Elbows.

Question
The breeder did say that he has been checked for elbow and hip problems. If his elbows are damaged is there any way this can be fixed or will he have to put up with this problem for his life span? The vet mentioned to me that he might have to have an arthroscope to further look @ the problem is this a normal thing to have done?

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Followup To
Question -
I have a 7 month year old German Sheperd pup he has been limping and favouriting his right leg so i have taken him to our local vet, we have had xrays on both his legs which have been referred onto an xray specialist thew results are saying that he has developed problems in both elbows and requirys surgery. The breeder of our pup did asure us that both elbow & hip problems have been breed out of him. How would you handle this situation?
Answer -
Hi, first off no professional breeder would ever inform someone that elbow dysplasia has been bred out of any German Shepherd.  It is prevalent in all lines of German Shepherds and would take generations of really controlled breeding to predict it was totally bred out.  

Did you get a guarantee in writing guaranting the elbows?
If you didn't, you don't have a leg to stand on.  You could take them to small claims, but most courts are on the prevelance of "Buyer beware".
If you did get it in writing, take the results to the breeder and make them enforce the guarantee.

Since he is so young, I would definitely get a second opinion before you actually have the operation perfomed.  I'm not saying your vet is wrong, as I have seen dogs that young get it, but I would just want to double check before you put him through it.  I would also prefer to wait until he is at least a year before having surgery because his bones aren't completely done growing yet.

Hope this helps, and if you need anymore help, let me know.  I've been through this once myself with one of my own dogs.

Dawn

Answer
Hi, Did the breeder say he had the pup checked or the parents?  How old was the puppy when you got him?  Just a quick lesson on hips & elbows, nobody checks dogs until they are at least a year of age because the bones are not completely set until then.  Heck, OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) won't even certify hips or elbows until the dog is 2 years of age because the bones are not completely set.  If he really does have it this young, then it is severe.  Yes, they would go in to take a better look.  Again though I would get a second opinion and try not to have the surgery done until he's at least a year if you can.  Let me know what your breeder says, but in my opinion, he's feeding you a line that a lot of breeders do about hips & elbows, especially in German Shepherds.  Hope this helps,

Dawn