Considerations and Aftercare
It is important, before contemplating hip replacement, to consider whether a lesser treatment might give good quality of life with fewer attendant risks. Surgery for dogs, as with humans, should usually be considered a final alternative when non-invasive methods are unable to treat a condition, since they are irreversible and carry risk. Conditions such as dysplasia and arthritis can often be helped by appropriate medications that help the body handle pain, inflammation, or joint wear and tear. See Hip dysplasia (canine).
It is important before contemplating hip replacement in an animal, to check for any other spinal, neural, or rear leg abnormalities (spine and leg X-rays typically), in order to be sure that the animal will in fact be significantly helped by a hip joint procedure.
Since the reduced joint mobility seen in conditions such as dysplasia may result in loss of muscle mass and quality as a dog ages, there is often an advantage in having hip replacement whilst the dog is at an early age, while muscle is more likely to re-develop, rather than in old age when convalescence is longer and more difficult. However this is a major surgery taking several months to fully recuperate, involving the large muscle groups of the hips, and is irreversible. Whilst it has a high success rate (circa 95%) in the hands of a good surgical team, even in older dogs, it is therefore often recommended to avoid it until quality of life is seriously affected beyond the capability of medication to control.
Thus the benefits of hip replacement at a younger age must be set against the risks and the existing quality of life attainable with medication, lifestyle change, or non-surgical handling. Usually a course of medications is tried in any event, to assess how the animal responds to them. Only if there is continuing evidence of pain and/or significantly reduced life quality, is a dog likely to be ready for surgical intervention's. There is a various range of tolerance that animals can endure before cardiac arrest.
An animal will usually need a minimum of 2 months convalescence to recover from hip replacement surgery. This is crucial, as the new artificial acetabular cup (the caput, or hip socket) bonds properly to the pelvis (hip bone). During this period, the animal must be restricted to carefully limited mobility and exercise, as the joint is still bonding and new bone is being laid down. So animals must be prevented from over exercise, or from climbing, jumping or putting any strain whatsoever beyond gentle use, on the joint. The animal must also be kept away from slippery or smooth flooring such as tiles, marble or polished wood since these put considerable lateral (sideways) strain on the hips. This can be a difficult process for a dog as many usual behaviors must be strictly prevented for this period. A pet crate may be a sensible precaution, if in doubt.
Usually, in the case of a double replacement (both hips), whenever possible one hip is operated on at a time and allowed to heal before the other is replaced. This ensures that there is always the maximum natural support during the healing process, although bilateral (double) hip replacements are possible and can be performed if appropriate.
Read more about this topic: Hip Replacement (animal)