Puff was only 10 month old, but with a long medical history already…
His owner recalls: “Puff started having some problems with his back legs shortly after we adopted him. He was probably 5 or 6 months old. He also had some unexplained eye problems, that resulted in one eye being removed. So he has a lot of mysterious issues.”
When we took him to the vet because of back leg issues, we were shocked to hear that one hip was broken and the other was dislocated. It couldn’t be put back into place.”
That’s when Puff was referred to HRVSS.
His owner continues: “He was in a lot of pain. He could barely walk. He was struggling to use the bathroom. Quality of life was a big concern.”
“We figured he would need both sides done as soon as we saw the X-rays, we were definitely concerned if he would even be able to make it through the surgery with his other issues. He had been on cortisone for an extended period of time for his eye issues. He also briefly had a heart murmur. We were worried that, after ending the cortisone, that the healing process would be too difficult for his tiny 6 pound body.”
What is an FHO?
The surgery we offered is an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy). The concept is to remove the ball of the hip, then stitch up the ligament around the hip to provide some padding. Over the following 2 months, scar tissue builds up to hold the hip together.
We discussed doing one FHO at a time, vs. both sides at the same time.
Honestly, we don’t love doing (any) orthopedic surgery on both legs at the same time if we can avoid it. It’s a lot for a pet to go through…
It’s a delicate balance between ethical, medical, and financial decisions.
Euthanasia was even on the table…
It was quite an emotional rollercoaster.
His owner remembers: “Before surgery, the situation was looking really bleak. We really thought he wouldn’t make it through the whole ordeal. We decided to go through with the surgery because we wanted to give him the possibility of a better life. We didn’t want to regret it in the future if we didn’t take the chance and chose the alternative.”
For Puff’s sake, we agreed that doing both surgeries on the same day was the better option.
Puff gets FHO surgery
So Puff was put under anesthesia and board-certified surgeon Dr. Pete Baia performed both FHOs.
Surgery was uneventful.
After Puff woke up, his owner remembers: “We were definitely incredibly relieved, especially considering his other problems. Knowing he was awake and he made it through was a huge relief.”
After one night on IV fluids, pain medications and antibiotics, Puff went home the next morning.
The most important thing now was very extensive and meticulous physical therapy – the secret to success.
In fact, here is a video taken 1 month after surgery, showing what a great job his owner did with the PT, and what a good patient Puff was.
And after 2 months of PT, his owner reported: “Puff is the sweetest, happiest, chirpiest boy ever now, probably happier than we have ever seen him. He runs, jumps, lounges, plays, and is overall just living his best life. He loves attention and he has tons of energy to play with his sister all day and night. You would really never know that he had hip issues looking at him now!”
That’s pretty much the best compliment a surgeon can hear!
If you would like to learn how we can help your pet with safe surgery and anesthesia, please contact us through www.HRVSS.com
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Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified
Pete Baia, DVM, MS, DACVS
www.HRVSS.com