A 7 1/2-year-old Labrador retriever named Lottie had developed osteoarthritis, a painful disability, in one of her elbows and, when medications stopped relieving her pain, her owner began discussing other options with veterinary surgeon Dr. Laurent Guiot from The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center in Dublin, Ohio (VMC-Dublin).
Dr. Guiot explained that there are varying degrees of osteoarthritis in dogs, and if a severe case such as Lottie’s goes unchecked for long, it can lead to a non-functioning joint. Serious cases of osteoarthritis are more common for larger dogs, he added.
The only other option to relieve Lottie of her pain and keep her elbow functioning was a total-elbow replacement – a new procedure that is now available in central Ohio at the VMC-Dublin.
Elbow replacements are unusual because good implants have only recently become available.
“Three vital bones make up the elbow joint for both dogs and people,” explained Dr. Guiot. “Because the elbow is a complex joint, developing an effective design that can mimic the complex movements has been a challenge for medical professionals and engineers.”
The procedure was a team effort with three surgeons who worked together to perform the procedure, in addition to Dr. Guiot, Dr. Reunan Guillou, also at the VMC-Dublin, and Dr. Loic Dejardin from Michigan State University.
“Our unique ability to put such a team together, including our highly-skilled surgery technicians, allows us to offer this advanced technique with the maximum safety for our patient and the best outcomes,” said Dr. Guiot. Lottie is now safe at home with a functioning elbow joint after a speedy, successful recovery.
The design of the artificial joint used on Lottie in particular is non-translatable to humans, but Dr. Guiot and other veterinarians are hoping to study the information gained from this case and in order to aid in the advancement of joint replacements in humans.
After Lottie’s surgery, Dr. Guiot and his team have gathered data by having her walk on a sensor-equipped mat so they could assess the way she walked with the restored elbow. They found that her gait was perfectly normal; she wasn’t favoring the leg with the new-and-improved joint.
“A challenge that we face as a profession is to make sure that we can translate our discoveries to help people, too,” he said. Many people don’t realize that this advanced technology is available for dogs. More information is available by calling the Ohio State VMC-Dublin office at 614-889-8070.
