Ava started limping on her right front leg when she was about 6 months old. She would occasionally hold up her right front leg, especially after rough play, and on walks she was bobbing her head. Radiographs were taken at the family veterinarian when she was about a year old and she was diagnosed with a probable Fragmented Medial Coronoid Process (FMCP) on the right side. She came to see Dr. Edinger, and on physical exam he noticed that her left elbow was thickened similarly to the right. Radiographs were taken of both elbows, and Ava had underdeveloped medial coronoids in both elbows. Ava was started on Dasuquin (a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement) and did very well for several months- not limited by lameness and able to do everything she wanted to do.
In March 2013, Ava came back for surgery. She was becoming lame on both front legs after rough play, and the Dasuquin was not helping as much as it had been. Both of her elbows were cleaned up arthroscopically- removing fragments and shaving cartilage to improve the overall health and function of both elbows. When Ava came back for her 3 week recheck she was doing great! There was almost no lameness and it was a challenge to keep her quiet. Dr. Edinger wanted to keep her slightly restricted for two additional weeks to give the cartilage surfaces time to heal. Ava came back six weeks after surgery looking like a normal dog, she was not restricted at home and was running, playing with her housemate and going on 3 mile walks with no problems! Ava will continue to take Dasuquin, stay trim and active to protect her elbows as much as possible from the build up of osteoarthritis in the future.
For more information on FMCP’s, please see Fragmented Medial Coronoid Process (FMCP) under our Orthopedic Disorders page, or feel free to call (608-845-0002) or email us .
