Closed reduction surgery in miniature mare

[Marybkosiba]

My 3.5 yr, 15o lb. miniature named Pebbles just had a closed reduction of her hip caused due to a severe stifle lock up that caused her hip to dislocate. They dis the surgery at Purdue university vet school in Lafayette In. This is the surgery that has been very successful i. Large dogs. They pinned her hip instead of removing the femoral head. Has anyone else had any experience with this surgery? She is such a sweet little girl,

I pray she will be alright. It will be a 8 wk recovery in her stall and then another 4 months separated from all bit a couple of other minis in my herd to prevent her from re-injiring the hip.. Any positive feedback would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have any experience with that surgery, but just wanted to wish you good luck with your mare. You've got a long road ahead of you!

 

[REO]

I don't have any experience with it either, but I wish her fast healing. Hang in there!

 

[AnnaC]

No advice I'm afraid but, like the others, I just want to wish you and your little mare all the very best. Praying for a smooth and speedy recovery. Please keep us informed as to her progress.

 

[stormy]

Please keep us updated on how her recovery goes. I know for several folks a hip dislocation has meant their horse had to be euthanized. I have a mare who dislocated her hip many years ago, she formed a flase socket like a dog will and gets around pretty good but would love to have had an option like this surgery to give her a better outcome.

 

[Debby - LB]

very interesting! I'd love to hear more about this. Please let us know how she does OK? Being she's so small perhaps this will work well for you, i hope so. Like stormy my choice for my mare was to let her form a false socket No removal of the femoral head.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Closed reduction means they did not open the joint, it usually means that no surgery was done but rather the joint was put back in with external manipulation under anesthesia/sedation. Closed reductions are hard on horses/ponies due to the muscle mass surrounding the joint and a larger femoral head and acetabulum than dogs/cats.

I think what they are describing is reducing the joint without opening the joint to help preserve as much of the soft tissue surrounding the joint as possible (even though reduction or replacement of the joint is hard, many fall right back out because the soft tissues cannot hold it together well enough). Afterward a hole is drilled threw the femur and into the acetabulum (socket) through which a toggle can be passed and secured to hopefully hold the joint together.

This photo may help, if I was able to do it. Google 'hip toggle for dogs' for a diagram.

Good procedure that has a high likelihood of working.

Dr. Taylor

 

[Marybkosiba]

My mistake. Must be the stress. It was a open . She is doing well so far. She is starting to put weight on the hip. I am really nervous about the trailer ride home in a couple of days. I am hoping they sedate her. It is a 1.5 hr ride. I have read where several horses had their hips slip out of place again during the trailer ride home. We r padding her stall now to protect her hip. Usually i dont blanket my minis during the winter, but i want to blanket Pebbles to keep the hip warm. It is suppose to be a cold winter. Anyvadvice on which blankets r the best. There r so many. Thx for all the support. She needs prayers & a lot of luck.

 

[Marybkosiba]

Also i know they put some type of hardware in & pinned the joint. Is that the procedure u were talking about Dr. Taylor. Thank u so much for explaining it. I was under so much stress before the surgery that i only heard half of what they ssid.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

I think you need another explanation from them, I get the stress and you were hearing a lot of terms and phrases for the first time.

They wouldn't have done the procedure if they didn't think the odds were reasonably in her favor, but sometimes there is a failure. Failures won't be due to an outside bump, rather she puts the leg in a position it won't hold or the implants just aren't strong enough.

Good luck, you've given her the best chance possible.

Dr. Taylor

 

[wingnut]

Good luck! I'll be keeping you and her in my prayers.

As far as blankets, I'm a big fan of the Kensington brand.

 

[Marybkosiba]

Dr. Taylor, that is exactly what they did. They used the toggle, but they had to remove part of the femur bone to get a better view& then wired it back in place. As well.

Update: Pebbles had a good day. She is more perky today , starting to move around her stall. They r thinking of keeping her until Sun. Or Mon. Which is just fine with me. She has not laid down at all in over a week. They would like her to there so they can help her get up ifneeded. They said that getting back up is where they see failure, but hopefully because she is smaal, she will be able to manuver it. That scared me. I hope she gets some of the much needed Rem sleep soon. We may be putting her in the cab of our truck for the long ride home to better profect her. Thanks for all the help & support .