TPO

Triple pelvic osteotomy is a surgery to correct hip dysplasia in young dogs. Hip dysplasia is a disease of abnormal development of the hip joints as a puppy grows. Because the joints are loose, the head and socket of the hip partially dislocate with each step a dog takes. The hip gradually becomes deformed and painful arthritis develops because the hip socket becomes shallow and the head of the femur (ball) becomes flattened. Clinical signs may first begin as exercise intolerance, but the typical signs are bunny hopping, lameness, stiffness or difficulty getting up after resting. The ideal candidate for this surgery is a 4-7 month old dog with little or no degenerative joint disease (detected by x-rays) and a positive Ortolani sign (the doctor can feel the hip pop in & out of the joint crisply). The TPO surgery involves making 3 separate incisions to cut the pelvis. One incision is in the groin, the second is just to the side and below the tail, and the third is over the side of the hip region. The pelvis is cut in 3 places and then rotated to the proper degree for the femur head to fit properly into the hip socket. A plate and several screws are used to secure the pelvis in the newly rotated position. The rotation of the acetabulum (hip socket) captures the head of the femur (ball joint) and returns the hip joint to a normally functioning position. We refer to the following Veterinary Hospitals for this procedure: Washington State University, VCA Veterinary Specialty Center, Canada West and Seattle Veterinary Specialists.