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Surgical
Treatments For Hip Dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an arthritic condition of the coxo-femoral joints of the dog. This hip joint is a ball and socket joint and the dysplasia can effect either the head of the femur (ball) or the acetabulum (socket). Early hip dysplasia is an instability of the hip joints and usually shows up during puppyhood by eight to nine months of age. Effected puppies are slow to get up and down, tend to use their back legs together as opposed to independently (referred to as bunny hopping) and may limp on one of their rear legs. The insta-bility of the hips makes the body try to stabilize the joints by building extra bone (osteophytes) and causing the joint capsule and ligaments associated with the joint to thicken. The normal cartilage of the joints is gradually worn off and the joint becomes painful in addition to unstable. Most dogs are at least a few years old before the degenerative changes of arthritis advances enough to cause problems. The dogs show these problems by limping, difficulty getting up and down, slowing down on walks and at play, and shying away from stairs. Surgical intervention is one way to treat hip dysplasia and the arthritis that accompanies it. The three most commonly used surgeries are triple pelvic osteotomy, femoral head and neck excision, and total hip replacement. The total hip replacement (THR) is the most effective treatment in that it gives the dog the most anatomically correct and sound hip joint post surgically. This procedure is performed almost exclusively at Veterinary teaching hospitals and large referral practices. This surgery requires a great deal of special equipment and a well trained surgical team to obtain the best results possible. The THR is also the most expensive surgical option at about $1,750.00 per hip. The good news is that most dogs only need one hip done, as this procedure gives them one good leg to stand on and takes the pressure off the other rear leg. The triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO) is only performed on young dogs usually less than eighteen months of age. This procedure involves cutting the pelvis in three places and rotating the socket to improve how well the femoral head and acetabulum fit together. The pelvis is then fixed into its new position with orthopedic plates and screws. This surgery can not be done after there are arthritic changes in the joint because the arthritis will most likely progress even after the surgery. More Veterinarians are trained for this procedure but it does require plating equipment and runs about $800.00 per hip. Unfortunately, performing this procedure on a young dog with unstable hips does not guarantee that degenerative changes will not still develop in the hip joints. The third surgical option for hip dysplasia is a salvage procedure known as the femoral head and neck excision or ostectomy (FHO). Referred to as a salvage procedure, once this is performed, no other procedure can be done on that same joint. This surgery involves cutting the femoral head and neck off of the femur and removing it. This leaves the dog with a false joint of ligaments, muscle and joint capsule since the ball part of the joint has been removed. Most of the time this surgery is reserved for dogs with severe arthritic changes in their hips or for younger dogs with very unstable or luxating hips. Usually, smaller dogs do better with an FHO but larger dogs can also have good success with it. This surgery is more widely available and is usually the least expensive of the three surgeries but varies from Veterinarian to Veterinarian. Surgery is not required for all dogs with hip dysplasia. The decision for surgery and which surgery should be made on an individual basis. The dog's clinical signs, X-rays, response to medications and finances needs to be considered before decisions are made. Talk to your Veterinarian about what is best for your dog and you. |
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