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Welcome to Breezy Ridge Farm, home of our Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs!

Elbow Dysplasia

Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to describe malformations in the elbow joint. These malformations may appear in three different areas, and may occur together or independently. The three etiologies which may constitute elbow dysplasia are:

1. Ununited Anconial Process (UAP). The anconial process is a small piece of bone at the upper end of the ulna. In a puppy, this piece is made of cartilage that gradually ossifies into bone and unites with the ulna. If that union does not take place, the result is an ununited anconial process.

2. Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP). The coronoid process is a small piece of bone on the ulna that articulates with the humerus. This bone also starts as cartilage in puppies and eventually turns to bone as it fuses to the ulna. If that fusion does not occur, or if chipping or fragmenting occurs after it fused to the ulna, this is called a fragmented coronoid process.

3. Osteochondrosis (OCD) of the humerus. OCD, can occur in many joints, including the elbow. In this case, OCD is a vertical fracture of the articular cartilage of the humerus, which leads to a flap of cartilage in the joint

Dogs with elbow dysplasia may or may not exhibit lameness. Therefore the only true way to diagnose ED is through radiographs. As with Hip Dysplasia, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals does certify elbows at two years of age. The ratings are either Normal (if there is no evidence of any dysplasia), in which case the OFA will issue and Elbow number, or Dysplastic -- and ratings of Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 will be issued, depending on the extent of changes observed in the radiographs.

In some ways, Elbow Dysplasia is a tougher disease than Hip Dysplasia. The elbow is a more complicated joint, and if the ED is symptomatic, surgery is not simple and often not totally effective. Dogs with hip dysplasia have an easier time compensating to relieve pressure on their hip joints. The front end assembly of a dog, on the other hand, bears significantly more weight and there is no real way around this for the dog.

Heredity definitely plays a role in Elbow Dysplasia, as there is a tendency for the problem to occur more often in certain breeds. While it is also true that ED tends to plague larger, fast-growing breeds, it's clear that genetics are certainly a major factor, which is why two very similar breeds in size, such as Rottweilers and GSMDs (both fast growing), can have a vastly different incidence of ED -- over 40% of Rottweilers versus just under 12% of Swissies. This data suggests that, to an extent, Elbow Dysplasia has been bred into Rottweilers. Today, most Rottweiler breeders have no real choice but to breed dogs with dysplastic elbows. GSMDs are much more fortunate in that we have the luxury of eliminating dogs with ED from our breeding program.

Some breeders choose to breed Swissies with Grade 1 Elbow Dysplasia. Others, like me, will not -- even if the dog has never exhibited clinical symptoms. The bottom line is this: symptomatic or not, dogs with Elbow Dysplasia have a higher likelihood of producing Elbow Dysplasia. And as the overall incidence increases, so too does the likelihood of more severe elbow dysplasia.
Read more about this at the OFA website here.

 

 

 

 

 

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