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Femoral Head Ostectomy After Operation


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Hi our wolfhound x Keely had a Femoral Head Ostectomy last Thursday (removal of head of the femur)

She is recovering well however she will not put her foot on the ground -has anyone had any experience with this ?

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Poor poppet.

What has your vet/surgeon/specalist said about her not using the leg? Have you been instructed on any physio that you can do at home?

I would presume it hurts so therefore she doesn't want to use it. I have seen this with other leg operations.

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Is it normal to do an FHO on a large dog? Definitely not being critical- just curious as we were told it wasn't an option for our boy as he was too big? Have also been told the sooner they can gently weight bear on the leg the better but i would speak to your vet too.

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I spoke to the vet yesterday and she said that Keely not putting weight on it yet is ok . Once the stitches are out and the incision is healed there is a heated hydro dog pool we can take her to that will help.

Keely is walking around on three legs and appears to be happy.

She is a small wolfhound X only 34kgs.

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Sparky25 ..... by the sounds of it with your patience, care and attention, she'll certainly have every chance for her leg to heal and strengthen. Swimming will definitely be a good form of exercise for her :o. And maybe at some stage some hydrotherapy (ie walking through chest height water) might help, but consult with your Vet and/or Physio therapist for that first. All the best and I hope everything progresses well, step by step (pardon the pun) from here for you both.

ETA: Oops! Just read your post above and see you've already got the hydro exercise in mind. :D

Edited by Erny
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FHO can be done on larger breed dogs with pain-free results and relatively good function. Total hip replacement may be a better option for larger dogs, but FHO shouldn't be ruled out even in large dogs. I encourage dogs having had an FHO to use their legs as soon as possible with controlled activity. The sooner they use the leg the better. You can do physiotherapy, directed by your vet right away as well. It is not unusual, however, for dogs not to want to use the operated leg for a few days to weeks (ask your vet about encouraging activity).

Charles

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FHO can be done on larger breed dogs with pain-free results and relatively good function. Total hip replacement may be a better option for larger dogs, but FHO shouldn't be ruled out even in large dogs. I encourage dogs having had an FHO to use their legs as soon as possible with controlled activity. The sooner they use the leg the better. You can do physiotherapy, directed by your vet right away as well. It is not unusual, however, for dogs not to want to use the operated leg for a few days to weeks (ask your vet about encouraging activity).

Charles

Would that be because using the leg encourages the increase of blood supply to the surgery site and therefore hastens healing? I know it's a completely different surgery, but I had a knee re-construction and was encouraged to begin walking on that leg asap I believe for that very reason. And perhaps also to stop unnecessary atrophy of the supporting muscles? I was off crutches after 24 hours. No rest for the wicked :cry: :p.

Edited by Erny
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The reason for the encouraged activity is to encourage blood supply and also to encourage scar tissue to form that will be flexible and functional. WIth an FHO, the head of the femur is removed and the joint is replaced with a mass of scar tissue that is intended to keep the femur from rubbing on the pelvis. If the scar tissue becomes too tight from lack of mobility during healing, it will result in reduced range of motion. We often encourage owners to run the leg through a range of motion (like riding a bicycle) to allow "flexible scar tissue" to form. Please consult your vet as to whether or not this is appropriate and be careful that you don't get bitten (unlikely given the disposition of your dog).

Charles

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Thanks Charles for your replies.

I must admit that I didn't take in all the information my vet told me as I was feeling really guilty. Keely has always had a few odd little habits and when she started being "touchy and protective" of her back legs I assumed it was just her. It was only in the last couple of weeks when she sometimes limped after running that I thought something was wrong.

I was reduced to tears when I saw her x-rays as I felt that I should have picked it up sooner however my vet said she still had really good muscle tone in her legs which indicated that the degeneration of the joint had only recently reached a serious state.

Today is the 9th day after surgery and the incision looks really clean and healthy. She is still not putting her foot down but she is walking and running around well. The stitches are due to come out on Tuesday so hopefully then we will be able to start some work on her leg soon after that.

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Good luck Sparky25 and healing vibes to Keely.

My pug had her femoral head removed when she was 6 months old. She recovered quite quickly at the time, but is now starting to limp on that leg. We are treating her with cartrophen and glucosamine at the moment.

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The vet for whom I worked did this op quite a few times... waay back in the '80's it was :o

he used to use a very small incision....

and I was always amazed at dogs who had been carrying a leg for ages, often put the foot on the ground on their way out the door after the op :thumbsup:

It can make so much difference!

looking forward to hearing of your girl's progress, and hoping she has some good use of the leg soon! :thumbsup:

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Its REALLY important to get her weight bearing on the leg. Can you get a stubby holder and put a few small pebles in it and secure it to over her other back foot? Ruger was weight bearing a small amount the next day, but unfortunatly for Ruger, he was recovering from another front leg op which aided the use of his back leg. It has been several months now, of absolute heartbreak at watching him so uncomfortable, and just only the other day, he is running around using it like he's in no pain at all. Makes me glow all over. I was totally starting to regret it prior to that. Recovery - patience.

Make her walk really slowly on the lead or she will hop. :provoke:

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Well Keely had the stitches removed on Tuesday and the incision has healed well. But she is still not using her leg.

We took her to a Physio Vet this morning and she had a go on the underwater treadmill -which she wasn't sure about.

The vet has give us some exercises to do with her and has suggested two sessions a week on the treadmill - he did say it could take sometime before she uses her leg again.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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