We've just been back to the vets with our 8 month old lab who has OCD/ED. We originally had an appointment for tomorrow night but pup was in pain again this morning so we got it moved forward. The resulting news is kind of good, kind of bad - we saw the head vet which turned out to be a good thing, as it seems the other vet hasn't been totally clear with us (not on purpose, I hope!).
Tonight, the vet immediately noticed the muscle wastage in her left shoulder, and the stiffness when she walks. She read the consultant's report out to us, and it says her x-rays showed 'sclerosis of the coronoid process' with evidence of 'fragmented coronoid process'. This basically means she probably has loose bits of bone/cartilage floating about in her elbow joint, which would be like having a stone in your shoe 24/7. No wonder she's been in constant pain for the last few months, not that she would ever show it
His report said we could either take the conservative approach (i.e. less exercise, change to diet, joint supplements - all of which we have done) which would hopefully lead to a spontaneous improvement, or book her in for further investigation with him, with a view to surgical intervention. This was at the beginning of November. Our (now ex!) vet has written notes saying 'conservative approach to be tried for 1 month and then reassessed'. She did not mention to us the option of booking an appointment with the specialist (he usually has a 3 month waiting list, so we could have at least got the ball rolling), nor did she mention reassessing the situation in 1 month - she categorically told us that we should continue with reduced exercise/diet until she has had her first season, at which point the bones will knit together and stop changing, so we can do more x-rays and reassess then. Lord knows how long we would have waited until her first season with the poor wee mite in pain every day! We've also held off having her spayed because of this, when there are 6 intact males within spitting distance of us (two right next door, and two right at the back - nothing but a 4 foot fence separating them!). So we're quite annoyed really, especially as we have seen the vet out on walks dozens of times since then, and she knows we're still having problems with her. In future we'll only deal with the head vet.
The good news is, the head vet called and managed to get us a cancellation with the specialist for next week (sheer good luck, the cancellation only came in this afternoon!). She thinks he will recommend keyhole surgery to remove any loose debris, which should result in an immediate improvement and could allow her to lead to a completely normal life with no further problems. So fingers (and toes!) crossed he agrees that surgery is the way to go, and we could have a totally healthy dog before the summer, waiting lists allowing
In all the excitement I forgot to tell the vet about her clicking hips (main reason for going!) but we'll discuss it with the specialist last week. His report said her hips were OK, but no doubt he'll check them out thoroughly.