trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hi all, I'm just after some experiences of dogs having a femoral head excision please. We have a nearly 6 year old mini poodle who will probably be having this surgery next week. We've had X-rays done and have been referred to a surgeon who we see on Monday. My understanding is that it is reasonably successful for reducing pain in small dogs but haven't had any experience ourselves. Also wondering what a ballpark cost may be - so I don't pass out at the appointment on Monday!! We are in Adelaide and are seeing Richard Savery - anybody know of him? Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) Never heard of him sorry - does he work at a regular vet practice? I am sure you could ring the practice and request a ball park cost before showing up to the appointment. I recently did a ring around for a cruciate repair surgery. Edited November 1, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 He works out of the Adelaide Animal Emergency and Referral Centre on Anzac Highway. I could do that. Ta :) Never heard of him sorry - does he work at a regular vet practice? I am sure you could ring the practice and request a ball park cost before showing up to the appointment. I recently did a ring around for a cruciate repair surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) Probably your safest bet - that way there are no surprises . All the best with the surgery and recovery period. ETA. I think westimum might have had a positive experience with Richard Savery. Edited November 1, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thanks! Could be an interesting time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thisis the vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Never heard of him sorry - does he work at a regular vet practice? I am sure you could ring the practice and request a ball park cost before showing up to the appointment. I recently did a ring around for a cruciate repair surgery. My sisters 25 kilo cutie mutt needs this operation. Their vet quoted $2000. Is that about average for this kind of thing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 all I can say is what I saw several times when the vet I worked for did this op :) It was amazing just how it eased the pain! They had a bit of leg missing - but looked happier . He used to do it 'with a very small incision .. and it amazed me each time at how well the dogs recovered . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thanks Persephone! I hope it has as good results as I have heard about!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hi trishalouise, my girl has had this surgery but is more medium sized (20kg). Did you have specific questions? I can answer from an owners point of view - obviously I am not a vet. We have had a very good outcome, our girl is pretty pain free and has good movement. We have stuck to a pretty strict regime with her and she is coming up for two years post surgery at Christmas. She still has physio treatments at home (we saw a canine physio specialist who taught us the manipulation and exercises to with her each day). She also goes to hydrotherapy weekly to help with her muscle tone and to preserve and build muscle mass in her "good" leg and her core muscles. This is mostly because she will most likely need the other hip done at some point. It was quite expensive but our bill was bumped up considerably by her needing to be kept in the ER over the weekend - they had put her hip back in but as soon as she stood it dislocated again. We were waiting for a surgeon to return from the US, he was over there learning about a new implant and the orthopaedic surgeon who saw her asked us to wait an extra day to see if she was a candidate for the new implant. She wasn't so we went ahead with the femoral head ostectomy. I think the actual surgery and post care without the ER treatment was around $4000.00. Happy to answer any questions if you think it would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkycat Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 My wolfie x BC x nutcase ( 30kgs) had this a couple of years ago - the cost was just under $2000. She had some hydrotherapy sessions after and on our vets advice we took her swimming as much as we could -there is a nice dam at Frank Smith Park Coromandel Valley. I found the best pain relief for her was massaging the top of her hips with the palm of my hand. She recovered well and now walks without a limp, looks running and chasing a ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I've got a rescue Italian Greyhound here at the moment who has had this operation. He's owned by a DOLer and came to her with his ball joint already removed so she's not sure of his history, but I suspect he had Legg Perthes disease as it's known in IG's. Anyway, he carries his leg alot, but he also uses it quite a bit. I think it hurts him sometimes, but I'm guessing it was much worse before he had the joint removed. Overall he leads a happy life and doesn't require medication for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkycat Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I did a thread on Keely's operation - not sure how to link back to a DOL post - hope this works http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/167319-femoral-head-ostectomy-after-operation/page__p__3685081__hl__%2Bfemoral+%2Bhead+%2Bremoval__fromsearch__1#entry3685081 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thanks Coogie! Wow - 2 years on and your still going? That seems like a long recovery. What were the initial post op things you had to do? Was she confined for a while? Did you have to restrict activity to start with? What was her pain like - was she very sore? Obviously you would do it again if your talking about the other leg being done? Wow $4000 seems a lot. I was hoping it would be around the $2000 mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) My wolfie x BC x nutcase ( 30kgs) had this a couple of years ago - the cost was just under $2000. She had some hydrotherapy sessions after and on our vets advice we took her swimming as much as we could -there is a nice dam at Frank Smith Park Coromandel Valley. I found the best pain relief for her was massaging the top of her hips with the palm of my hand. She recovered well and now walks without a limp, looks running and chasing a ball. It amazes me that they can walk, run and play normally without a hip joint! The body is pretty amazing!! ETA - I'll check out that thread now. Thanks so much :) Edited November 1, 2013 by trishalouise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 I've got a rescue Italian Greyhound here at the moment who has had this operation. He's owned by a DOLer and came to her with his ball joint already removed so she's not sure of his history, but I suspect he had Legg Perthes disease as it's known in IG's. Anyway, he carries his leg alot, but he also uses it quite a bit. I think it hurts him sometimes, but I'm guessing it was much worse before he had the joint removed. Overall he leads a happy life and doesn't require medication for it. Thanks Kirislin. Our regular vet thinks it looks like Legg Perthes - although she is older than we word expect for it to be that. Who knows?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 IMO, I would do it as an absolute last resort. I was told my Pug needed this done. I ummed and ahhed, researched etc, shaved some weight off, give him supplements and he has improved a lot. He might still need it down the track but at this point he has improved so much that it's not necessary. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishalouise Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Thanks Clyde, She is very trim, has been on supplements for about 2 years and the X-ray is undeniable unfortunately Great news for your boy though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hi Trishalouise, I would do it again in a heartbeat,for Issy it was that or PTS because her hip displasia was so severe. Despite them relocating her hip,every time she stood it popped out again. I would say her actual recovery to they point when she rarely carried the leg was around 10 months. We have continued with the therapy for so long simply because it is keeping her in the best possible condition in the event she needs the other hip done. It allows her to keep really good muscle tone without stressing her joints and she seems to really enjoy it. You have to hang on to her at hydro to get the harness on, because she tries to run straight into the treadmill as soon as we arrive. I wouldn't say she "needs" it now. You have to look hard to see the wastage on her right leg now. We were lucky because I was very dubious about the surgery but the ortho got us to speak to the physio beforehand and she has a dog who had already had the surgery bilaterally. I could see he was fine,appeared pain free and was happy, Issy was very,very young and her front end was solid, so we decided to go ahead. She was not crated when we were home but confined to whatever area of the house we were in and we kept her lead on so she couldn't make any sudden lunges. We carried her outside for toilet breaks for the first week and limited any walking because of the strain on her other legs. As soon as the surgical wound healed I would take her to a friends pool and swam with her every day for exercise. She had a fentanyl patch for three days post surgery, was on tramadol for a further week and then longer term metacam. We took bloods every couple of months to monitor kidney and liver function etc. Her exercise once she was weightbearing was lead walks incorporating low grade hills and figures of eight round trees etc to make her "bend" into that side and keep her supple. Lots of stretches so the scar tissue forming to hold the joint remained flexible. It sounds like a lot of work now I am writing it all down but most things only took a few minutes and just became part of her routine. She likes the massage so we are lucky that if you sit on the floor she just comes over and presents herself for treatment! I will try and find some photos and a short video of her so you can see how she is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 1 week post surgery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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