Harvey, a gentle, elderly crossbred male, who had serious elbow degenerative joint disease (DJD) – “osteoarthritis” was bought to us at West Midlands Veterinary Referrals in Burton-Upon-Trent.
He had liver problems secondary to chronic NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). We’d have liked to give Harvey an elbow joint replacement, but finances didn’t allow this.
So we settled for an elbow arthrodesis. These dogs always have a marked gait abnormality because the limb is a little awkward to use with the fused elbow after elbow arthrodesis. But the fused elbow gives them a strong, stable, comfortable leg that they can use without the pain of the DJD that went before.
