Anyone familiar with FHO?

[Ravenlost]

Our vet wasn't in this morning so Tom was seen by the livestock vet. They took x-rays (found out Tom has been shot...lots of shotgun pellets in his backside...probably happened before he found us) and the balls of his femurs are wearing out.

The vet put him on pain meds and recommends FHO (femoral head ostectomy) if the meds don't help.

I'm torn and want a second opinion...by the specialist who did all the surgeries on Tom (hubby said he couldn't believe all the metal that Tom has in him from those surgeries).

Tom weighs 74 lbs. and, from what little research I've done so far, this type operation doesn't seem to be the best choice for him. A total hip replacement sounds better, but I'm not sure if that could be done due to his previous surgeries.

Anyone have any experience in this?

[doozie]

My Min Pin Ruby had one when she was about 1 yr. old. Vet wanted to wait until she was full grown. but the symptoms started at about 6-8 months old if I remember correctly. (Limping, holding up rear leg, we knew she was in some sort of pain too ) Full recovery and she can run like the wind when she wants to now. It really changed her whole personality for the better
I remeber reading that is isnt usually done for dogs over 35-40 lbs?? but maybe the thoughts on that have changed in the past few years??
Either way, I wish the best for your Tom.

[Snowdancer]

I know nothing about the surgery suggested but I did find it odd that all of those shotgun pellets were in his back end and at the time of the accident, the other vet didn't notice or mention it.

I'll hold good thoughts for Tom; that poor old guy has sure had his share of challenges and he could use some good luck for a change.

[chickenista]

I had a cat that fell about 4 feet, landed wrong and shattered his hip.
He had an FHO and after the fur grew back you could have never, ever known.
The muscles in the back and leg strengthen and act just as a normal hip would.
He was fast and agile and pain free.
It would definitely make Tom's remaining years more of a joy.

[deb]

Ravenlost, You may want to try joining the Othodogs group on Yahoo. There are over 10,000 members and while a lot of the discussion is about ligament tears, there are threads about other Ortho procedures. Once you get approved, you can post and read all their procedure documentation.

I joined this morning because I was looking for more owner information about the EX-cap surgery my dog had on Thursday.

HTH
Deb
in wi

[Ravenlost]

Thanks Deb, I will look into it!

Snowdancer, hubby and I discussed that when he got home from the vet. We've wracked our brains, but can't think of any time since Tom's accident that he could have been shot. He's never been out of our sight! He was about a year old (or slightly older) when he found us and was in bad shape...he had blunt head trauma and was malnourished. We believe that he'd probably been shot before that. We both think it's odd that the specialist never mentioned it, but maybe he thought we already knew. I don't know. It is odd, but Tom hasn't had an opportunity to be shot since the accident and, if he'd been shot since we've had him, we would have known and sought medical attention for him.

It's a mystery. Poor Tom has had a very rough life.

[HendricksHearth]

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your pup's troubles, but I would also do some more research on alternatives to the FHO surgery. I managed a vet hospital for several years, assisted plenty of times with that exact procedure, and my boss only would perform it for tiny-medium sized dogs because it just puts so much stress on a larger dogs other joints and ligaments during the recovery. It may still end up being the best option for Tom, but I just wanted to give you my $0.02.

In the meantime, can you put your pup on a support supplement like glucosamine or chondritin in conjunction with the pain meds? It really can make a word of difference on some dogs.

Best of luck!

Lauren
http://www.hendrickshearth.etsy.com

[Ravenlost]

Thanks Lauren. That's what I'm thinking...Tom is to large for this procedure. He's already on a glucosamine/chondrotin supplement.

[farmmom]

About the shot, it's not at all unusual in our area to x-ray a dog and find it full of bird shot. We used to try to count all the bright white dots on the films, and sometimes there were too many, and it was a huge waist of time. Unless the shot was causing a problem though, it was just left alone.

[Ravenlost]

Yeah, we're not worried about the pellets. He's lived with them for five years (or more) with them in there and they haven't caused any problems yet. I don't expect they ever will.

[deetu]

you know, B-L Solution gave my horse so many more painless years that i often wonder if they make anything simular for dogs. it is yucca, devil's claw and vit B's. just a thought

[Ravenlost]

Thanks deetu. I'll look into that.