Elbow dysplasia in 8 month old kid

1675 Views 27 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Calistar, Oct 31, 2021

Calistar

Discussion Starter · Aug 6, 2021

Has anyone dealt with this? My doeling has been limping for 2 months, holding her leg up at the shoulder. It started suddenly, got better over the course of a week until she was almost completely normal, then overnight went back to square one and hasn't recovered. Vet initially diagnosed soft tissue injury because he couldn't feel anything amiss. He told me it could take months to heal and may never heal completely. After 2 months she was showing zero signs of improvement, so I insisted on X-rays. The X-rays showed that she in fact has elbow dysplasia. The vet, radiologist, and myself all believe that it's the result of trauma and not genetic. It sounds like right now my options are to continue letting her limp around on 3 legs, or to try surgery. I haven't had the opportunity to speak with the vet at length about surgery, but so far all he's said is that the outcome is uncertain. Has anyone else dealt with this? What was the outcome? She's a young doe and has sentimental significance, and I'd hate to see her spend the rest of her life hopping around on 3 legs, but don't want to put her through an expensive surgery if it's realistically not going to make a difference.

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ksalvagno

· #2 · Aug 6, 2021

That is a tough situation. I would think someone on here has experienced that before.

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toth boer goats

· #3 · Aug 7, 2021

Sorry you are having issues.
Wish I had answers for you.

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Moers kiko boars

· #4 · Aug 7, 2021

Hi. I went through something like this. Except it was a 3 month old buckling,and they (OSU) said his joint was sepsis, and he would be dead in 10 days. Hes 16 months old now. Has a slight limp. I put him in a Thomas sling. You can google it. Its not hard to do. It takes the weight off the joint and allows it to heal. I also had him on antibiotics & pain meds for 2 weeks. Ive kept hom on Dyne mixed with electrolytes, garlic ,& omega3 fish oil daily. He is walking and currently breeding a doe. So Its been a long wait and a trying time. But to me it was worth it.

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Moers kiko boars

· #5 · Aug 7, 2021

2

I hope this helps.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 7, 2021

Thank goodness you posted that picture because when I googled "Thomas sling" I was getting pictures of tennis racket covers and children's slings with Thomas the Tank Engine print 😆 I'm so sorry about your boy, but glad to hear that he's doing so well given his original prognosis! How long was he in the sling for?

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toth boer goats

· #7 · Aug 7, 2021

Good info, thanks for sharing.

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Moers kiko boars

· #8 · Aug 7, 2021 (Edited)

I put Lightning in the sling for about 2 weeks. I checked it dailey. I also put a pvc.pipe.ring, like a bell, on his other hoof. It helped to support the stronger leg, while wearing the sling. But he only has a mild limp. He is out breeding now.

Its been called a Schroeder Thomas. Or a ..Thomas Shroeder splint..or just a Thomas splint. I google it as Thomas splint for cattle.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 17, 2021

Since my initial post, I have spoken with the vet who would be performing the surgery (not my usual vet but works through his clinic.) He thinks that surgery would help my doeling. One of her growth plates was damaged, causing the bone to stop growing and not align correctly in the joint. The surgery is going to involve cutting a piece out of the ulna to shorten it so it fits better. He mentioned the surgery is only possible because she is young and still growing so it would need to be done as soon as possible. He said that it is not a perfect surgery and she will likely still limp, but that it should improve things. The surgery supposedly has good results in cats and dogs, but obviously is not a common thing in goats. We will see how things go. I am waiting to hear back from the office about when they can schedule me. I've had more than my fair share of goats with leg problems and they usually end up being permanent, so if there's something that can be done to fix this one I want to try.

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ksalvagno

· #10 · Aug 17, 2021

Good luck with the surgery. I hope it goes well.

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Moers kiko boars

· #11 · Aug 17, 2021

Oh I hope this works for you & her! Please keep me informed of her progress. Thanks for the update! Sending prayers for her surgery & recovery!

toth boer goats

· #12 · Aug 17, 2021

Good luck, hope it goes well.

Be sure the vets knows, goats are more sensitive to anesthesia and may not come out of it, if given too much.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 18, 2021

Thanks guys, I will let everyone know how it goes! The vets office never called me back today about the appointment so I may have to try them again tomorrow.

Good reminder @toth boer goats
I am pretty sure he knows (and the regular vet certainly does) as he mentioned the risk of anesthesia when I asked him about the pros/cons of surgery. Still good to have the reminder.

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toth boer goats

· #14 · Aug 18, 2021

👍

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #15 · Aug 23, 2021

I just dropped her off at the clinic. The surgeon expects that they'll be done about noon. He was very cognizant of the risks of anesthesia, bloat, etc that come with doing surgery on a ruminant, but was confident in the surgery itself. Hoping all goes well!

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K.B.

· #16 · Aug 23, 2021

Calistar said:
I just dropped her off at the clinic. The surgeon expects that they'll be done about noon. He was very cognizant of the risks of anesthesia, bloat, etc that come with doing surgery on a ruminant, but was confident in the surgery itself. Hoping all goes well!

Good luck, I'll be thinking of your baby!

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Moers kiko boars

· #17 · Aug 23, 2021

Sending you & her & the surgeon prayer for healing & full recovery!

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ksalvagno

· #18 · Aug 23, 2021

I hope all goes well.

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alwaystj9

· #19 · Aug 23, 2021

Best wishes for a great outcome!

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #20 · Aug 23, 2021

Thank you for the well wishes! Surgery went great and was over much quicker than anyone anticipated. Now we wait and see how she heals. The surgeon said we can expect improvement in her condition, but he's not sure how much. The dysplasia was bad enough that she was limping on 3 legs most of the time, so if we can get her back to using that 4th one, even if it's not perfect, it would be a big improvement!

Here she is back at home. She is the gold and white in front. The buckskin at the back also saw the vet today, for a broken leg 🙃

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