Boss goes to surgery
Boss’s owner, through tears, agreed to relinquish ownership. She could not find any other financial avenues to continue to provide care and, unfortunately, the reality of owning and caring for Boss became all to evident.
As soon as I had time, we anesthetized Boss again and prepped for the pinning I wished to do. Dissecting down to the hip I found significant muscle damage, much more than I expected. Finding the fracture end was easy but I was now able to see the true damage to the femoral head. I found a growth plate fracture but a large section of the femoral head luxated from the pelvis with the rest of the femur. This type of fracture was not evident on initial x-ray and complicated the entire surgery.
I spent 2 hours attempting to place “trangular” pins and feel comfortable that that fixation would hold for healing. After multiple attempts, I finally decided that setting pins was not going work; the damage was too extensive. I proceeded with a salvage procedure called an FHO. This removes the entire femoral head and neck, eliminating pain but reducing the function of the hip joint. The final result of an FHO is the formation of a fibrous false joint, which has an unpredictable result. Small dogs can do quite well with an FHO due to limited weight on the area; large breed dogs, however, have more loss of function and potential debilitation. We can only wait to see how big Boss will get and how he can handle the situation. This procedure was not ideal, but should at the least make him more comfortable in the short term.
Boss is recovering well from the procedure and is even starting to get around on the surgical leg and feeling very well. I continue to be amazed how quickly most dogs and cats recover from these procedures. Today is a good day. Tommorrow is uncertain for Boss, but hopes are high and we will know soon enough how good his leg will be.
If all goes well, I hope to find Boss a new home soon.
Glad to see you've come back! Posted in BossTags: big boss, Boss, dogs and cats, femoral head, femur, fho, fracture, large breed dogs, muscle damage, pelvis, pins, small dogs, surgeries, x ray
30. January 2009 at 12:37 pm :
I am enjoying this story.
I feel for Boss and his owner. I’d donate money to her if it would help get Boss back to her.
31. January 2009 at 3:05 pm :
You are such a wonderful vet Dr. Bobby! We feel very lucky to have you take care of our four legged “children” and we wish you the best of luck in finding Boss a new home. And we wish Boss a speedy recovery!!!!!
13. March 2009 at 10:11 am :
How sad? I’d donate money too for this poor lady to get her beloved dog back. If there was no abuse involved, why rip a family apart?
16. March 2009 at 8:37 pm :
It is a sad situation and it’s very kind of everyone who’s offered to help pay. In fact, I did the same. I offered all kinds of professional discounts to help this young lady out. Unfortunately, in a situation like this it’s absolutely imperative for pet owners to look beyond the immediate saddness of the situation and focus on the whole picture. In this particular case, Boss completely shattered his hip. In addition to the immediate expense of fixing his hip, which ended up costing several thousand dollars, his recovery is equally important. If he is not cared for properly he will reinjure his hip which could result in more surgeries and perhaps an amputation, potentially adding another thousand dollars or so to the bill.
Next, Boss now has a lifetime disability. He cannot play with other dogs without supervision and will never be able to go hiking or on long walks; his activity must be properly restricted in order to manage his pain. This is something else this young lady had to consider, Boss’ pain management. Would she have the ongoing, monthly financial means for proper pain management for Boss throughout his lifetime?
All of this is a harsh reality that this young pet owner was faced with. While a hard decision to make, I admire this young lady for her unselfish love for Boss when deciding his future.