BATON ROUGE - Capital area pet-parents who care for dogs that suffer from advanced hip osteoarthritis now have a new medical option that may help their furry friends feel better.

The Small Animal Surgery department at the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital announced Tuesday that it now offers total hip replacement (hip arthroplasty) surgery for the treatment of advanced hip osteoarthritis in dogs. 

The department's team of orthopedic surgeons who are involved in the program include Dr. Charles Walls, Dr. Alberto Gines, and Dr. Karanvir Aulakh, who bring over 30 years of combined experience performing total hip arthroplasty. 

The procedure is offered on a clinical basis. 

Pet-parents of dogs with advanced hip arthritis that have become refractory to medical management or a anyone who wants to discuss what total hip replacement involves can contact the LSU VTH Small Animal Surgery department at 225-578-9600 (select option 2).

Interested individuals can also email sareferrals@lsu.edu to set up an appointment with one of LSU SVM's orthopedic surgeons for evaluation.