How Hydrotherapy Can Help Your Dog with Elbow Dysplasia

Canine Elbow Dysplasia is a degenerative condition affecting the elbow joints in dogs. It can start in a few different forms, each leading to pain and incongruency in the elbow joint. No matter how it presents initially, elbow dysplasia will eventually develop into arthritis in the joint.?

?

Canine Elbow Dysplasia is a common degenerative condition affecting dogs of all ages, with the first signs often seen in puppies between six months and a year of age. Canine Hydrotherapy, especially swimming, is a valuable tool in managing this condition throughout the stages of progression.?

?

The Familiar Story

‘I well remember the day my canine ball of fluff licked me in the face for the first time! So much energy and love in such a tiny,?wriggly?body. I remember week after week as he grew bigger, more boisterous and playful, how excited he would get when I arrived home, or we went for a walk – or just for any reason!

?

‘I also remember that when he was around six months old, I thought I saw a little limp in the front leg when we went for walks. The right leg. No, the left leg. It was odd; after some time he seemed fine again. And then a few weeks later, there it was again! Convinced it was not my imagination, off we went to the vet.

?

The diagnosis of elbow dysplasia

‘I do love my Vet – she listens to me, hears my fears and, most importantly, loves my dogs. After a full set of X-rays, the news comes back that my perfect boy has elbow dysplasia. I am in a flat spin – how did this happen? What does it mean? Can we treat it? How much pain is he in?

And right then and there, my Vet gave me the best advice I could have hoped for – she?referred?me to a Hydrotherapist.’

?

Elbow Dysplasia can be managed

This story is a common one for many of us. Perhaps it’s a story you are living now. You might have just received the diagnosis, or you might have known about it for years. Either way, what matters is that elbow dysplasia is a life-long condition that needs to be managed. You will need to address your dog’s?diet, make sure he remains at an ideal?weight, monitor and manage?pain, and manage his?environment?to ensure that he places as little stress on the elbows as possible. In addition, you might consider a therapy that will significantly strengthen muscles and improve the health of the joints?–?hydrotherapy.

Elbow dysplasia comes in many forms, all lumped together under one name. For a few forms, surgical intervention is necessary, although only really helpful if it is performed as soon after the onset of the condition as possible. For other forms, there are no viable surgical options.

But no matter what you do at the beginning stages of the disease, elbow dysplasia?will?progress to?arthritis?in your dog’s elbows.

Keep reading to learn more here