Hello, we have a 7 month old Harlequin Great Dane named Marley. She is as sweet as can be and is truly a great dog! We have only had her for a few months and have had many health problems. At the end of July she had surgery on both of her legs. Her growth plate had closed and she had surgery to remove part of the ulna in both of her front legs. This was to allow the radius to continue to grow and straighten out and also to preserve her elbows. Now two months later we have seen no improvement. We went back to the orthopedic surgeon and had new xrays. Now is seems she has angular leg deformity. Now there is a deformity in her growth plate which was not present before. He is now telling us he would like to monitor her for the next 6-8 weeks and possibly peform another surgery. This would be a corrective surgery for the angular deformity. It is going to be very costly but the surgeon may be able to work with us. Price is not the concern, my concern is that what if this doesn't work? There would have to be two separate operations and I am guessing the recovery time is lengthy. I just don't know if I want to put her through all of this. Does anyone else out there ever had this problem? It seems rare to me and I can't find much information. Thanks!
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I think Patty has dealt with something similiar with her girl Annie. Her username is EMPM, you might want to PM her in case she doesn't see your message.sigpic
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She looks like a sweetie!
I believe Kimba (mydanekimba) has the same health issue. You might want to talk to him about it as well.Comment
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I'm sorry your having trouble with your girl. I hope all goes well for her. Oh and welcome to DOL!!!!sigpicShannon and Floyd.Comment
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Yep, we are in the same boat.Comment
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She looks like such a sweet girl. I have no advice though but welcome to DOL.Comment
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Hello - your girl is a very pretty girl and I am so sorry to hear about her legs! I am not a Vet nor do I know how to fix everything but I do know that the food we feed our boys "Eagle Pack" has been known to do wonders for such conditions as this. You might want to consult with your Vet about switching her over to "Eagls Pack Large & Giant Breed Puppy" formula. I have heard stories about people with Danes that has similar issues to the ones she has and they saw great improvements in 1-2 months on this food! That's the only advise I can offer. Good luck with your girl! I hope she gets better!Comment
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I'm trying to understand how this happens - am I understanding it correctly, that the problem seems to be a premature closure of the growth plates BEFORE the puppy is done growing?sigpicSara Dellorto, Sardi Great Danes (VBIS CH Sardi's Too Hot To Handle, aka Jayne)Comment
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Yes, the growth plate closes which causes the bones to stop growing. The first surgery was needed because the ulna stopped growing. Because the radius is the weight supporting bone they were able to remove part of the ulna so the radius could continue to grow without the tension of the ulna. It took me some time to understand it all! Thanks for the replies
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I'm sorry you are having problems with your girl. She is beautiful... Welcome to DOL
sigpicDante Von Thor
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Im with Sara...........Im trying to understand this too.
Im guessing the vet did xrays and determined that the growth plates were closed and thus required surgery?
Recent a boxer pup with a knuckling problem was seen by the owners vet. The vet didnt have a clue what the problem was and recommended the owner take the pup to a Ortho Specialist as he felt the pup would require surgery.
Thankfully I saw the pup, told her what it was and how to correct it. It resolved without any (vet/surgery) intervention within a week. It only required a change in diet.
It concerns me to do anykind of surgery on a growing Dane pup, especially when involving growth plates.
Some of these types of problems are more prevalent in certain pedigrees............have you contacted your breeder asked them about it?Carolyn
Divine Acres Great Danes
Divine Acres The Legend "Bruce" 5 1/2 months old..5th generation of DA Danes!
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I think I will discuss the food situation with the vet. Any suggestions on the supplement topic?Comment
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Just the growth plate for the ulna closed. Right now the growth plate for the radius is still open so it will continue to grow.Comment
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As far as I understand, the ulna closing prematurely is an inherited trait.Originally posted by jaime291 View Post
#55 Premature Closure of the UlnaWhen the vet did his xrays to determine that the ulna needed to be removed did he mention any signs of HoD?The ulna stops growing sooner than the radius causing wrists to turn in and the front feet to turn out.
I think too often we automatically blame food and think the magical answer is feeding this or that. People yell low protein, but there is no proof that that alone will fix the issue. I have seen a few cases of HoD resulting in dogs fed Eagle Pack since puppy hood. It is more likely that a reduction in food (lowering calories to slow growth), rest (to give the body time to heal) and supplements like MSM and Vit C (to aid the body in the proper growth of collagen and strengthening the ligaments and tendons) are what actually makes the difference.
I agree the best course of action is to contact your breeder if you did buy from a professional breeder and they will be honest. There are plenty of breeders out there that hide their issues or are of no help. There is a good chance that this issue is genetic and the surgical route is as follows :
Evans LB.
Successful correction of anterior bowing of the foreleg and severe lateral carpal valgus following on premature closure of the ulnar growth plate in a month old Great Dane bitch is described. The procedure involved stapling the radius across the distal growth plate and section of the ulna.sigpicComment
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Our Annie had 'Distal Ulnar Physis Closure'. We took her to an Orthopedic Vet and the first procedure was to cut the ulnas and remove a piece. They grew back too quickly. He went in and cut them again and cut one radius. He aligned the radius and plated it. A few months later, he did the other leg. The plates were in for a long time before he removed them. They are doing great now, over 2 years later. We tried changing her diet and all that, but there is no food that will re-open a growth plate. We had taken her to 2 different Vets and neither one had a clue what was wrong. By the time we found one who could diagnose her, her legs were so bad that I was afraid the bone was going to snap while she was walking.
~Patty~ I have the right to remain silent; I don't have the ability.Comment
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