Young dog with carpal deformity

[lehughes]

I’m tad stuck here after the IA. I've looked all over for more info on this but coming up empty. 

Dog has mild values and procurvatum of the right antebrachium. A few tight spots in the t/sp but otherwise this dog has full elbow and shoulder ROM, good muscle tone and no gait abnormalities. 

I've given a few exercises for the front end (crawling, pivoting, band work, core) but doubtful it will change anything as this is a structure issue.  The doctors have recommended surgery but she has declined at the moment and hoping strengthening will help.  From your experience, do dogs like this generally undergo surgery or can they be managed conservatively? Down the road, I wonder what this change in angulation might do to the shoulder, upper back etc. I don't want to give her hope that these exercises will correct the problem, as I don't think it will. 

I have the plan and am going thru conservative management, good diet, healthy weight, supplements for bone health, overall conditioning with rear focus, arthritic management and expectations but have no experience and insight into how long we can prolong things.

Wanted a quick opinion if you had a chance. 

CM

[lehughes]

A picture would be great.

A vet would only recommend Sx if they thought that there was premature closure of the radial or ulnar physes, causing an angular deformity.  In which case, the dog must look rather terrible.
Surgery will not give them a performance OR show dog, and may not even fix the problem all that much.  So if you site the problem to be mild, then surgery is a bit of overkill at this point.  They can wait, b/c a natural resolve will be better.  Surgery will give them a 'pet dog' now or in the future.

I would recommend joint supplements and a natural anti-inflammatory (i.e. MSM, Vit C, Arnica, Yucca, or the like) for the joints.
If there is a toeing out… then that is often b/c the chest has not expanded / dropped.  This either comes with time… or a breeder told me that running and heavy exericsing (causing lots of LUNG work) will increase lung size and therefore chest in a young dog.  (Interesting!)  However if the carpal joints are procurvatum, I’d not suggest that - unless reduced impact - so swimming really!

I’d try the exercise route as well.  
THIS isn’t a very common problem.  I’ve seen easty-westy.  I’ve seen hyerextension.  But I’ve not seen a major case of procurvatum… perhaps something noticed by a breeder at a short period of time during growth, but certainly nothing that anyone did surgery on!

My opinion would be to try exercises as a best shot at a NORMAL resolve as TIME sorts out the procurvatum.  IF the Procurvatum gets worse, then surgery is on the table as an option - in order to minimize the deformity in a pet dog.  So, exercises and monitor for now.

Best of luck!

Laurie

[lehughes]

Hey, 

Thanks for the email. Re-assuring that I was on the right track. He is set to be a big performance dog so it is good to know that if multiple surgeries were completed he would like likely only be a pet. Definitely not what the owner wants. 

The result from the X-rays showed restricted growth of the distal ulnar grown plate - they discussed doing an osteotomy with multiple surgeries with the goal of not correcting the deformity but preventing further ext rotation, procurvatum and valgus from developing. The condition is mild at this point and the owner is VERY eager to try out conservative management. Interesting to note that other dogs in this line have had the same problem. All have gone on to have normal, active performance lives and none have had any surgical intervention..Hmmmm..

I will get a picture next time - such as smart idea!! Time to start a scrap book!!  

Thanks again Laurie!!!
C. 

[lehughes]

MULTIPLE surgeries for this sort of thing does not = performance dog!
Monitor the curvatures (pull out the damned old goniometer).
Others in the line have had the same problem but outgrown it?  Then I would think it’s a stage of growth.
b/c if it’s not, then this isn’t and won’t ever be a performance dog.


Laurie