Femoral Head Ostectomy

A femoral head ostectomy is a veterinary surgical operation that removes the head and neck of the femur, the ball of the hip joint, as a salvage procedure for severe hip pain that has not responded to other treatment. It is performed in dogs, cats, small horses, donkeys, ponies and pigs to treat conditions including hip dysplasia, traumatic fracture or severing of the femoral head, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and other hip bone diseases, severe arthritis, joint infection, and pelvic fractures involving the acetabulum. Rather than replacing the joint, the surgery removes the diseased bone entirely and relies on scar tissue to form a false joint so the animal can bear weight again, though careful weight management afterward improves the outcome.