Hello
Does anyone have any experience with hip replacements in giant breeds (say 60kg+), or know someone who has?
Thanks :-)

Hello
I was a vet nurse at a practice which specialises in orthopaedic cases and they do lots of hip relacements. What do you need to know?

No experience with giant breeds I'm afraid, but my old GSD girl, who weighed in at around 42k had both her hips replaced and never looked back :D Best money ever spent, and even post operative care was relatively easy. Why don't you ring an orthopaedic practice, your vet can refer you, so that you can ask questions (I presume a hip replacement has been suggested by your vet?) Generally speaking you will be referred for an assessment for hip replacement and you can ask a million questions then (I know I did!) If you haven't been referred, and your practice is suggesting doing the surgery themselves, please don't - insist on a specialist.

Our surgeon was Gary Clayton-Jones, based in Tenterden in Kent. My hero! It may also be that you can be put on to someone whose dog has had it done, my vet has asked me to speak to a couple of people about different experiences that I have had, and I've been more than happy too. Whilst a surgeon etc can tell you all the technical jargon, it's still very scary, and I would have loved to have talked to someone who had experienced it first hand, although every dog is different.

Any questions you think I could help with, I'dbe happy to answer
Kat

I have a 2 1/2 year old St. Bernard with major hip problems. He is dysplastic, (Left hip very severe, right hip moderate). He also has muscle wastage in his back legs (he is a rescue dog and this was caused by environmental factors).  The vet estimates he has 30% of the expected muscle mass. His legs have deteriorated recently and he was getting pretty bad, tripping up, unable to stand up or lie down easily, etc. He's been on Rimdayl for the past week and he has just started to improve over the last day or two. We have another month of tablets for him. Obviously keeping him on a high dose of Rimadyl for the rest of his life isn't ideal (he is on 300mg a day). My vet is looking into hip replacements for him. At the moment he is still trying to find a consultant who is at least willing to see him and assess him. My vet thinks it is unlikely that he will be able to have a THR because of both his size and because both his hips are bad. The strain on the other hip during the recovery period of the first could be too much for him. But he is still going to refer us for a specialist opinion.

I am also unsure whether I will be able to give him the physical care he needs post op. I only know one dog who had a THR, an elderly collie. It wore a sort of harness that the owner could hold to take its weight for a few months after the op. My dog weighs 80kg, (he's already 10-15kg underweight because of his legs, he can't afford to lose any more). There is no way I could carry him, or even carry most of his weight for him.

We also tried hydrotherapy with him for a while, but he is terrified of water and the sessions were so distressing for him that we had to stop. I've been told we could swim him whilst sedated, with a vet in attendance, but I would really prefer not to put him through that.

Thanks.

Where there's a will there's a way. If you can't manage post operative care at home, I'm sure your vets could keep him for a week or so, until he can manage better himself, or even the orthopaedic surgeon practice may be happy to keep him in if you explain you cannot manage the post op support. Whereabouts in the country are you? As I say, Gary Clayton-Jones is in Tenterden in Kent. Is your vet having trouble getting someone to see him? I believe that a THR would be your only option/ I think that FHO is only useful in smaller breeds. Recovery to the extent that they can put weight on the new hip is remarkably fast and he would be able to use it to some degree within a few days and probably completely in a week. Often they only need to do one hip, such tremendous relief does it give the other. You would need to select the worst hip (by how he uses it, not by the score alone).

Although my shepherd was large and not giant, both her hips were severe. In fact, when x-rayed under anaesthetic they couldn't extend them beyond the 'straight up' position. No extension back at all. If your vet can get you an assessment you will be able to ask all the questions, and be reassured, or know what you can and can't do. I do hope you get some help soon.
All the best
Kat

Thank you ChinaBlue. I am in Yorkshire, and a far as I can tell he will need a 'specialist specialist', as very few will even consider operating on a Giant Breed. My vet is still looking though.

His left hip doesn't have much of a joint at all, either ball or socket. Is right is typically dysplastic. Arthritis is already visible in both. If we are going to go ahead with an op it would need to be sooner rather than later as his right hip is deteriorating so rapidly. 

I hadn't realised the recovery began so quickly, I had assumed it would be weeks before he could use it. There would be no problem with him staying in at the vets a few days extra if that were necessary. Though for a week or so I could maybe hire somone to come and help us (can you hire people like that? Like a nurse but a vet? Oh well, I can find out when it comes to that).

How long did you have to wait between the 2 operations?

Hi
The practice I worked at is The Willows Veterinary Centre in Solihull, West Midlands.  Malcolm Mckee is the specialist and he is VERY good and well known in the veterinary world. As for aftercare, the worst hip is done first and the days after surgery, the dog would have to be helped to walk by the aid of a sling ( old towel, blanket or special slings that can be bought from the practice that goes underneath the dogs tummy.) this would need about 3 people 1 leading the dog and 2 to help him up. The reason we use the sling is to stop him slipping and causing damage and also to help support the leg. Usually in a few days most dogs are bearing weight on the leg, obviously it could take a little longer for your dog because of his size. He would probably be in for anything from 2 - 5 days.  At home,  there should be a pet physiotherapist in you area that could come to your home to help.