Background: Canine hip dysplasia (HD) is characterized by hip joint laxity and subluxation. It is the most common cause of
osteoarthritis in dogs, especially in larger breeds. Its management includes nutritional supplements, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, physical therapy, acupuncture or surgical procedures. Implantation of gold beads in acupuncture points and trigger
points around a joint has been used in the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs for at least 30 years. Gold bead implants(GBI) acts
as continuous acupuncture stimulation and trigger point treatment in canine HD with long lasting results. Electrophysiological
investigations of trigger points reveal dysfunctional muscle spindles which indicate that the electrical activity of active loci
arises from extrafusal motor endplates.
Case: This is a report on the use of acupuncture and GBI for bilateral HD in a nine year old female German Shepherd. The patient
has a HD non-responsive to anti-inflammatory drugs and was unable to stand up or walk by its own. Radiographs showed
marked dysplasia, significant subluxation with the femoral head partly out of a shallow acetabulum and massive secondary
arthritic bone changes, mainly on the right side. The animal was submitted to eight acupuncture sessions with seven days
interval. After the first acupuncture session the use of NSAID was interrupted. After eight weeks the dog was considered
rehabilitated and underwent GBI in acupoints and trigger points as maintenance treatment. During the one-year follow-up period
the improvement remained unchanged with no need of analgesics.
Discussion: It has been suggested that acupuncture or GBI can treat the chronic pain resulting from osteoarthritis induced by
HD. According to AP theory, GBI is permanent and long-lasting acupoint stimulation. Moreover, the method is inexpensive,
quick and easy to perform, with no postoperative pain or need of exercise restriction. Although gold is extremely corrosionresistant,
the surface of the gold implants stimulates a reaction from the immune system causing an oxidative liberation of gold
ions with anti-inflammatory actions. It is well known that gold ions are effective inhibitors of the respiratory burst of neutrophils
and monocytes and the proliferation of lymphocytes. These findings suggest that gold implantation, on a local scale, mimics the
anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect of drugs with chemically bound gold ions. The relatively slow speed of the process
results in a limited liberation of gold ions securing that they are taken up almost exclusively by cells close to the implant. The nine
year old female German shepherd had a positive response to acupuncture with pain relieve and locomotor rehabilitation. For the
nine year old female German shepherd previous acupuncture sessions to GBI resulted in no post-implant worsening period.
Indeed, the association acupuncture/GBI does not have the anti-inflammatory drugs undesirable effects and brings long lasting
results. In conclusion, GBI therefore should be considered for canine HD when conservative or medical treatments fail to give the
desired effect.
