Does anyone have experience with this condition, Fragmented Coronoid Process?

I have a puppy who was diagnosed today with it, quite severe. The fragment is large and displaced.
I have read all I can find on the internet and now I am looking for some personal experiences/opinions.
I did not breed this puppy, I bought him from another breeder at 5 months of age. He is now 10 months and has been lame since very shortly after coming here.

Initially was diagnosed as Pano and was told to "wait it out".
Now I believe that there was in fact Pano, probably on top of this other problem.

Unfortunately, Medial FCP is fairly common in Labrador Retrievers. It is a developmental disorder, meaning it occurs during the development of the front leg bones, when the radius and ulna grow at different rates and can form a stress fragmentation of the coronoid process of the elbow with the pressure from the uneven bones. I was told by my mentor when I was a newbie that the Labrador is very succeptible to injury between 4-6 months, and she cited Dr. Wind (of the Wind-Morgan system at UCDavis)as saying that injury or trauma to the elbow at this age can bring on permanent injury due to FCP. However, it is considered by OFA (and most veterinarians) to be hereditary, although most do allow for some "environmental factors," i.e., diet, excessive weight, trauma, etc. I think OFA has some good, updated information on MFCP on their website. I would also check all related dogs to this puppy for elbow clearances on the OFA website. Just do a search.
If the fragment is large and displaced as you say, this causes a considerable amount of pain when walking or trotting (like a stone in the shoe), and will most likely need the services of a board-certified surgeon.
Hope everything will turn out okay, but most likely if the MFCP is as severe as you say, it will require surgery for the puppy to ever be comfortable again. This puppy should not be bred, as he will never pass OFA

Very often this is described as pano, but if waiting out doesn't help, consider getting a boarded surgeon to take a look at the elbow xrays.

Arthroscopy is a great alternative, they can go in and look, and fix what needs fixing with minimal invasion, and small wounds to heal.

Once you get the "chunk" out of the joint, let him be a dog, there is the likely chance there will be arthritis as the dog ages, but its important to clean out the elbow to reduce pain and issues now.

We see this routinely in our practice, and refer folks to boarded surgeons for repair

barb

I am so sorry your pup got diagnosed with FCP. My Lab was misdiagnosed with Pano for his intermittent lameness until I had enough and had the x-rays sent to a radiologist. The results came back with diagnosis of elbow dysplasia--FCP. Next step was to go see an ortho surgeon who recommended bilateral orthroscopic surgery ASAP to remove fragments.

At the recommendation of my Lab's breeder, I also sent prelims to the OFA. They came back with Grade II ED, OCD, DJD. The fragments did not show up on the x-rays but our ortho surgeon believe they were there. On recommendation of the ortho surgeon and Dr. Keller at the OFA, my boy had his surgery at the age of 8 months.

The recovery was amazingly speedy. He was wobbling around the next day. I took him to physical therapy twice a week for over half a year, then once a week for another half a year, and now about once a month. He's been on Adequan injections as well. He was on Rimadyl during cold months. He's on G/C supplements.

He is a bit over 2 y.o. now and is doing fantastic. After his surgery, we finished his AKC CD title and TD (tracking) title. He has legs towards his UKC and ASCA CD titles. We're hoping to debut in Open obedience this fall (jumping 22" in the ring and 24" in training) and in Junior hunt test in the spring. We're going to be training for his TDX this coming winter. So, we are very pleased with the outcome of the surgery and all of our efforts at therapy.

If you'd like more info about our experiences, you can send me an email: tatyana at feilbach.org

Don't despair. ED is manageable and you both can have tons of fun together.

Dear Looking,
I have a almost 5yr old lab bitch that was diagnosed very early with this particular problem
though i had wished it werent so as i had great plans for the puppy she is now of course spayed and has had surgery to both remove the chips as well as to lesson the incongruencys in both elbows.
i have her on all the joint supplements and she is really quite fine. though never shown ,never bred and never hunted over she is today a wonderful working dog.I have her certified as both a forensic eveidence dog as well as a historical search dog
she loves the work and i love her so do not dispair. repair the puppy when old enough and continue on.....
jan hepper

Sorry to hear about your puppy, that is very sad news indeed. But remember, ED is not an end to life. You will here horror stories, but there are also some real positive ones out there too.

My bitch Hailey has Grade II elbows w/ FCP/DJD. I was totally crushed by the news, of course. I couldn't for the life of me see how she could have Grade II elbows and I still don't understand it.

Hailey limped very little, a few days at most, around the age of 7-8 months. Nothing major, vet told me it was a mild case of pano. That was all. Nothing that would have caused me to worry.

Hailey is one of the happiest dogs I know. She jumps and bounces around out of excitement or happiness. She has done this since she was a pup and continues to this day. She moves very well too. You would never think this dog has Grade II elbows the way she acts. She runs and plays and I don't see any sign of her being in pain. Hailey either has learned to live with it or masks it well. If and when she starts to show signs of pain, we will address it then

It came to be known that one of her littermates came back with ED as well, but I can't remember what the diagnosis is exactly. She also has a half sister on her sire's side that has 1 Grade 1 elbow.

Personally, I think she was genetically pre-dispositioned to possibly have problems, and I think her bouncing ways contributed to the issue. This is just my theory. It's the only thing that makes sense to me. I live with this dog day in and day out and never see her having any problems. I had her OFAd twice, x-rays taken by different vets each time, same diagnosis both times.

When she finishes, I will spay her. Hailey is on G&C to help her if she needs it. We will have fun doing obedience and fieldwork. I will let her be a dog and not keep her in a crate to protect her from what may happen. She needs to live and have fun. Of course I watch after her, but you can’t kill her zest for life.


Unfortunately, I don’t have any links to websites that explain ED in layman’s terms. What I have read has been a bit confusing and I have been meaning to go back and study it further.

Just do what you feel is best for your puppy and your situation. If you follow your heart, you will make the right choices. Hope all goes well for you both.

OK, here is a question...you have a dog that has elbow dysplasia who may or may not need surgery. (still gathering info) You decide to place him as you do not want this in your breeding program, and do not want to keep a "pet". What would you tell potential pet people, and how much would you charge for this dog???

In my case, not a penny to the right placement.
I would be overjoyed that someone was willing to take on this dog (and in my case surgery is needed asap as the dog is in severe pain) and care for him.
It takes a generous heart to give like that to a dog that was not even yours to begin with.
Count your blessings if you find a kind soul that is willing to take your problem and fix it....

For me, honesty is the best and only policy. I would disclose everything I knew and educate the potential owners so they understood what they are upagainst. I would ensure the bitch/dog was spayed/neutered before hand. I would also request a modest sum as an adoption fee, but I would not hesitate to place the dog for free if it was the absolute right home. I also would be there for the life of the dogs/owners to assist were ever I could.

Realisitically, I don't know if I could ever place one of my dogs. My dogs are pets and members of the family foremost and I can't see myself doing that. I have two dogs right now that are not breedable, but that is not were they are valuable to me. They are fabulous companions and I love them regardless of the titles they earn or anything else. While I appreciate how some breeders can look beyond their own homes to place their dogs, that cup of tea isn't for me.

repair the dog when he/she is old enough then look for a suitible home and of course incur the cost of spaying or nutering.then place the dog when the vet says the dog is as sound as it will get and or keep the dog and have fun,or return the dog to the person you got him/her from.why all the agonizing? i would help the dog first then address the rest
be very careful Dog dealers are always looking for the free ones to resell for research.

Well, to be honest Gretchen, I place dogs that don't work out because it's better for them to be in a one or two-dog home rather than one with 30 dogs in it (which I don't have since I place ones that don't work out). When you've been breeding/showing for any length of time, you go through dogs - heck, I'd heard 1 in 4 up to 1 in 10 will work out - worse for boys than girls. I couldn't imagine keeping all the ones that didn't work out as I'd quickly have NO room for any potential show prospects.

Thank you BTDT - some of these people just don't understand what it takes to maintain a quality breeding program. We can't let our emotions make our decisions. Heck, if I did I've have so many dogs there's no way I could care for them all!
Anyone who is serious about showing, improving their lines and bettering the breed, as I am, will HAVE to place dogs. And a breeder who tells you they don't or have never had to is fooling themselves.
And absolutely it's better for the dogs we place to be in a pet home. They get the best of everything (hopefully), not just one of many...
Don't get me wrong. I have 2 "pets" too. Nothing wrong with that and they are sperate from my breeding program. They are house pets and are treated as such. But we can only have so many and still be able to give them what they deserve...
Thanks for all the wonderful replies about the FCP.

Placing dogs is understandable, but part of the responsbility in being a breeder is ensuring the health of the dogs you breed. Either a) give the dog back to the breeder to correct the ED or b) have the surgery completed and rehab the dog yourself prior to placement. As for how much to charge? If the right family comes along, I wouldn't charge a penny. You can always charge a nominal adoption fee to make sure that they are serious dog owners ($200?).

I bred a dog who had ED in one elbow. He was gorgeous and it broke my heart. I had the elbow corrected, rehabed the dog, started him on Adequan and when a family came looking for a pup and fell in love with him, off he went to his fabulous new home with 4 bottles of Adequan. I asked them to make a donation to CHIC so that they can continue research leading toward elimination of genetic disease. They adore the dog and donated more than what I sell my pups for (but not near what I had into him)!!!

Best of luck.

We are dealing with this decision right now. We have a "yearling" that was our dream breeding, a male, out of a multiple specialty winning bitch and a prominent stud dog. He was diagnosed with bi-lateral FCP at 4 months. We had the surgery done at 5 months, to the tune of just under $3,000 including some $700 gene therapy and had him neutered on the table. We rehabbed him and now are trying to decide whether to place him, and if so where. We do not plan to charge a dime. Our main concern is that he have a wonderful home with a family who will love him. The only reason we are waffling on this is that of all the Labs we have ever bred or owned, this boy is absolutely and unquestionably the sweetest one. He thinks my wife hung the moon. So, we'll see - but I do have my prediction.

If you feel that this boy has stolen a piece of your heart then keep him....I have two boys with ED. I wouldn't trade them for anything. They think the sun rises and sets on me....so they're staying for ever. I had big plans for each of these boys in the show ring before their diagnosis......but plans change. One boy is able to do field training and is loving it. The other boy is my foot warmer in the winter and his head makes a great book rest when I read in bed. I can't imagine my life without these two incredible creature! I have a lovely healthy girl too.....
Who says you can't have a dog in the house who's only purpose is to adore you?? Good luck with this gentle soul.....