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My dog's hip is dislocated. Can it be repaired even if he's active?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered

We adopted a 4 year old rescue husky mix, who we were told was previously hit by a car and sustained a hip injury. We recently had X-rays done and found out his hip is actually dislocated. Can this be repaired now or is it too late? He seems active and happy

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 29th, 2018

Its hard to know without seeing the X-rays... if the hip is fully dislocated, it would be unusual for him to be fully bearing weight and not showing a significant abnormality in his gait. If it is "sub-luxated," meaning the head of the femur--the "ball" part of the ball and socket joint--is not well seated into the acetabulum--the "socket" part of the ball and socket joint. When the acetabulum/"socket" is very shallow, the hip can be "sub-luxated," and these dogs can continue to seem to have a very normal gait/not show any limp or problem until arthritis becomes problematic with age. If it is fully dislocated (fully luxated), a surgery called an FHO (femoral head osteotomy) can be considered even weeks after the initial injury. In this surgery, the "ball" part of the ball and socket joint/the head of the femur, is removed surgically, removing the source of pain. The muscles in the area typically do a great job of compensating and allowing these guys to get around quite well. However, a true REPAIR of a dislocated hip would not be possible if its been weeks or months since the injury. (A true repair of hip dislocation is generally done through a surgery called a toggle pin. ) If a hip dislocation is diagnosed right away, sometimes (about 50% of the time), they can be successfully reduced (put back in place) and we can get them to stay without surgery. Here is some information out may find helpful. https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/hip-luxation Thanks for asking PetCoach!

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Without seeing the radiographs I cannot assess the severety of the dislocation. By now it will need to be surgically repaired. One of the problems that could occur is that the muscles involved have atrophied to the point where even with muscle relaxation it may not be possible to reduce the luxation. You need to get a referral to a veterinary orthopedist who will assess the radiographs, and examines your dog. The results of the clinical exam in combination with the interpretation of the radiographs will then determine how the joint can be repaired.

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