[EdA]

Hi all,

New to the forum, and the retriever world in general. I have a little female chocolate that has been showing signs of lameness on her right front leg for a couple of weeks. Not that she wants to slow down at all, but we were concerned, so off to the vet today.

Did xrays on my girl, and doc said it might be OCD - she found a possible spot on the affected leg, but wasn't sure. Sent the xrays off to a local surgeon.

Of course, I've since been studying everything online I can find about this disorder, but still have some questions. Our girl is 14 months old, and is small for a lab. She's 49 pounds, and not quite 19 inches at the shoulder. Vet doesn't expect she'll grow any more, and she's the perfect size for my canoe, so we're happy.

Biggest question is - is this genetic? Next question is, can a dog with OCD be cleared thru OFA for breeding certs? Last question (for now) is, what to expect if it is, and we have surgery?

Thanks!

Osteochondrosis typically occurs in large fast growing dogs under 12 months old, that does not rule out the possibility in your dog but certainly makes it less likely. Since the lameness began 2 weeks ago I would suspect something other than a juvenile orthopedic disease and a comprehensive evaluation should include the elbow as a possible scource of the problem.