Hi! Sorry I'm late to this! I was going to PM you the info, but I figured it'd be better to make it public so that it could be available to others who may go through the same. Sounds like it's still sort of up in the air, but if it is Fragmented Medial Coronoid Process, that is exactly what Hemingway had. He limped within the first few weeks of bringing him home as a puppy. We thought Pano, but no such luck. After several trips to the vet we were referred to an orthopedic specialist. Xrays confirmed loose fragments floating in the cartilage and arthritic changes in both elbows at only 6 months old. The right elbow was worse, and that was the side he favored. I was devastated....to put it lightly. He was booked for laparoscopic surgery on both elbows and we had a long conversation post-surgery to discuss his future with "bad" elbows. The surgeon said the fragments had nearly worn down the cartilage on the right side completely, but that surgery had gone very well- he'd cleaned the elbows up and did the best he could, but that Hemingway had Elbow Dysplasia, moderate arthritic changes in both elbows, and would need joint supplements for life and could possibly always have a limp, but that we'd know within 6 months post surgery. The recovery from surgery was a bumpy road for us because Hemingway had several bad reactions to medications and spent a few night at the ER. Newfs, I've learned, are more sensitive to meds than other breeds. As for his elbows, they healed very nicely and he felt like he was ready to run a marathon within days post-op. (Keeping him quiet was the hardest part.) His poor little shaved chicken legs were a bit embarrassing for him for a while....it sounds petty, but you might want to ask the vet to shave as little as possible...our vet shaved Hem from his shoulder to his paws...including chest. He ended up getting horrible skin infections on his elbows from razor burn. (GRRR.) And it took 5 months for the fur to grow in...at least. He still had a limp 4 months post surgery but when we started him on Dasuquin with MSM...the limp disappeared...and has never returned. (seriously...that stuff is AMAZING!!) He moves quite well considering what he has going on in those elbows. He has no idea he is dysplastic...and I'm hoping to keep him that way as long as I possibly can. I use deramaxx if he has had a very active day because he does get sore after lots of play/running. I massage his elbows a few times a week, too. The surgery, while not a cure for dysplasia, gave him the best shot of having decent mobility. If we'd opted not to do it, he'd probably be in rough shape already. It was that bad. Sharp fragments floating in the joint just wear it down nonstop. It's like having a sharp rock in your shoe....annoying at first but eventually does damage. So, if Willis has FMCP, I would absolutely get the surgery ASAP. The sooner you get the chips out the better. Hope this has been helpful, and GOOD LUCK to your sweet boy. Let me know if you have any other questions.
ps. I noticed Willis is only one month younger than Hemingway....I'm surprised it's taken this long for him to have symptoms for FMCP...It usually happens during the crucial puppy growth stages! That is the only thing that would make me think that maybe it's not FMCP.
Stacey (hemingway) went throught this (FCMP and the surgery to repair it) fairly recently with Hemi...had both fronts done. I'll send her this way 
