The ortolani sign means there is hip joint laxity, a predisposing factor to degenerative joint disease associated with hip dysplasia. It is great that your friend has a vet who is familiar with both the test and the TPO surgery.

Unfortunately I know that the surgeons here prefer to do the surgery at 6-16 weeks of age (sometimes they push it back a little bit, but not to 18 months for sure), because they feel there is limited benefit after that time. The surgery consists of breaking the bones in the pelvis in such as way that the head of the femur fits better into the hip socket. Well, that's the short version anyway. But if the bones are not growing the conformation of the hip is not changed drastically enough to prevent signs of DJD and hip dysplasia. Also dogs that already have any radiographic signs of DJD are not good candidates for the surgery, which is why they are usually very young dogs. The radiographic signs of hip dysplasia, including DJD, are usually apparent much earlier than physical/clinical signs such as pain or altered gait. It is very possible that since last year they have discovered that doing the surgery later is still beneficial, but I haven't heard that yet. Hopefully for your friend's dog is a candidate for the TPO because it seems to be the best option, and the only one (besides breeding non-genetically affected dogs) that is a preventative measure.

I have started a thread about our dog's Triple Pelvic Osteotomy. So far, it's been very successful, and I plan to keep updating with his progress, in order to help others. Here's the link.

Hip displaysia surgery opinions?