Bone Pinning Surgery
At VAH, we perform many different types of bone surgeries. This includes repairing fractures using bone pins or bone plates. In this picture, you can see a bone pin that was inserted into the marrow cavity of the tibia (shin bone) in order to stabilize a fracture. This dog had been hit by a car. The pin stays in places for 6 - 10 weeks and then the patient is sedated, x-rays are performed to confirm that the bone has healed, and the pin is removed!
The small arrows on the right point to fractures in the fibula— a small bone in the lower leg. It is very important for the larger Tibia bone to be stabilized and the bone pin accomplishes this nicely. The fractures of the smaller fibula do not require a bone pin to heal— as long as they are well aligned. Which they are! Dr. K did this surgery in October 2023.
Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO)
In this picture, the hip on the left is dislocated and this patient needs an FHO. Look closely and you will note that the hip socket on the left side does not exist . . . there is a nice C-shaped socket for the hip on the right. But, this dog was born without a normal socket (called the ‘acetabulum’) and when she grew to a certain size that hip permanently dislocated. OUCH!!
This patient had an FHO in early December 2023 and we saw her 14 days later to remove her stitches. She was walking on the leg and felt great!
A Femoral Head Ostectomy is a surgery performed when there is a recurrent dislocation of the hip joint. Dislocation of the hip joint is painful, and this surgery is intended to decrease a dog’ s long term pain.
What is so painful about a dislocated hip?
The hip is a “ball and socket” joint. When the femoral head dislocates, it means that the “ball” part of the joint is no longer properly functioning. As the ball part of the joint pops in and out of the socket, pain is the result.
How does an FHO help reduce pain?
Removal of the femoral head means that the ball part of the joint can no longer pop in and out of the socket. As the socket fills in with scar tissue, the leg becomes stable and the pain is significantly reduced.
What happens to the joint if part of the hip is removed?
Healing involves the production of fibrous scar tissue and, in a very short time, a false joint is created. Within months, most dogs are running and playing—though they may always have a slight limp.
What is the recovery time?
The dotted line is where we cut the bone when a hip keeps dislocating. These dogs can run and jump after they’ve healed from the surgery!
A lot depends on the pain threshold of the dog. Dogs that are pain tolerant will begin to use their leg very soon after surgery, and these are the dogs that recover most quickly. It is important for a dog to regain complete confidence in the leg, so walking and physical therapy are often used to speed up the healing process. Most dogs are using the leg within 2 weeks, though it takes about 2 months before they are back to normal. Most dogs that have had an FHO will run, jump and play like any other dog, though they usually have a slight limp. As a rule, smaller dogs recover from this surgery much more quickly than large dogs.
Do complications occur?
Complications are rare following this type of surgery. A small percentage of dogs will always experience some limping or discomfort and may require long term anti-inflammatory medication. Others will require a second surgery to remove any residual bone spurs that may cause discomfort (very uncommon!)
The Doctors at Valley Animal Hospital do not perform spinal surgeries, disc decompressions or bone plating of a fractured pelvis. There are Veterinary Specialists for those surgeries!