Hip or other joint replacement is a very personal decision. If you can do what you want/need to do with little pain, maybe it is too early to think about a joint replacement.

If you have degenerative hip disease (aka your joint is wearing out) it will continue to get worse, but how quickly is anyone's guess. When the pain gets bad enough to interfere with your normal activities or keeps you from sleeping well, you will know it is time. If it becomes unstable due to deterioration and makes you a fall risk, you will know it is time. It may come gradually, or you may suddenly have another injury.

What would I do? Start now to find someone (a neighbor or their near-adult kid, a college student or young retiree...) to help out when the time comes. Familiarize them with your animals and routine, arrange for them to drive you (really only for a few weeks - I drove 3-4 weeks after every hip surgery) using your vehicle if necessary. If you need residential rehab it is usually only for a few days to 2 weeks. After that, you should be able to take care of yourself and your light work. You'll need help with the heavy stuff for 6 months to a year, but that's only intermittent.

So keep on for now, but do you think you could come up with a plan for the future?