Surgical treatments, such as femoral head and neck ostectomies and total hip replacements for older dogs, are salvage procedures that eliminate the diseased joint and attempt to replace it with a non-painful substitute. Femoral head and neck ostectomies are most effective for dogs that weigh less than 60 pounds. In this procedure, your veterinarian removes the ball part of the hip joint. The leg will return to function between 6 weeks and 6 months. The leg will appear shorter and the degree of function will vary.
Some animals return almost to full function, while others show abnormalities of the gait.
Total hip replacements are good for large mature dogs that are unresponsive to conservative therapy and are otherwise healthy animals. This procedure replaces the diseased joint with a high-density plastic socket and a stainless steel ball that is cemented into place. This procedure is more expensive than the femoral head and neck ostectomy, but the results are very good. Dogs typically return to full function of the limb within 1 month. If the prosthesis gets infected, removal of the artificial joint and cement is required to cure the infection.