Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, all! This is long, but I hope it may help someone.

My 9 year old Australian Cattle Dog/Brittany Spaniel mix had total hip replacement on February 17, 2006.
I requested they try a cementless system, because I wanted the bond between the implant and the femur to be better than the cemented version.
By the next morning, I got a call from UC Davis saying he had a complication! His hip luxated(came out of joint) and they had to go back and fix it.
Well, his femur had broken, and they had to take out the implant and replace it with the cemented version. They also had to put a wire around his femur, to hold it closed, and they put 2 anchor "bolts" in his hip with "fishing line" seuchers to hold his hip in place.

After having his hip out of joint for so long, the muscles weren't used to holding it in place, so his hip easily luxated.

4 years before, he hit his left leg on a door jam, running with a toy that covered his head, and WHAM! He dislocated his hip. We didn't know... after a while, it seemed to get better, but we thought it was his knee. Even took him to the vet, and they said it was his knee, and he would need surgery... but something didn't feel right.
After years of controling his pain using Rymadyl, then Deramaxx (50 mg once a day), and finally adding Tramodol to the Deramaxx, we worried about his liver and kidneys.

Well, now it is 2 months later, and he is still limping, BUT, we have him on half the Deramaxx (25 mg once a day) and no longer on tramodol...

I wonder, does anyone else out there have similar experience about THR for older dogs, and how long did it take YOUR dog to walk without a limp?

Thanks for reading!

We have lots of hope!

J Laura
Atwater, CA

I'm in Sacramento and my dog didn't have a THR, but did have a TPO when she was 14 months old. Today she turns 9.

She also had complications in the same hip from a vaccine reaction, so it's difficult to separate the two issues sometimes. However.....

After the TPO they left a wire in. A year of so we had to go in and get the wire out -- a sore opened above the wire -- I don't know how long it was causing her discomfort. Some say that because wires are twisted, they are more likely to cause problems when left in the body. I don't know if it's true or not. She also has 7 screws and plate in her hip.

For the muscle problem, I would try acupuncture, and maybe later gentle chiropractic care. If you're ever interested, I've a VERY gentle chiropractor for my dogs in Lodi (she adjusts me too ). I don't know of any acupuncturists down your way, but that might be my first stop. Maybe you can find one close at the link below.
http://www.holisticvetlist.com/index.html

>>I'm in Sacramento and my dog didn't have a THR, but did have a TPO when she was 14 months old. Today she turns 9.
>>
>>She also had complications in the same hip from a vaccine reaction, so it's difficult to separate the two issues sometimes. However.....
>>
>>After the TPO they left a wire in. A year of so we had to go in and get the wire out -- a sore opened above the wire -- I don't know how long it was causing her discomfort. Some say that because wires are twisted, they are more likely to cause problems when left in the body. I don't know if it's true or not. She also has 7 screws and plate in her hip.
>>
>>For the muscle problem, I would try acupuncture, and maybe later gentle chiropractic care. If you're ever interested, I've a VERY gentle chiropractor for my dogs in Lodi (she adjusts me too ). I don't know of any acupuncturists down your way, but that might be my first stop. Maybe you can find one close at the link below.
>>http://www.holisticvetlist.com/index.html

I'm very interested!

I have asked several different vets about the wire, and they say it is normal, and scar tissue will form around it.

Here is a photo of what his after photo is...

Thanks!
Jacqueline Laura Gonzalves

Just sent you a message/email.