Title: 9 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
19 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
29 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- Bone and joint problems are common in dogs of
all ages. But these are especially more prevalent
in young dogs undergoing growth spurts and in
large dog breeds. Your furry friend might show
signs like limping or lameness, reluctance to
jump or run, stiffness, depression, tiredness,
and irritability due to such joint issues. -
- Is your dog showing such symptoms? If yes,
this might be due to some underlying bone and
joint problems. Take your dog to the vet and get
appropriate medical care at the earliest.
39 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- Now, there are several types of orthopedic
problems seen in growing dogs. -
- Some might be due to minor issues and will go
away within a few days with proper care, but some
may persist for more than 14 days, and if not
brought to proper medical attention, it can cause
some serious issues like arthritis. In this
article, we will be discussing some of the most
common bone and joint issues seen in young dogs.
So let us get started!
4(No Transcript)
59 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 1. Panosteitis (Growing Pains)
- This is caused when the shaft of the long
bones in their legs gets inflamed. Due to the
inflammation, the dog experiences pain and
discomfort in that specific leg, and this results
in lameness. This can affect one or more bones at
the same time or might shift from one bone to
another, which results in the shifting of
lameness too. -
- Panosteitis is also known as growing pains or
pano. This is a self-limiting condition that will
resolve on its own as the dog grows. If the pain
is severe, vets normally prescribe some
painkillers no specific treatment is required. -
- Omega 3 for pets has been proven to reduce
inflammation and associated pain. It is normally
seen in large breeds of dogs under the age of 2
years which is the age of rapid growth. This
might get better with joint health supplements
for dogs.
69 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 2. Hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD)
-
- When there is decreased blood flow to the
growth plates of long bones in your dog's leg,
the bone formation doesn't occur adequately in
such areas and will result in less hardened, soft
bones. Eventually, there might be inflammation in
such areas. -
- This causes severe joint pain, fever, and
swelling in young dogs. It is more painful than
pano. And unlike pano, it can cause permanent
damages resulting in permanent lameness and
malformed limbs. This too, is usually seen during
the rapid growing time of large breed puppies.
This is usually a self-limiting problem that will
go away after some time on its own.
79 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 3. Osteochondrosis (OCD)
-
- This occurs due to the abnormal development of
the smooth cartilages present on the tip of the
bones. Mostly there is a malformed cartilage flap
or cracks in cartilages that results in
discomfort in such cases, severe rest and
restricted activities with some painkillers and
cartilage supporting medications will help. -
- Some other times, a small part of the
cartilage may break off and float freely in the
joint fluid. This is known as osteochondritis
dissecans or joint mouse. It causes severe joint
pain, and the vet usually recommends surgical
removal of the floating flap to solve the
problem. This too is commonly seen in big dog
breeds undergoing a growth spurt. It commonly
affects the shoulder joints.
89 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 4. Osteoarthritis (Arthritis)
-
- This condition is caused by inflammation of
the joints due to deterioration of the
cartilages. It usually occurs in adult dogs as a
result of aging as a degenerative disease but
might be seen in young dogs too. -
- In young dogs, it occurs due to some
congenital malformations and serious injury or
trauma to the joints. It is painful, and as the
condition progresses, the pain will also
increase. Omega 3 for pets can help in such
conditions due to its immense anti-inflammatory
properties. -
- Large breeds and overweight dogs are mostly
affected. This is a progressive disease and will
get better only with adequate nutrition, proper
exercise, and joint health supplements for dogs. -
9(No Transcript)
109 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 5. A fragmented coronoid process (FCP)
-
- It's a kind of elbow dysplasia. At the end of
the ulna of the dog's elbow, there are two
protruding bony processes known as the coronoid
process. When this coronoid process has some
deformities, it forms a crack and detaches from
the bone it causes pain and discomfort in the
area. -
- It can cause instability of the joints as
well. It is more of a hereditary condition that
mostly occurs in large breeds. If not early
diagnosed and immediately treated with
appropriate surgery, it may cause further
inflammation in the joints leading to
osteoarthritis.
119 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 6. A ununited anconeal process (UAP)
-
- This is another elbow dysplasia. At the rear
part of the dog's elbow, the bone ulna has an
anconeal process. When some deformities occur in
this part, it gives rise to severe pain and
discomfort. -
- Normally during the time of puberty, the ulna
and its associated anconeal process fuse
together, and this enables the proper functioning
of the joint. But sometimes, their fusion doesn't
occur properly and might cause joint problems. -
- The anconeal process might also get
completely detached from the ulna and float
between the joints causing more pain. This can
lead to the development of arthritis in that
joint. It can be resolved with immediate surgery.
129 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 7. Hip dysplasia (Unstable Hip)
- The hip joint, which is a ball and a socket
joint, is responsible for holding the hip
skeletons together. During the period of rapid
growth and development, these bones grow as every
other bone does. But here, the bones of the
socket and ball should grow at uniform rates any
irregularities in their growth can result in a
misfit of the joint that causes discomfort and
aching. -
-
- This also causes limping and lameness. Hip
dysplasia in dogs is a hereditary joint problem
and can be treated with a combination of drugs
and surgery. It might have associated
inflammation leading to osteoarthritis.
139 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 8. Luxating patella (Discolating kneecap)
-
- This is mostly a congenital condition that
causes the dislocation of misalignment of the
kneecap or patella. It can also be due to some
severe joint trauma or overstretching of the
joints. The small toy breeds of dogs are
predisposed to this condition. It can be treated
with massages and medications if mild. Severe
luxating patella with pain needs surgery.
149 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- 9. Cranial cruciate ligament tearing (Torn ACL)
-
- This is one of the many ligaments holding the
knee joint in place and allowing proper movement
of the bones. Sometimes due to trauma or diseases
like arthritis, it might get damaged. In the
initial stages, it gets partially damaged,
causing mild limping, and gradually there occurs
complete rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament
resulting in severe pain, swelling, and improper
functioning of the joints. A good quality joint
health supplement for dogs might help.
159 Common Bone Issues in Growing Dogs
- How to deal with orthopedic issues in young dogs?
- As said earlier, when your puppies start
limping for more than two days, consider going to
a vet. Sometimes it might get resolved with some
medications and proper rest. If it persists for
more than two weeks, some diagnosis has to be
made to rule out the underlying problem. Good
nutrition, including omega 3 for pets,
medications, and surgeries, are commonly used to
treat such problems. -
- Using a good joint health supplement for dogs
will also be beneficial. Supplements with
green-lipped mussels extracts will be very
helpful as it contains eicosatetraenoic acid,
which is many times more powerful than normal
omega 3. Green-lipped mussels are the best
natural joint supplement for dogs. -
- So, that's it. These are some common bone
issues seen in young dogs. Early identification,
proper medical attention, and adequate care will
help to get everything back to normal. May your
fur babies be healthy and happy always! Learn
More. -
16- Address 15215 Alton Pkwy 140, Irvine,
- California, United States
- Email customercare_at_frezzor.com
- Contact Number 1 949 215 3055
- Website https//frezzor.com
Follow Us
17Thank You