My border collie has severe hip dysplasia. The recommended surgery is excision (they cut the ball from the top of the femur). Has anyone out there had a similar procedure done on their larger dog?
Boy do I have experience with this! My dog was hit by a car that destroyed her FEMUR and knocked the other hip out damaging the ball in the hip socket. They removed the ball (or trimmed it or something) just like they would for hip displaysia. They told me that was a relatively easy surgery with good results. You do have to confine the dog and take them on very short frequent walks. Take your dog to a reputable surgeon and bring both checkbooks.
The surgery is not pretty, but no orthopedic surgery is. Depending on the age of your dog, it may be your only option at this point. The other option being a total hip replacement, or triple pelvic osteotomy, though that surgery is only done if they are under a year of age. What will happen after they remove the head of the femur, there will be a pseudo-joint that forms. I would suggest taking your dog to see an orthopedic surgeon. They are specialists and can tell you what the best course of action will be for your dog. Good luck!
My father had this done to his favorite hunting dog years ago. It's expensive and you must be diligent on exercising the pet afterward. Be prepared for a bill for major surgery and the care and recuperation of a patient. My dad's dag came out wonderfully--he was able to run and track/hunt for years afterward, but that's not always the case. Unfortunately, surgery can carry risks. I'd try all other options, then talk to the vet about the possible effects the surgery might have on your pet. Good luck on you decision.
My bull mastiff has hip dysplasia and instead of going very drastic we changed the dog food to one that has a lot of fish oil and protein. He now does very well and only once in a while is bothered by the hip. It is worth a try before you do surgery. do your research on the internet before surgery because once it is done you cant go back.
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