Your dog's elbow joint is formed by the connection of three bones: the radius, the ulna and the humerus. In elbow dysplasia, the joint forms abnormally so that the alignment is not correct. This may be caused by various conditions, including several conditions in combination, such as a fragmented medial coronoid process, ununited aconea process and osteochondritis dessicans. A fragmented medial coronoid process is a condition in which a tiny piece of the ulna bone breaks off. With ununited anconeal process, a piece of bone does not connect up with the ulna bone as should happen during your dog's growth process. With osteochondritis dessicans, cartilage becomes loose or detaches itself from the elbow joint. Regardless of which condition occurs, they all end up leading to arthritis in your dog's elbow, which essentially means joint inflammation.

Elbow dysplasia can impact any dog. However, it is the most common cause of front-leg lameness in large dogs aged 4 months to a year.

Your dog will have lameness and pain in the impacted front leg. As the disease progresses, the impacted leg's range of motion will become limited.

Almost all cases of elbow dysplasia have a genetic component. Breeds in which elbow dysplasia is more common include Bassett Hounds, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and Rottweilers.

Your vet will suspect elbow dysplasia based on your dog's symptoms. Diagnostic imaging techniques such as X-rays and CT-scans will be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Arthroscopic surgery will generally be performed, as early surgical intervention helps to minimize the development of arthritis. Arthroscopic surgery is a procedure in which small incisions are made in and around the impacted area, and surgery is conducted with the use of an arthroscope, or a tiny instrument attached to a television monitor and inserted in one of the incisions. Arthroscopic surgery usually requires less cutting, less recovery time and, generally, less anesthesia. In severe cases, elbow replacement surgery might be recommended. This is a new surgical procedure in dogs that has yielded great results with healing elbow dysplasia. However, this type of surgery is not widely available at this time. Finally, your vet may put your dog on anti-inflammatory drugs and joint supplements, such as glucosamine chrondoiten sulfate. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids have also been helpful in treatment.

Do not breed known impacted dogs, and do not acquire a dog with a family history of this condition.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a non-profit organization dedicating to reducing the incidence of genetic and orthopedic diseases. The OFA has a strict protocol for elbow dysplasia evaluation and ratings. Only dogs with normal elbows are given certification. Before you acquire any dog with a breed history of elbow dysplasia, you should look on the OFA website database to see if your dog's parents, and close relatives, are certified. Click here to visit the OFA website and view their database of certified dogs.

No, you cannot contract elbow dysplasia from your dog.