ILuvAmstaffs

My boy was operated on for ED (FCP) at around 8 months of age, specifically he had the shard removed & also an ulna oestectomy. He was quite lame prior to the operation & several courses of cartrophen shots had not helped (this was during the time he was being diagnosed.) His ED is bilateral, but so far only the right leg had caused visible side effects. He will be 2 on the 29th April & if you saw him now you would not know that he has quite severe arthritis. As far as supps go, for us, we have found that Flexicose has shown the greatest improvement & I also give him ester c tabs. If you would like to read some of what we went thru, this was the thread I posted at the time of trying to find a diagnosis (might be helpful or atleast nie to know you are not alone) http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=80629 Malleer's dog had bilateral ED if I remember right & the op was successful. We had the op done at Sydney Uni Vet Specialist centre & it cost somewhere around $2500 for the one leg... and that was approx the same as was quoted by the original specialist that made the diagnosis.

I think individual dogs react differently.... Diesel had several courses of cartrophen shots & they never really seemed to help. We also tried sashas blend & again it did not help at all for him. The best results we saw where from joint guard & then even better on flexicose. He is now on flexicose & ester c & you wouldn't notice he has sever arthritis. Also, with the cartrophen shots, our surgeon originally recommended a full course every 6 months or 1 shot a month. Whatever seemed to work the best for the individual dog.

I am so sorry to hear this. R.I.P Daisy.

Mum uses one made for black horses on the dobes. It makes their coats look super shiny.

I am so sorry to be ready this. Don't blame yourself... accidents happen. R.I.P Kobe

Hey again. Yes, every case is certainly different & must be treated as such. For a "full" recovery from the op, I'd probably say it took around 6 months... and possibly up to 12 for things to settle 100%. I guess anyone thats had major ortho surgery (which it was in Diesel's case) would say not to expect much under 12 months. During that time we also tried just about every supplement on the market before settling on the Flexicose & Ester C. As for ED being common in the breed. Yes, it is an issue, though some breeders seem surprised to hear that. HD is by far more common, but most breeders do test elbow & hips. According to the OFA stats amstaffs rank no 12. I guess the issue with any polygenic disease is that 2 dogs that score well could still throw pups with the problem, it just depends on the combination of dogs.... and what is in their lines.

Good to hear that your girl is showing signs of improvement. :D Diesel did have some swelling around the joint after his op as well & the leg still looks thicker around the scar. So hopefully that is all you are seeing. This link explains a bit about the ulna oestectomy & why it is done. Diesel was only 8 months at diagnosis, so was a good candidate. http://www.sancarlosvet.com/Other/Prof/PUO/PUO_Primary.html

Wow, thats full on. Diesel has FCP & had the shard removed plus an ulna oestectomy. I think malleer was the same, so not really sure in that case. Interesting that there would be no follow up x-rays... I would have thought that with FCP the main concern would be to make sure more pressure isn't being applied to the joint & another shard doesn't occur. Especially when the ulna was not shorten. How is she doing now after a bit of rest?

Yep, definately too much too soon. Diesel was on complete rest for 8 weeks, and that was with only one elbow having been operated on... and once we could start walking him, it was only to the corner & back (100metres or so each way) and as he got better rather than increase the duration, we increased the frequency to give him a rest in between, so a walk morning then one in the night etc. It was probably 6 months on before we would take him for around a 10-15minute walk. Swimming was recommended early on as the exercise of choice because it is low impact. Also, something to look out for is that with FCP a fragment can cause a small fluidy lump to build around the shard. Not that it's likely this soon after surgery, but if the lump does not go down with rest I would be going back to see the ortho... When if you follow-up check up due? Is she scheduled to have a course of pentisan shots from 8 weeks with follow up x-rays at 3 months?

Your not too far from the Syd Uni vet clinic there (15mins or so)... so maybe give them a try? Diesel had his op for ED at the specialist centre there & I couldn't have been happier with their care.

Poor boy. If it's any consolation, Diesel & a few other DOL dogs have been down with a gastro bug recently, so any luck it is just that & he will be feeling better soon.

I always read the updates on Ollie dog, but never post. So just thought I'd say what an amazing boy I think he is & congratulate you on taking care of him so well. He's one lucky boy. :D Goodluck with his surgery. I hope he recovers quickly & is as good as new once he's healed.

Thanx woody2shoes. Looking at him & seeing how well he gets around now that he has healed, has given us a lot better outlook for his future. It was such a huge comfort having people on this forum that could offer support. Will be watching for updates on your girl. It sounds like you got may have got it early & hopefully she will make a speedy recovery!

I went through a similar thing with my boy Diesel. He has FCP & had it operated on at around 8 months. We had some difficulty getting it diagnosed, so took him to the Specialist Referral Clinic at Sydney Uni where they actually saw the fragment on the first set of x-rays (the original vet had missed it) he was operated on a few days later. I still kick myself for not having worked harder trying to find a diagnosis earlier as it may have made quite a difference in the severity of his arthritis. Here is the thread I posted back when we were going thru it all. I'm not sure how much is useful, but might be reassuring to read. We are now around 14months post-op & he barely has a limp... unless you were looking for it, most people never pic up on it. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=80629 Also, I would recommend a supplement called Flexicose as well as Ester C Tabs. This combination has made a world of difference to Diesel.

OMG I am so sorry to hear this. Run free beautiful boy! R.I.P Choppa

I agree with the others, get the x-rays done. Prices can vary greatly, we paid $150 for conventional x-rays and $350 for the digital ones. If things still seem inconclusive, keep looking until you find something. It took us more than 10 weeks of treatment then a 2nd opinion to find out my boy has ED... and that was after a respected chiro telling me not to proceed with x-rays because it was purely muscular. Goodluck with it all. I hope you find something that can be easily treated.

I would highly recommend trying a harness that clips on the front such as the Easy Walk Harness . We have something very similar & have found it to be fantastic... much better than a check chain or martingale.

I have Diesel on these also, they have made a huge difference to his coat as well.

After trying a lot of different products, I have my Amstaff on Flexicose. It's made a huge difference to his mobility & there has been no issues with delivery from the US.

My goodness, what bad luck to have both ED & HD! Personally I would be slowly working the amount of exercise up (if you want to) and gauging how they go. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules, but it is important to keep the dogs muscle tone up. After my boys op for ED we started off on short walks of about 5 minutes & rather than increase the distance, just increased the frequency of walks over time. Now he can happily walk for 45 mins without pulling up lame afterwards... If your concerned, perhaps you could try swimming them as an alternative?

I know I said it on the other forum.. but I am so sorry to hear of your loss. RIP beautiful Amy.

After many vet visits with no explanation for his limp, I took my boy to see an ortho at the Sydney Uni Specialist Referal Centre, where he was alter operated on for ED. I found them to be excellent there & would definately recommend them if you aren't 100% satisfied with your vet. As for managing the arthritis. Im using Flexicose, Ester C and noni juice.

Yeah I'd be more than happy to pay for that as well!

Yeah, they can Ash. :rolleyes: Are you game???

My amstaff boy hates having his nails clipped. He will buck around so you can't hold him & I am no longer able to do them... he doesn't mind having his paws touched, he just gets suss when he sees soemthing in your hand. What I am wondering is, should I take him to the vet to have them done or try a groomer first?