Elvis is an 8 month old rat terrier, we found out this morning that he need hip replacement surgery. The vet had to put him under in order to take x-rays and let us know that he does need this surgery. They haven’t given me an exact estimate yet but she said the surgery alone costs $210 and that doesn’t include putting him under or the surgical costs. Of course I don’t have that much money just sitting around so I’ll have to wait a bit and save the money but does that seem about right? Has anyone else dealt with this type of surgery on their pet and what can I expect afterwards?
Hip replacement surgery for what reason? Is he dysplastic? I would be extremely surprised if a vet could give you that kind of diagnosis on a dog at eight months–the OFA doesn’t even accept films for hip ratings until two years old. At eight months, your dog is still growing and developing, so if the hip replacement was suggested as a solution for hip displasia, I would immediately seek a second, or third opinion.
Even if your dog is severely dysplastic, which I’d be surprised to see in a small dog at that age, I (personally) would wait, maybe change his diet if you’re feeding a grocery-store type kibble, excercise him lightly (lots of swimming, if you can manage it) and have his hips filmed again in a year.
The other thing is (and this is again assuming a diagnosis of hip dysplasia), if the dog is positioned poorly, amongst several other factors, the hips can look much worse than they actually are. Even for that reason, I’d have them x-rayed for a second opinion.
Total Hip Replacement surgery, or THR, usually runs up around $2000 dollars, yes, that’s 2K.
It is normally done to correct severe cases of Hip Dysplasia and usually leads to significant improvement in the pet’s mobility.
To find out more about options: go to the following website: http://www.offa.org/hiptreat.html
Your pet may still be able to under go a TPO (triple pelvic osteotomy) instead of a THR, which is usually done to pets under 10 months of age if clinical signs of artheritis aren’t present yet.
You may also consider doing drug therapy instead of surgery right now. I would also consult a veterinary orthopedist, or have your hip x-rays sent to the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) to get another opinion.
I would ONLY consider THR in a pet that is SIGNIFICANTLY showing signs of Chronic Hip Dysplasia that CANNOT be controlled by medication anymore or at all. I would be reluctant to do so on such a young animal who may not even yet show signs of arthritic change in his/her joints.
Of course, it could be that the pet IS already significantly crippled - and if this is the case, then yes, THR is a pricey but usually pretty sucessful option.
$210? That’s pretty cheap for hip replacement surgery, as far as I know.
My Great Dane had a new knee installed last year.
Diagnostics, Surgery, Follow-up care; All in I was out $2,750.
Consider yourself fortunate, and good luck!
Ha, when I read the OP I “heard” $2100… MamaHen, are you sure your vet wants to do a THR? $210 barely covers the cost of the surgery materials!
I’m sure it’s a typo on MamaHen’s part…
It has to be. Hell, $210 would be less than Zap’s spay (and blood pannel prior, and pain meds, granted…)
I’d really REALLY get a second opinion, MamaHen - most vets are NOT specialists in this field. Find a specialist, consult him/her. Hell, I have a functionally dysplastic dog and I his vet looked at the x-ray and freaked. I took the dog and the x-rays (which were positionned perfectly) to a vet college with some experts and they couldn’t believe the x-ray was from my non-symptomatic dog. On all accounts, he shouldn’t be able to walk…
That’s when Doctor Dobsn, a radiologist at the OVC who does a lot of dysplasia stuff, told me words I shall never forget: TREAT THE DOG, NOT THE X-RAY. We have followed that carefully, and now he’s almost 7 years old and being quite conservatively treated. Next step will be pain medication, but for now, it hasn’t been necessary. Weight control + glucosamine has worked wonders.
Sorry, I was taking a nap so it took me awhile to get back here. Elvis has been hurting when he walks and has a significant loss of muscle mass on his left hip. I took him in Saturday and the vet told me he needed to be put under to get a good x-ray taken of the hip. I took him in this morning and when I called this afternoon the nurse told me that in his hip where the ball and joint are the ball has been destroyed, she said it was really bad. She said the vet would need to remove that part of the ball and it would be replaced with first a blood clot then something else. She called it something that I can’t remember at the moment (I’ve slept since then) and said it was basically small dog hip replacement. She told me the average price for the surgery was $210 (two hundred and ten dollars) and that didn’t count putting him under or the surgical supplies.
What I’d like is to be very informed tomorrow when I go in and talk to the vet. I know Elvis is in alot of pain now but if there are options other than surgery I’d like to try them first.
i am not a dog owner (although i like being around other peoples’ dogs), so this might seem pretty cold-blooded to people who surf the net with fido’s head resting on their knee, but will this surgery restore the dog to good health? or are you looking at a congenital problem that will require a lifetime of surgery and medication for the dog and years of expense for you? you’ve had the dog for eight months at most, probably less than six if you got him after he was weaned. he could live for 15 years, maybe more. what are you willing to put up with for 15 years? it might be wise to let this animal go and find one in better health.
$210 as baseline for THR is ludicrously low, which makes me think the vet is looking for business any way he/she can get it, or has not done any of these procedures and doesn’t know how to price it correctly–neither of these assumptions is good. Also, this type of surgery is usually not handled by local vets, but by specialists. Are you certain your vet can handle a surgery this complicated? It might also be a good idea to get your vet to give you a price range (low end and worst case scenario), including follow up care. Typically, vets charge each time you have a recheck, including drugs (pain meds, ABs), fresh surgical wraps, suture repair and removal, etc, and often don’t think to let you know about this in their preliminary estimates.
Sounds more like they’re talking about doing an FHO (femoral head osteoectomy), maybe. It’s hard to say based on your description. While I’ve never heard of quoting for a surgery piecemeal like that, $210 plus anesthesia plus disposables seems fairly reasonable for an FHO.
At any rate, it seems clear that they are NOT doing a THR. For one thing, there was no mention of putting an implant in the acetabulum (the socket of the ball and socket joint). For another thing, nobody does THRs on small dogs because there are less invasive procedures that work just as well. For yet another thing, nobody in their right mind would do a THR on a dog that wasn’t fully grown yet.
Regardless of what procedure they were talking about, it is your vet’s job to make sure you leave that office well-informed about your options, and the cost, risks, and benefits of each approach. Every option should be discussed, if only to explain why it’s a bad idea. If you don’t feel like your vet has answered your questions adequately or is pushing you to do something you’re not comfortable with, then get a second opinion. Unfortunately, we can’t inform you, because we haven’t seen the films or the dog, and we don’t know for sure what procedure your vet has in mind.
Thank you all for replying. Thanks to this thread and the wonderful Elenfair I was able to go in this morning fully prepared. Elvis does need a femoral head resection. He showed me the films and explained everything to me. I asked for and got proof that he’s an orthopedist. Anyway the price he quoted me this morning is between $442.60 and $576.10. He said the recovery rate is really good with this operation and that Elvis will not need further care for this problem.
I can’t think you all enough. Even though my information yesterday was limited at best I was able to find information and help. Thanks to Elenfair I was able to contact a specialist in my area and make an appointment for a second opinion as well. Thank you all so much, I thank you and Elvis thanks you.
No worries, mamahen.
CrazyCatLady put it in better words than me… damn her straight to heck! 
Hee.
I’m glad you got the information you needed and that your vet took the time to answer your questions. It’s important for vets to do that - and some forget that we’re laymen and don’t always remember the complicated words n’ such… and that we’re usually flustered and want what’s best for our furry-ones.
You’re pretty lucky to be so close to a vet college as well! Good place to get a second opinion and explore all your options.
Seems like you and Elvis are on the right track. Be thankful he’s so young, too - there are more options open to the younguns than to the old guys with hip trouble… 
and they recover pretty darn fast too!
Be well!