FHO

I thought I might post a little more often about some of the things I do at work. 

This little dog came in after it slid on the ice and was hit by a truck in the driveway.  The pelvis is crushed. 

And the left hip is dislocated.  It was possible to refer to an orthopedic specialist to plate the pelvic fracture and reduce the luxated hip but this was a very expensive option.  And even with that, there was no guarantee that the hip would stay in place. Another option was to amputate the leg, not at the mid thigh like normal, but to remove the entire femur so there was no continued bone on bone contact which could be a source of ongoing pain.  The third option, which the owner chose, was an FHO.

A femoral head osteotomy is removing the head of the femur.   This is another way to eliminate the bone on bone contact yet still keep the leg.  It involves an approach to the hip joint through a pretty tiny hole between the muscles,  then using a mallet and bone chisel to cut the femoral neck.  Then, still though that tiny hole, cut the remaining attachments to the head and remove it.  This doesn't fix the pelvis, but helps in changing the distribution of stress on those fractures.  The pelvis heals with rest. Then scar tissue eventually forms a sort of false joint.  Most of the time there is no evidence of lameness after everything heals.  This dog left the next day already to touching the operated leg.  Hopefully, she will be able to squirrel hunt in a few months.