A vet told one of my puppy buyers whose Lab recently started limping intermittently that she has FCP and needs surgery to correct it. The dog is 3 1/2 and has been sound until now.
There is evidence of arthritis on the x-rays.
Has anyone ever had a dog of this age or older diagnosed with FCP? Did surgery work? The info I was able to find online (a) seemed to say that FCP usually manifests itself at a much earlier age and (b) made it sound as though surgery may not be successful.
If any of you have experience with this, would you please share? Did you do surgery or try a more conservative approach, and what was the result?
One of my girls produced a grade 3 elbow too. It presented during the 6-10 month old time frame and was a moderate continuous limp. I elected to have the surgery. She continued to limp slightly until she was 2 and still has a faint limp with heavy play. She was my keeper from the litter...
FCP can be diagnosed at any age. One of my own wasn't diagnosed until we did his OFA's at 2 years. He came back a grade 2 bilat with fcp. Luckily he has never been lame- he was neutered and was able to compete in obedience and rally. I've also seen young pups- 4-5 months of age that were diagnosed with FCP.
There have been several threads on here about surgery vs non surgery. Bottom line is that surgery MAY help some clinically lame dogs with FCP, but there are just as many cases that are not surgical. The dog should be evaluated by a board certified ortho veterinarian. They can evaluate the dog and the radiographs and give an opinion on surgery. Keeping the dog in light weight, consistent low level exercise and joint supplements can also contribute to good quality of life.
