What are the indications for THR?
THR is a surgical procedure for dogs and cats with moderate to severe hip pathology that is not amenable to medical management.
The most common pathology is hip dysplasia, but we also see a variety of other conditions including Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, fractures, and luxations.
How much does a specialist THR cost?
Our THRs (for dogs <50kg) are priced at £6,500.
Our THR price is all-inclusive with no hidden extras or nasty surprises.
Like all of our procedures our THRs are covered by a 12 month surgical guarantee.
What system do we use?
We use the Biomedtrix Universal Hip Replacement system, which offers us great versatility to perform the procedure on all sizes of dog ranging from 2kg to 80kg, and also on cats.
The majority of patients receive BFX cementless, press-fit prostheses (biological fixation).
At what age can surgery be performed?
While THR can be performed in dogs as young as 6 months of age it is often advisable to wait until around 9 months of age.
If a patient cannot be managed medically then early surgical intervention is recommended.
There is no upper age limit for surgery although the surgery can be more challenging in cases with severe secondary osteoarthritis.
How successful is THR?
The procedure has a complication rate of about 10%. The overall prognosis is very good with around 96% of our patients having a successful outcome and returning to full activity.
When they do occur complications are covered by our 12 month surgical guarantee and most can be addressed successfully.
The most frequent complication is luxation of the prostheses. This requires revision surgery to reposition the joint and address the reason for luxation.
Other rare complications include infection, femoral fissure or fracture and aseptic loosening of the prostheses.
Can THR be performed bilaterally?
In bilateral cases surgery is always staged with at least 3 months between procedures.
In many cases there is sufficient clinical improvement in hind limb function following unilateral surgery, particularly in cases where one hip is worse affected than the other.
Postoperative care
Most patients are walking on the operated limb the day after surgery.
Dogs are confined to one room and regular short lead walks in the garden for toileting for the first 4 weeks.
Exercise is gradually increased on the lead for a further 8 weeks before resumption of off lead activity.
Patients receive free re-examinations with X-rays as necessary at Wessex Veterinary Orthopaedics after 4 and 12 weeks.
