The Basics:
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| Osteochondrosis desicans (OCD) is a
juvenile bone disease. It occurs when there is a
problem in the growth of an area of cartilage. It
is known to be strongly heritable and is generally a
problem in large breeds of dogs and horses. |
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| OCD lesions can occur in
multiple joints. It is not uncommon to find more
than one joint involved. OCD can be found in
the stifle (knee) joint, tarsal (hock) joint, elbow
joint, and commonly in the shoulder joint.
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Clinical signs:
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| The clinical signs of OCD are
usually subtle but
may be dramatic. There is usually a mild, weight
bearing, lameness. It is commonly seen after
exercise and may exhibit first thing in the morning or
upon rousing from a rest. Occasionally the
diseased cartilage will break loose creating a "joint mouse". |
| If a joint mouse is present
the animal may be non-weight bearing on the affected
limb.
Since it is not uncommon for OCD to be
found bilaterally (for example both hocks), it can be
mistaken for other lameness such as hip dysplasia
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Diagnosis:
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Diagnosis is generally made by a
combination of orthopedic exam, radiographs, and
exploratory surgery.
As stated earlier, symptoms of OCD can be vague
and similar to other orthopedic problems, which
makes diagnosis by only examination difficult at
best. |
| About half the time radiographs
will show an OCD lesion. Radiographs will
also show secondary signs such as joint
effusion.
In about 1/3 of the cases exploratory
surgery of the joint is needed to verify a
diagnosis. |
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Treatment:
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Treatment for OCD consists of surgical removal of
any joint mice and curetting the area of the
lesion. Curetting involves removing any
diseased cartilage and stimulating new fibrocartilage to
replace it.
There is a high chance of developing degenerative
joint disease (DJD) with OCD. The DJD is treated
with anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Rimadyl®)
and chondroprotective agents (such as Cosequin®). |
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