncomfortable. She developed very bad arthritis and it got to the stage where I often had to carry her to bed at night, she was always in pain(despite being on painkillers and anti inflamatories) and I wondered about her quality of life.

A hock arthrodesis (fusion) was the only way to take away her pain, Henrietta had this procedure about 12 months after her first surgery (to remove the cartildge flap), its a salvage procedure and required 6 weeks in a cast. She did need further surgery to help with the fusion which required more time in a cast but now nearly 12 months since her last surgery she is like a new dog, so happy and pain free ! She can run, jump and play just like a normal Lab, something I never thought she would be able to do :D She does have a bit of a funny walk but is not in pain.

Has your dog seen a specialist?

[MrBusy]

My Lab Henrietta had surgery for hock ocd when she was 6 months old. After she recovered from her surgery, Henrietta was probably good for a month then started to become progressively lame and uncomfortable. She developed very bad arthritis and it got to the stage where I often had to carry her to bed at night, she was always in pain(despite being on painkillers and anti inflamatories) and I wondered about her quality of life.

A hock arthrodesis (fusion) was the only way to take away her pain, Henrietta had this procedure about 12 months after her first surgery (to remove the cartildge flap), its a salvage procedure and required 6 weeks in a cast. She did need further surgery to help with the fusion which required more time in a cast but now nearly 12 months since her last surgery she is like a new dog, so happy and pain free ! She can run, jump and play just like a normal Lab, something I never thought she would be able to do She does have a bit of a funny walk but is not in pain.

Has your dog seen a specialist?

Thank you for your reply. We have not seen a specialist as such just our local vet who preformed the operation. They are very good and he did mention that a hock arthrodesis would be the last option and as he is young dog to try the pain relief for a while to see how things go. I just hate to see our boy in pain, even though if you really push hard he showns no pain but the vet says if he is limping or holding up the leg there is definitely pain there. He seems to be more in pain after running hard (this has been restricted to more gentle runs) and after resting so I have purchased him a couple of good quality latex mattresses so he is never resting on hard surfaces.

I am so happy to hear that after arthrodesis they can run, jump & play I thought it may have been a lot more restrictive.

Did you have your surgery in NSW??

[KJ]

Henrietta had her surgery with a specialist in Melbourne.

I now remember before the arthrodesis, she did have a cortisone injection into the joint which greatly reduced her pain for about a month. Before her surgery her hock joint was so swollen it was like a golf ball.

The arthrodesis surgery is a last resort but with Henrietta, her leg was so bad I really just felt like I was being cruel keeping her in that condition:(

What pain relief does your boy get?

As you can see, she can still manage a decent water entry!!

Edited April 10, 2011 by KJ

[MrBusy]

Henrietta had her surgery with a specialist in Melbourne.

I now remember before the arthrodesis, she did have a cortisone injection into the joint which greatly reduced her pain for about a month. Before her surgery her hock joint was so swollen it was like a golf ball.

The arthrodesis surgery is a last resort but with Henrietta, her leg was so bad I really just felt like I was being cruel keeping her in that condition:(

What pain relief does your boy get?

His hock joint is large not quite golf ball size yet and the vet is keeping a eye on it. He is on carprieve tables as required, he started on one per day for five days then he usually has one table even second day. In the next six months he will have a course of carprofen injections - one per week for six weeks.

Its basically a wait and see at tthe moment that is why I was looking for alternative treatments in the short time to help with the pain management.