Learn About Total Hip Replacement in Dogs

Learn about Total Hip Replacement in dogs from Dr. Anthony Cambridge, who is board certified in veterinary surgery. This information is not meant to replace the advice of your regular veterinarian.

Dr. Mike Ortaleza: Hello. I’m Dr. Mike. Hip dysplasia can be a very painful and debilitating disease. There are medical options that may help control the pain in mild to moderate dysplasia. However, in advance for severe hip dysplasia, surgical intervention is more likely to be the treatment of choice. Today, we will meet with Dr. Anthony Cambridge who is board certified in veterinary surgery. Dr. Cambridge will discuss the total hip replacement surgery. Dr. Anthony Cambridge: Total hip replacement is the substitution of the joint with the artificial material to take on the role of the joint and replacing the painful part of the joint with a mechanical structure. Total hip replacement has been an evolving subject particularly in the last ten years. We now have choice and implant to place in dogs that have hip dysplasia. The main options that exist are cemented hip replacement v. non-cemented. Non-cemented hip replacement has become a very attractive option because we can place this in a young dog and we can now expect it to last the lifetime of that patient. Previously we had only available cemented hip replacement which unfortunately did not have a life span that matched that of our average patient unless that implant was placed in an older dog. So we typically attended to wait until our dog was maximally effected or at the last possible time to put that replacement in to allow it to be functional for the remainder of the dog’s life. The indication for performing surgery over the use of medical management maybe related to the severity of the hip dysplasia. Simply some severe cases of hip dysplasia can not be effectively managed medically. It could be related to the intended use of the dog or level of activity that was sought by the owner. It maybe impossible to allow a dog to have a normal life span, no more activity level on medical management, but by replacing the hip quite likely, we can return that patient to normal. The process of total hip replacement is a surgical procedure which is performed after a close evaluation usually involving strict x-ray techniques using markers to determine the exact size of the bone. This is typically done on a day other than the surgery day to prepare the patient for surgery in advance. On the day of surgery, patients are admitted to the hospital. The procedure itself takes about ninety minutes to perform and he patient typically has to spend one night, occasionally two nights in the hospital in recovery. After care following a total hip replacement involves restriction. I commonly recommend clients to use low-impact activities meaning the avoidance of explosive behaviors, chasing the UPS man. But surprisingly these dogs often walk out the hospital using the leg wheel. They’re able to walk around at home, go to the bathroom, and go in and out. They can actually use stairs as long as they’re guided up the stairs under control. The majority of hip replacements we performed have restrictions that range from six to eight weeks depending on the age of the patient. We will x-ray them at six weeks to determine if there’s any concern or problem during the healing phase and if there’s not, generally release them from their restrictions at eight weeks. The goal of total hip replacement is to perfectly restore normal anatomy to that patient. So our expectation is to have a hip that’s functioning as well as a normal help. Dr. Mike Ortaleza: The gold standard treatment for hip dysplasia in the dog is total hip replacement as every case is different, I advice you to work closely with your veterinarian to determine the best options available for your pet. I’m Dr. Mike and thanks for watching.