Health
Elbow dysplasia
An umbrella term for several developmental faults in the elbow joint that leave the surfaces mismatched and cause front-leg lameness in growing dogs.
Unlike the hip, the elbow is a three-bone joint, and it only works if all three grow at matching rates. When they do not, a fragment of bone or cartilage can break loose or the surfaces can sit badly against each other. The result is a young dog, often under a year, that is stiff after rest or nods its head as it trots.
Registries score elbows on the same X-ray schemes that cover hips, usually as a grade from zero upward. Early treatment matters more here than with hips, because a loose fragment left in place keeps damaging the joint it is sitting in.
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