Elbow dysplasia in dogs

Elbow dysplasia means that the elbow joint deforms, this removes the joint cartilage. Studies showed that Elbow Dysplasia is a hereditary disorder and that it is similar to the heredity rate of hip dysplasia.

Causes of elbow dysplasia:

There are 3 growth disorders that can be the cause of elbow dysplasia, these are:

1. Los Processus Coronoidus: This is the most common cause of elbowdysplasia. Here there is a loose piece of bone in the elbow joint. Because there is overload on this bone, it breaks down; it could break down whether the joint cartilage can be damaged.     
2. Los Processus Anconeus (LPA): There is also a loose piece of bone in the elbow joint which leads to irritation. The irritation turns into pain, causing the dog to limp. Eventually, this leads to instability in the elbow,  which manifests itself on osteoarthritis in the joint.
3. OsteoChondrosis Dissecans (OCD) in the humerus condyl: The inner joint comb of the  humerus has damage to the joint cartilage.

These causes of elbow dysplasia can occur as soon as the dog is aged 4 to 5 months. Elbow dysplasia  occurs regularly in medium to large breeds of dogs. A developmental disorder is indicated as a possible cause of overload and/ or obesity. This could worsen if too much calcium is placed in the diet. Usually this causes stress of the cartilage layer in the elbow joint resulting in osteoarthritis.

Elbow dysplasia can be diagnosed with an X-ray. This is then best treated with surgery.