Update on Tully's hip

Thanks all.

The vet didn't think the femoral head osteotomy (FHO) was a good option with Tully's shoulders - it makes them put excessive weight on their front legs and Tully already has damage to her shoulders. Plus the hip replacement is always the preferred option to and FHO. If anything goes wrong with the replacement though she will end up with the FHO anyway by default, just hoping it doesn't.

Tully has decided to defy us all the last few days - she's walking for longer, moving around the house and she even once tried to chase a kangaroo! Today the animal physio said Tully definitely has more flexibility in her bad hip since she saw her 2weeks ago. We think it's a combination of the warmer weather and the Meloxicam (she was on Previcox, same as Deska, but it was making her sick).

I've think I've made a decision. I'm going to wait 6 weeks - give her a chance to enjoy the weather and build up the strength in her bad leg so it's in better shape for the surgery. And I can squeeze in our annual holiday - to a farm in the highlands with a dog hydrotherapy pool nearby (we went to the farm last year and the dogs had a ball), and a trip to my specialist to schedule my surgery.

That's the plan for now anyway - I'm sure tomorrow I'll be dithering again.
 
That sounds like a good plan. A 91% success rate is pretty good odds. I would also find out the doctor's success rate as well.

Thinking of you and Tully!
 
Aahh, here's my dithering again.

Spoke to the specialist - Tully will be the smallest dog he has ever done. In fact he has only done one small dog (a 12kg poodle a month ago) and a cat last week. He did say it's not much different to a big dog, but he actually has no historical information beyond a month of the outcomes. So now I don't know if to wait until he does get more experience.
 
Tully's hip operation has been deferred, as I've been in hosp and broken my foot, amongst a host of other $, health and family problems.

It's really awful how much she has gone down hill. She has trouble standing and now even sitting is a problem. So most of the time she is laying on her side, looking sad, like in the pic. She does manage 2 walks a day - a hobble with me in the morning and the dog walker in the afternoon, and she still loves them even if she needs a pain killer afterwards.

And the poor thing is on 1/4 rations as she's put on more weight from the inactivity so now she gets fed almost entirely veggies(she needs to have a full belly for NSAIDs).

Still not sure when to get the surgery, maybe Feb after my sister's wedding interstate. I just want to make sure she's mobile again before winter and I have to manage Deska's elbow pain.
 

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Caro, it sounds like you are having an awful time between your broken foot and little Tully's hip issues. :( I am so sorry.

We have had 2 rescues who had severe HD...both needing surgery to be able to move at all without intense pain. In both cases we ended up doing the femoral head and neck removal. In our sheltie, his hip was so deteriorated that any other option was not possible and our Samoyed was young enough that the specialist warned us that hip replacement or repair might not last her lifetime and then she would be facing surgery again as a senior which would not be good. Although initially more pressure is put on the front shoulders as the body builds a sling of muscle to replace the attachment of hip that no longer exists from a femoral head and neck removal...once that sling is developed their gait is normal. Both our doggies, once healed, raced with our other dogs, just as fast and happy as if nothing had ever happened.

There always is risk with any surgery... and I know the decision as to what is best can be really hard. Whatever you do decide, know that our prayers and best wishes will be with you and Tully.

Trini
 
The saddest thing is seeing a dog that didn't have an off button, that just had to run and who was a flyball demon now finding standing painful.

It's lucky that Deska's elbows are holding up atm with the warm weather, as I can't carry two dogs on walks. I'm really worried about next winter though, how do you manage with two youngish dogs with severe arthritis.
 
Prayers being sent out to you, Deska, and Tully. I hate when thing pile up so much. I can relate.:cry:
Hope you start feeling better soon.:hugs
 
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