Anybody have experience in HD surgeries? TPO, FHO, THR?

CrimsonO2

Hey all,
As some of you may know, Kurenai has mild hip dysplasia. Last night was the only night I've ever heard her yelp out in pain and it was only on one of our routine walks. She came up hobbling a bit on the sidewalk and I had to massage her hips a little to hopefully ease the pain and continue the walk. It's been recently (maybe it's because it's cold) but she's more reluctant to keep moving and often just stops dead standing still in the middle of the walk where I'll have to look back and drag her along just so we can get home. On rare occasions I've carried her. Ironically, after the walk and we're back home, she's perfectly fine and able to chasing the puppy around making me wonder if ever she really was *that* injured.

Anyways, I took her to the vet for an annual x-ray to monitor the progression of her HD and that was when the vet told me she was starting to see arthritic inflammation around Kurenai's left hip (the loose hip socket). She was going to take the x-rays to a specialist surgeon, but she was thinking that TPO would be the suggested method to surgically repair and prevent further damage to Kurenai's hip.

Kurenai is 3 years old and I'm of the mindset that if any surgery need be done, I'd like it to be the most beneficial to her, regardless of cost, so that she can enjoy a more active life in her later years. Also I figure deciding on going through with surgery at a younger age will speed recovery time as compared to just allowing her to suffer through this condition until it becomes painfully unbearable later on in life.

Does anyone have any knowledge or personal experience with any of the surgical methods mentioned above to help me educate myself regarding the decisions ahead of me?

Jesse

Calia

Sucks that Kurenai is starting to have arthritic inflammation, I hope she starts to feel less achy

Here is an older thread you might find helpful, Pam's experience with FHO surgery on Roxy: http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/4124/roxys-hip-dysplasia-thread-7-week-post-op-appt/p1


You may want to try different types of exercise with her, regular walks may not be doing good for Kurenai. With Miyu, I've been having her stretch on a Pilates disk to help keep the muscles strong and limber. You may want to ask the vet if there is anything you can do to help alleviate the pain make her comfortable while making a decision.

CrimsonO2

Yeah, from what I've read regarding FHO's, it's best for smaller dogs. My concern with exercise is that it might aggravate her arthritis. She walked better this morning. There were segments on the walk where it bothered her and there were other segments where she was trotting. We can still manage the condition but I'm hoping something more can be done on top of that.

Jesse

PoetikDragon

I don't have personal experience with it, but a friend's GSD mix had FHO done. He has had other dogs with HD before and did the traditional TPO on them, and said none of them really recovered like his current dog. They have a half-acre exercise yard for their Japanese Akitas, and the GSD will run circles around the outside of the yard's fence trying to get the dogs inside to chase her. My friend sings the praises of FHO now.

PoetikDragon

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/tpo.htm

According to this site, Kurenai isn't really the ideal candidate for TPO, since she is over a year old and already showing signs of arthritis.

ttddinh

Sorry to hear about Kurenai, I don't have any experience in these surgeries,but have you tried acupuncture? Not in lieu of surgery but as an added benefit? In addition, I would add elk antler and/or some glucosamine chrondroitin supplement in her diet. If it gets worse, you could talk to your vet about NSAIDs, but make sure you have her on a basic (non-acidic) diet if you treat with NSAIDs.

CrimsonO2

I have her taking these once daily:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WZD2Z6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks Claire,
My vet said she was beginning to show signs of arthritis, but she would defer to the specialist whether TPO could still be done. I was surprised she even mentioned TPO since I knew that to be a surgery done with a very small window (and Kurenai's 3 years old).

Jesse

Calia

I know that should it ever come down to surgery for Miyu, I'm pretty much going to stick with the FHO. None of these surgeries will ever really eliminate the arthritis from HD, just postpone or reduce it, so why not stick with the safest one. FHO seems to have the least side effects and risks, and even though suggested for smaller breeds it has still been found successful with larger (50lb+) dogs.

Needless to say, female Shikoku aren't that big in general so I don't see how their size will be an issue, it's not like this is being done on a mastiff or Akita sized dog.