Introduction
On occasion a dog or cat will
dislocate its hip. This page shows the treatment of a poodle mix that
fell while running, and is now completely lame on its rear
leg.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis in this case is made
with x-rays after an initial examination. The exam gave us clues that
the pain was caused by a dislocation. When we gently extended the
rear legs (depending on the type of dislocation) the dislocated leg
appeared shorter than the normal leg.
This
x-ray is of a dog with a dislocated hip. The ball of the left
femur is completely out of the socket. Ligaments and the joint
capsule have been torn for this to occur.
Medical
Correction
Some pets with dislocated hips can
be corrected without the need of surgery. Whether or not this occurs
depends on the extent of the damage, especially to the ligaments,
tendons, and joint capsule.
This
pet was anesthetized
and the head of the femur was gently placed back into the
socket. It was securely taped so that the femur was held firmly
in the socket. a special type of sling was applied to keep the
head of the femur (the ball) pushed back into the socket. This
method is not always successful, but it is worth trying to
prevent surgery.
A radiograph is
taken immediately after application of the splint to be certain the femoral
head is still in the socket. One week later we repeated the x-ray to be
certain it was still in place. This splint stayed on for 3 weeks, and
this pet eventually healed completely.
Pain
medication will be given to minimize
discomfort. This dog will need to be confined and have minimal
activity for several weeks.
Surgical Correction
In many cases we have to resort to surgery to
correct the dislocation. When the hip is replaced in these dogs it
does not stay in the socket. We have pictures of the surgery.
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