Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog limping from elbow arthritis caused by lead bullet fragments
By Barry, Sabrina L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2008·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Arthropathy caused by a lead bullet in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old spayed female Labrador Retriever was brought in for worsening lameness in her left front leg, which started 21 months after she was shot in the elbow with a lead bullet. The vet found signs of moderate arthritis in her elbow and discovered multiple lead fragments in the joint during X-rays. They performed surgery to remove the bullet pieces and clean the joint, which included creating small fractures in the bone to help healing. Four months later, the owner reported that the dog's lameness had significantly improved after the procedure.
People also search for: dog elbow pain after injury · Labrador Retriever lameness treatment · lead bullet removal in dogs
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 3-year-old spayed female Labrador Retriever was evaluated for progressive lameness of the left forelimb 21 months after being shot in the elbow with a lead bullet. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Physical examination findings were consistent with moderate osteoarthritis of the left elbow joint. Orthogonal radiographic views of the elbow revealed multiple metallic fragments in and around the joint space as well as signs of osteoarthritis. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The elbow joint was evaluated arthroscopically. A lead-based bullet fragment was seen in the lateral synovial compartment and removed in multiple pieces. Excess fibrin and synovium were removed, and microfractures were created in exposed subchondral bone to stimulate neovascularization and fibrocartilage formation. In a follow-up telephone conversation 4 months after surgery, the owner reported a marked improvement in the lameness. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Removal of lead intra-articular foreign bodies may be indicated even if the material is not believed to mechanically interfere with joint motion.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18341446/