Coxofemoral excision arthroplasty was performed in 132 dogs and 51 cats over 12 years at the Surgical Veterinary Clinic of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich. 81 (44%) of these animals were re-examined clinically and radiographically after an average of four years, the gait of 17 of the dogs was also analysed. The functional result was classified as good in 38% of patients, satisfactory in 20% and poor in 42%. The satisfaction of the owners, however, was 96%. Dynamometric and kinemetric measurements showed that the pain reduction achievable with femoral head resection is at the cost of functional deficits in small dogs as well as the larger breeds. However in small animals some of these deficits are not visible to the human eye at rapid paces.