Although Jade was originally scheduled for spay surgery in August, she came in season at the time of her appointment and was thus rescheduled to October 3. While she was anesthetized, she was also microchipped and had a follow up pelvis xray taken. This is a photo of that xray:
The vet said the femoral head on the right side appears to have stopped growing. Necrosis of the femoral head is apparently a common result of traumatic injury to the hip (which in Jade’s case was being run over by a truck). The blood supply to the femoral head was cut off and that part of the joint basically died. She has less muscle mass on the right rear leg than she does on the left. Despite this, she does very well and the vet said so long as she continues to do well, no surgery is needed. If however she goes lame on the right side at some point in future, a femoral head ostectomy would be recommended.
Meanwhile, a bum hip and major abdominal surgery be damned, there is flopping for belly scratches to be done:
Glad she is doing well after her spay. Now she only has to leave the incision alone.
Even her little messed-up hip is cute!–even though I wish it weren’t so. Her incision-line looks great! Such a LOVE!!
I am so glad she is doing well! Jade is a beautiful dog.
My Annie Girl had a FHO done before she was a year old. She’s been run over as well, but the base of the femoral head was actually badly cracked, so removing it was the better option. She was really pretty much fine afterwards, although if you walked directly behind her, she sort of looked a bit like a car that had been in a crash and its frame was out of alignment. Her shoulders and hips didn’t track in a straight line, and when she walked in snow, you could see paw prints looked like this -_-_-_-_ instead of being closer together. Still, until she got much older, she was quite the walker and always had to be ‘the lead sled dog’ in our pack.
Is there anywhere Jade might be able to swim once in a while? That kind of exercise can be helpful, even though the back legs don’t do anywhere near as much work as the front when doggy paddling. Of course, walking will be really good, especially with some hill climbing once in a while. :-)
Now her hips have “character”, just like the rest of her! She’s adorable.
Muscle mass loss = lack of use. Not using the leg = pain. Time to get the FHO done.
Thank you for your opinion. Please be assured that Jade’s comfort is a priority for me. Having had her radiographed 3 times since June and talking with my vet specifically about any pain she may be experiencing, I feel comfortable with my vet’s recommendation at this time to watch for lameness or any other indications of pain and re-evaluate as needed. It’s not as if I will ever forget that I met Jade because she was squashed by a truck and subsequently, that her pelvis will never be normal and she needs to be monitored.
An interesting anecdote that my vet shared with me while we were discussing the topic last week: My vet had her pelvis broken in 3 places as a teenager. She was never x-rayed and in fact, the doctor told her she had broken her tailbone and gave her a doughnut cushion to sit on. It was only later in life, when she was unable to deliver her son, that a doctor asked her if her pelvis had ever been broken. She was x-rayed at that time and learned of the 3 breaks she had suffered. She never had surgery and has lived a normal life, including lots of time spent riding horses. She does need a pain reliever after particularly strenuous exercise now, close to age 60. She told me she has more muscle development on one side than the other. The bottom line: Once the pelvis is broken, you need to lose the expectation that all will look and feel normal. Use your judgment with regard to management.
This makes sense to me.
I baked oat bran bread and served it with milk for the dogs’ breakfast this morning. After that, she took her surrogate puppy/toy (false pregnancy) to her bed and slept in while I exercised. When I left for work, Billy was outside walking her on a leash. Which is to say, Jade is not a dog being kept in a kennel on the back 40. She is part of the family. It will not go unnoticed if she appears to be in pain at some point. That time is not now.
Love, love, love Miss Jade! Glad she is soooooooo very lucky to be in your family and is doing so well.