Is My Dog Suitable for a hip or elbow replacement?
What if I think my dog may be a suitable candidate?
Not all dogs with elbow or hip osteoarthritis need a joint replacement. Lots of dogs have radiographic (X-ray) evidence of elbow or hip arthritis but have no or only very minor clinical signs. These dogs can lead very active and full lives. If your dog is not suffering from its arthritis, and is able to run around quite happily and exercise normally, joint replacement will not be indicated - no matter what their x-rays look like!
However, if your dog struggles to get about or cannot exercise normally because of joint pain, then he / she may be a candidate for joint replacement surgery. This is true even if the X-ray changes of arthritis are not that severe.
As a referral centre the Queen Mother Hospital can only accept cases which have been referred by another veterinary surgeon, so if you think your dog may be a candidate for an elbow or hip replacement and you would like to be seen by the Orthopaedic Service at the Queen Mother Hospital please discuss referral with your vet in the first instance.
The financial costs of a joint replacement can be substantial — generally pre-operative assessment costs £500-800 and surgery costs about £4,000. Your vet will be able to obtain an up-to-date estimate for you.