Blue Large (33 kg), three-year-old, Husky-Akita cross is being raised for the dog-sledding industry. The owner received this animal last winter from a breeder in Alaska. The client notes the animal has been an avid musher, but became lame in the left hindlimb after field training had been underway for several months. The lameness subsided over a month, but this year the animal has not performed as expected, sometimes favoring the left hindlimb, and the client needs to decide if he will keep this animal who otherwise is well-suited for his team.

Physical Examination Clinical examination reveals a muscular animal lacking remarkable findings of the head, neck, forelimbs, and feet. Examination of the hindlimbs reveals a some swelling of the medial side of the left stifle joint.

Your Assessment What do you need to know about the MSK system to improve your diagnostic investigation? Recommendations/Options Offered to Client What tests might you recommend? What do you need to know before you predict the natural history of this patient’s problem?

Cytology—SF “Blue”

Synovial Fluid Cytology

Trauma Joint destabilization

Neoplastic Chondro-osteophytes –Early feature –OP ≠ OA Matyas et al. OA & Cart. 1997

Meniscal injury