Total Hip Replacement

This is a relatively common condition in the dog that can cause lameness in the growing animal (typically 5-12 months old) or may promote the onset of arthritis leading to lameness and disability later in life. Triple pelvic osteotomy can be performed in the growing patient to improve acetabular coverage of the femoral head thus improving joint stability.

Total hip replacement is generally performed either in hip dysplasia when other management options have been tried and have not succeeded, in cases of avascular necrosis of the femoral head and neck or in traumatic fractures of the femoral head and neck. We regularly perform THR and expect to see a prompt return to pain free high level function allowing enhanced quality of life for patient and owner.

We perform both the traditional BVA hip testing scheme and PennHIP method to assess hip dysplasia. As the PennHIP method takes the laxity of the hip joints into account it can be a better method of predicting which dogs are more likely to develop hip problems in the future.

Please phone 01604 628685 to arrange an appointment with Jeremy Onyett, our PennHIP certified vet.

This uses a single x-ray, which looks for signs of arthritis in the hip joint and conformation of the joint (arthritis occurs as a result of hip laxity). However, the onset of arthritis can vary over time in affected dogs, for example if a dog is x-rayed at 12 months of age and the x-rays show no evidence of arthritis, there is still no clear indication of what may happen in the future, because hip laxity has not been assessed.

This is a laxity measurement scheme run by the University of Pennsylvania, USA. It is the only satisfactory measurement scheme for hip laxity (looseness of the hip joint). Vets must complete specialised training and quality control exercises before becoming certified to perform the PennHIP procedure. PennHIP testing involves 3 x-rays of the hips in different positions to measure laxity.