FHO or THR ?

Last Monday (March 10^th) my lovely husband and I took his parents and Jazz on a peaceful hike near Tellico. It was a remarkably lovely day with a clear blue 70 degree sky. Since Jazz had been exhibiting such a reliable recall, I let her do this one off lead in spite of it being her very first hike. I felt confident of her abilities and she did not disappoint me. She was exuberant and energetic, but reliably obedient. She must have walked double the distance (with double the energy!) we humans did!

Tuesday she was tired, but seemed no worse for the wear. This was expected. Thursday night we observed her carrying her right rear leg, not continuously, but regularly. I gave her a thorough feel over and didn't find anything obvious, but I knew that I could not examine her skelatal system with the expert feel of a veterinarian. I would continue to monitor her.

Friday, she held her leg less, but she was still doing it so that by the end of the day, concern got the better of me and I dropped by the vets office. At first exam by an assistant, she discovered a luxated patella. Our dear vet did a thorough exam and in addition to the luxated patella (which seemed to be of no bother to Jazz), she found a rather sore hip. This called for an x-ray.

I saw it immediately on the vets face and the x-ray film. Her left hip is perfect, her right, however, is not properly seated in the socket, swollen and severely arthritic. Jazz is clearly in pain. I was floored. Surgery would be necessary to alleviate her discomfort and allow a long, happy life. She's not even two years old. Jazz will be on remadyl (an anti-inflammatory) till surgery. Although one option was heavily suggested, some research gave me two options:

FHO: (Femoral Head Ostectomy), essentially removing the head of the femur with a small saw, scar tissue forms over the bone end acting as a sort of cushion thus relieving the bone pain and allowing a small dog to return to a normal life. The drawback is a shorter leg and possibly a permanent limp as a result; loss in full range of motion (reduction of say 25%); stiffness; inability to jump, and decreased activity. This is what the vet suggested, but this procedure didn't sit well with me.

THR: (Total Hip Replacement), this is the expensive option as it's done at a veterinary hospital rather than in the vets office. Recovery time is a bit longer; recovery is near 95% with full range of motion (little to no reduction) and return to a full active lifestyle, including jumping. No permanent limp as there's no shortening of the leg.

At first the choice seemed obvious, having been given only one. However, cutting off the femoral head just didn't sit well with me, and thus I thank the Internet for my further education. Confirming my feelings on the FHO, the THR seems to be the surgery of choice given that Jazz is still such a youngster and has many, many good years in which to enjoy this life.... and fully enjoy it, she should!

No decisions have been set, I will speak with the vet at length and I (at this point) predict we will opt for the THR sometime this summer or early fall.

Dare I state the obvious in that my heart is crying for her?

We're on vacation this week. Jazz will have me post pics of her on the beach.