Neuro Hip surgery

Hip dysplasia is common. It frequently becomes apparent from 6 months or so of age, leading to serious pain when the hip is extended.

We regularly do total hip replacement surgery at our Burton-Upon-Trent at very competitive prices. Most owners are seeking this surgery to manage the joints of larger breed dogs affected by hip dysplasia. Andy Whittingham leads this elective procedure and has experience of well over 200 cases.

Hips can dislocate (luxate) because of trauma, or sometimes because of underlying pathology (hip dysplasia).

Total hip replacements are going from strength to strength at West Midlands Referrals. We use a cementless system (Kyon and Biometrix). Doing plenty and getting a slick system and team in place is the key to minimising complications with this procedure. We are doing one a week. THRs take a lot of preparation – infection prevention is critical for success – but the results can be really satisfying.

An 8-year-old male border collie presented at West Midlands Referrals with ever-worsening use of his back legs. This had progressed over a few weeks. A needle was inserted into the fluid sac surrounding his spinal cord just before his pelvis.

Gizmo presented to us suffering from an acute paralysis of the hind limbs. He was completely off his back legs and the referring vet suspected that one of the intervertebral discs, the soft tissue spacers that sit between the bones of the spinal column, had ruptured. One of our nurses recognised this dog and its owners. She had actually been at his birth (by caesarean) five years before in a previous employment!

Rusty, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier presented to us “off his back legs”, with total loss of sensation of his hind feet. An intervertebral disc had ruptured in his spine.

A 15-week-old spaniel pup presented to us at West Midlands Referrals with progressive ataxia (wobbliness) affecting the hind limbs. The referring vets had spotted a transitional vertebra between the lumbar and the sacral vertebrae at the bottom of the back.

Flynn, a 5-year-old Doberman, was seen by us in Burton-Upon-Trent a year ago with modest ataxia (wobbliness) affecting his hind limbs. It was thought that given his breed, this was very likely to be “wobbler syndrome” relating to cervical (neck) vertebral canal issues.

A 10-year-old Dalmatian presented with mobility issues affecting the hind legs. These had progressed in the previous weeks and months, and at presentation to us the patient was knuckling on both back legs and looked “drunk”.

Disc disease occurs when pathology affects the intervertebral discs – the soft tissue spacers found between vertebrae of the spinal column. The intervertebral discs are a bit like doughnuts with a fibrous surround (the annulus fibrosus) and a gel centre (the nucleus pulposus).

A 9kg, Sealyham Terrier presented with acute paraplegia (paralysis of the hind limbs). The condition was painful, and there was still enough nerve connection between drain and feet to allow some response when the toes were pinched.