Joint Pain

Question
My 1.5 year old retriever has had a problem with his front left elbow joint sense he was only a few months old. We took him to the vet and he has swelling and fluid on the joint, we were told that surgery may not help.. and He only seems to limp when he strains it (which isn't often) but i really hate to see him limp like an old man when he is so young. Is there any medication treatment you would suggest we could give him for his discomfort in these occasions, or would you suggest taking the chance with the surgery?

Answer
Hi, Jana,

I would suggest first getting another opinion.  It's not uncommon in the medical field to get a "second opinion" on an illness or procedure.  

If the diagnosis is the same as your vet's, then it becomes a judgment call on your part.  There are some medications that alleviate arthritis and help with things like pain from hip dysplasia, but ailments like these generally get worse with age, and the medicine only masks the pain, it doesn't cure the problem.

You will need to weigh the cost of the surgery against the chance of it solving the problem.  But if he is limping at all, you can be fairly sure he is having some discomfort.

If the second opinion confirmed the first, if it were MY dog and I could afford it, I would probably have the surgery, as long as I could be assured it would not WORSEN the problem.