Elbow dysplasia encompasses several developmental conditions causing front leg lameness and arthritis in large breeds, with early surgical intervention significantly improving long-term welfare outcomes.
Elbow dysplasia creates chronic joint pain that begins in puppyhood and progressively worsens if untreated. The frustration for owners is that the most welfare-positive intervention - early surgery - must be weighed against the cost and anesthetic risk for a young animal. Studies consistently show that early surgical correction, before severe arthritis develops, produces dramatically better long-term outcomes than medical management alone. Delaying surgery to see if symptoms improve almost always results in more advanced arthritis that cannot be adequately managed regardless of subsequent intervention.