Titans femoral head osteotomy

Titan got a fright and jumped out of his owners arms. He landed heavily on the floor. When he tried to walk he could not put any weight on his back leg.

Worried, his family bought him into hospital. On looking at him the vets on duty provided pain relief.  During consultation with the veterinarian they found  a very painful hip, but the vets needed to figure out the cause. The hospital has a digital x-ray machine which provided the answer within a short time. It showed a dislocated hip.  In these situations the first step is to try and put the hip back in.

Unfortunately for Titan his hip kept popping out. This is known to happen when the main ligament in that area is torn.  It works with the ball of the hip, the pelvis and the joint capsule to keep everything in place.

The veterinarians discussed with the family the options available in this situation. These were to either surgical repair or have a femoral head osteotomy. This involves removing the ball of the hip. The advantage of the femoral head osteotomy is a false fibrous joint forms. Another benefit is  Titans leg would work well. This happens as the muscles work together and hold both the hips and pelvis where they need to be.

Titan’s family gave consent for him to have the operation to remove the ball of his hip. The ball of his hip was successfully removed and he was soon back home. In small dogs such as Titan, the FHO surgery was a positive result with rapid recovery and to using the leg again.

One of the biggest challenges is families often blame themselves. The simple fact is accidents happen to us all. Look at the mighty Titan now…truly on the road to being himself again!