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Dog hip replacement cost calculator

Work out what a hip replacement for a dog will cost from the surgeon's fee and everything that surrounds it. The number a referral centre quotes on the phone is usually the operation itself, and a total hip replacement is a course that runs for months: a specialist consult, sedated radiographs the implant is sized from, the surgery, nights in hospital, rechecks, and a long stretch of controlled activity. Two things move the total more than anything else: which centre and surgeon you are referred to, and whether the second hip follows the first. The calculator adds it up.

§ 01 Your numbers

Change anything. The answer updates as you type.

The orthopaedic appointment where a hip is assessed and the dog is judged a candidate. A referral centre visit is usually more than a general practice one, and some centres credit it against the surgery if you go ahead. Worth asking.
Positioned hip films under sedation, used both to confirm the joint is the problem and to measure the bone so the right implant size is ordered. Some centres template from CT instead, which costs more. Sedation is usually part of the charge.
The operation itself: surgeon, anaesthesia, the implant, and theatre time. This is the line that swings most, because a total hip replacement is specialist work with a manufactured implant and the fee varies widely by centre. Ask whether the implant is inside the quoted fee or billed separately.
How many hips you are budgeting for. Hip dysplasia is usually a both-sides problem, but many dogs do well after one side is replaced and never need the other. Ask your surgeon what they expect for your dog before you assume the answer is one.
The nights after surgery: pain management, monitoring, and the nursing that goes with it. Some centres fold this into the surgical fee and some bill it per night, which is a common reason two quotes look different for the same operation.
Pain relief, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics if prescribed, and any sedative for a dog that will not stay quiet through confinement. A course total for the weeks after surgery, not a per-visit charge.
The follow-ups that confirm the implant is seated where it should be and the bone is responding. A replaced hip is normally re-imaged before the dog is released back to normal activity.
Structured rehab through the months of recovery: controlled lead exercise, and at some practices underwater treadmill work to rebuild the muscle that wasted while the hip hurt. Often quoted as optional, and often what decides how the leg works a year later.
Estimated cost
$7,550

Typical range $6,040 – $10,948

  • Specialist referral consult$250
  • Sedated radiographs & implant templating$450
  • Surgery across the hips replaced$5,000
  • Hospital stay & monitoring$600
  • Post-op meds & pain control$250
  • Recheck visits & follow-up X-rays$400
  • Rehab & physical therapy$600
  • Total$7,550
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$5,000 to $10,000 is a total hip replacement on one side at a specialist centre, with the hospital stay, rechecks, and structured rehab included. Ask whether the implant is inside the fee.

What this assumes, and where it could be wrong

Every one of these is a place the number could be off. They are here because you should be able to check our working, not because we are hedging.

A HIP REPLACEMENT AND A HIP SALVAGE ARE DIFFERENT OPERATIONS AT DIFFERENT PRICES.
Two procedures get talked about as hip surgery for a dog and they are not comparable. A total hip replacement swaps the joint for a manufactured implant, which is specialist work with an implant cost inside it and the higher fee of the two. A femoral head ostectomy removes the ball of the joint and lets scar tissue carry the leg instead, which is a smaller operation, often available at a general practice, and priced well below a replacement. Surgeons generally weigh the dog's size, age, and activity when they recommend one over the other, and a lighter dog can do very well on the salvage route. The calculator above is built for a replacement, so if the quote in your hand is for an ostectomy the surgeon's fee line will be much lower. Ask which operation you are being quoted, and why that one for your dog.

Hip dysplasia is usually bilateral, but replacing both hips is not automatic. The films that show one bad hip very often show changes on the other side too, which is why the hips input above exists. What surgeons see in practice is that a good number of dogs are comfortable enough after one side is done that the second is never needed, because the repaired leg takes the load the painful one was refusing. Ask your surgeon what they expect for your dog, and if the answer is that both are likely, ask whether they stage them and how long they leave between.

Rehab is quoted as optional and behaves like part of the operation. The surgery gives the joint back; the months of controlled activity that follow are what rebuild the muscle the dog lost while the hip hurt. Skipping the structured part is a real choice some owners make for real reasons, but it is a choice about the outcome rather than a discount on the same outcome. Ask what the centre's own release protocol looks like and what it costs before you strike the line.

Ask what a complication costs before you sign. A replaced hip can dislocate, an implant can loosen, and infection around an implant is a serious problem, and each of those is a second operation rather than a recheck. These are uncommon enough that surgeons quote the straightforward course as the expected one, but the revision figure is the one worth having in writing beforehand, because it lands at a moment when you have already committed. Ask your centre what their revision rate looks like and what a revision is billed at.

The defaults are ours and are a starting point. The consult, imaging, surgeon's fee, hospital stay, and rehab are yours, and the estimate turns most on the surgeon's fee and on whether one hip or both end up being replaced.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a dog hip replacement cost?
It depends far more on the centre and the operation than on the dog. A total hip replacement is specialist work with a manufactured implant inside the fee, and the surgeon's charge is the line that swings most. On top of it you are paying for the referral consult, the sedated radiographs the implant is templated from, the nights in hospital, the meds and rechecks afterwards, and the rehab through the months of recovery. The calculator above builds the total from your own quote rather than an average.
Why is the quote I got so different from the one someone else got?
Usually because the quotes cover different things, or different operations. Ask whether the implant is inside the surgeon's fee or billed separately, whether the hospital nights are folded in or charged per night, and whether the post-op X-rays and rechecks are included. Then check you are comparing a total hip replacement against another total hip replacement rather than against a femoral head ostectomy, which is a different and cheaper operation. Get both quotes itemised and the gap usually explains itself.
Will my dog need both hips replaced?
Often the films show changes on both sides, but that does not mean both get operated on. Plenty of dogs are comfortable after one hip is replaced and never need the second, because the good leg stops carrying everything. Ask your surgeon what they expect for your dog's build, weight, and activity, and if they think both are likely, ask how long they leave between the two and whether the second is quoted at the same fee. Keeping the dog lean is part of that conversation too.
Does pet insurance cover a hip replacement?
Accident and illness policies commonly cover it when the dysplasia is not pre-existing and the waiting period has passed, but hips are one of the corners of pet insurance with the most fine print. Some policies apply a longer waiting period specifically for hip conditions, some exclude hereditary dysplasia in the breeds it is common in, and once one hip has been claimed the other can be treated as pre-existing. Check all three clauses before you need them, because a hip that already hurts cannot be insured afterwards.

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