This is directed to people who have had their dog have a hip operation at some point of their life.?

Question

Ok, My dog just had TPO for his Hip Dysplasia. He's 7 months old and i'm picking him up from the vet tomorrow.
It's so unfair that he has to go through this sort of thing at this stage of his life. At this point he can't move without assistance, and what the worst part about it is, he must be in such discomfort and pain, and in 6 weeks time after he's up and running again, we're gonna get his other hip done which is really slack to him!!!
Anyway, what i was wondering is if there are any people out there who have had this or a hip replacement or anything simliar and how you went about it and what the healing process was like, how long it took and how your dog felt.
Thanks heaps, looking forward to your answers.

I have a Golden Retreiver.

Jo (second answer) thanks for your answer, dont think that it's irrelevant :P
Take your dog to the vet but consider her age, x-rays are expensive and as you said, if she has hip dysplasia and if she's old they'll probably just give her pain reliefs and anti inflammitory pills. If she's old there's no point getting an operation, if she seems happy i reckon pain reliefs would be the best -- btw this operation is costing me $4000.. each hip! I got insurance though.

Oh,, sorry just another detail on what i said.. If your dog is really young, get pet insurance before any x-rays so if you need an operation she'll be convered and you wont be out of pocket so much

Answer 1

although it's sad that this early in life he has to go through this. but the upside is he's young. he'll recover sooner and live a longer happier life than without the surgery. he's in pain now, and although after surgery pain might be worse. the before surgery pain wasn't going to go away like post surgical pain. your vet should send him home with pain meds to help control this. you're problem is going to be trying to keep this active pup calm so he can heal properly. sometimes owners feel guilty the dog has to be so cooped up and let them run just one time before they should. please don't. damaging the surgery site or any undoing of what has been done is going to be far worse than the original surgery. dog's have a different and higher pain tolerance than we do and also learn to adapt far better than us humans. probably because they don't have the ability to pity themselves or pout. the only help i can offer is listen to your vet and what they tell you. follow the post surgical instructions to a "T" and hopefully in a few short months you'll be happy you did the surgery. what great owners your dog has to do this for him.

Answer 2

I haven't had a dog with a hip replacement, so I don't know how valuable my experience will be, but for what it's worth...

My dog had surgery on his elbow bones. He was old at the time so it took a long time to heal. He basically had to live in his crate... I think it was for almost 6 months. It actually worked out well because I was out of work at the time. But I didn't realize this before. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't be around him.

I had to hold up his front end for many weeks whenever he went anywhere (like outside to potty). I used a harness for this. I think there are harnesses that are specifically designed for holding up the rear legs.

My dog was slow to heal but he was old. With a pup that young, I'd think his bones would be much more apt to heal quickly.

Please put your dog on a daily glucosamine/chondroitin supplement. After a dog has had surgery on his bones it's much easier for plaque and other yuck to get in the tiny crevasses between the bones and make everything worse. I regret I didn't start a regular supplementation sooner. I think it's helped my dog a lot, but I also think he'd have a lot fewer problems if he'd been on it since he first had his surgery.

There's several ways to do this. I'd recommend a pill or something rather than the glucosamine baked into food or treat. I use human brand capsules and open it up and pour the powder over his food every day.

I'd also suggest you see a dog physical therapist after he's mostly healed. I saw a physical therapist a few years after my dog's surgery. I think it would have done more good to see the physical therapist once after the surgery than 10 times a couple years after the surgery. Of course, if you can go every week that'd be best, but if you can't afford it tell the physical therapist that you want some exercises and tips for keeping your dog limber and strong.

My dog is a bit of a crybaby, but he never seemed to be in any serious pain. Can't remember if he was on pain medication at first or not.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I've never had one done so young and the operations were to remove the bone that is normally in the socket, but my dogs were walking almost as soon as they got home. Dogs do fine with three legs and the vet will supply drugs for the pain. The worst part is that the pup will be missing out on its puppyhood but that is unavoidable in this case and it will be better off in the long run. I did have a dog that was hit by a car and her back and hip broke. The hip could not be repaired surgically so she was confined to a crate for all but relieving her self for a few months. She adapted and lived a long and apparently happy life once she more or less recovered. The thing is, dogs cannot dwell on what happened and live day by day - your pup will do fine and you are doing the right thing, so relax. Just follow the vets instructions and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Answer 4

well, im not sure if my rottie has hip displasia, but im worried. anyway, im gonna bring my baby to the vet to see wht he can do about it. i dnt think im gonna let her have operation if the pain is really too much to bear with. but if it's needed, i guess we will go for it. i want her to be the happiest puppy on earth.

it's really unfair to her. r u having a rottie too? such a poor thing to go through all these at such a young age. =( sorry, i think my answer is irrelevant, but i just wanna share my thoughts. =) good luck