A Curious Case of Intermittent Lameness in a 4-Year-Old Labrador
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A Curious Case of Intermittent Lameness in a 4-Year-Old Labrador

By Yonas Teclegeorgis MehariOctober 28, 20266 min read

What looked like a simple sprain turned out to be something far more interesting. A case study in diagnostic reasoning.

Max, a four-year-old male neutered Labrador Retriever, was presented to my clinic with a three-week history of intermittent right forelimb lameness. The owner described it as coming and going — sometimes barely noticeable, other times causing Max to hold the leg up entirely. There was no known trauma.

On orthopedic examination, I could reproduce mild discomfort on deep palpation of the right shoulder, but range of motion was surprisingly normal. Radiographs of the shoulder, elbow, and carpus were unremarkable. This is where the case got interesting.

Given the intermittent nature and the Labrador's breed predisposition, I suspected osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of the shoulder — a condition where a flap of cartilage becomes partially detached from the underlying bone. Standard radiographs can miss early or small lesions. I referred Max for CT imaging.

The CT confirmed a small OCD lesion on the caudal humeral head. We proceeded with arthroscopic surgery to remove the cartilage flap and debride the defect. Max recovered beautifully and was back to full activity within eight weeks. The lesson: when radiographs don't explain the clinical picture, don't stop there.

Dr. Yonas Teclegeorgis Mehari

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Yonas Teclegeorgis Mehari

Practicing veterinarian writing about evidence-based animal care for pet owners and professionals alike.

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Yonas Teclegeorgis Mehari

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