%0 Journal Article
%T Two years follow-up study of the pain-relieving effect of gold bead implantation in dogs with hip-joint arthritis
%A Gry T J£¿ger
%A Stig Larsen
%A Nils S£¿li
%A Lars Moe
%J Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1751-0147-49-9
%X In the long-term two-year follow-up study, 66 of the 73 dogs had gold implantation and seven dogs continued as a control group. The 32 dogs in the original placebo group had gold beads implanted and were followed for a further 18 months. A certified veterinary acupuncturist used the same procedure to insert the gold beads as in the blinded study, and the owners completed the same type of detailed questionnaires. As in the blinded study, one investigator was responsible for all the assessments of each dog. The present study revealed that the pain-relieving effect of gold bead implantation observed in the blinded study continued throughout the two-year follow-up period.Hip-joint arthritis, mostly from canine hip dysplasia (CHD), is a common, non-curable and painful disease amongst medium and large breed dogs [1-4] and therapy is palliative at best [5].Implantation of gold beads in both humans and animals with arthritis was first attempted by veterinary traditional acupuncturists [6]. Other researchers [7,8] who implanted gold beads in dogs, observed no clinical effect after six- and three-months study periods. However, in a recent paper we revealed that gold bead implantation had a significant pain-relieving effect in a six months controlled, double-blinded clinical trial [9]. The initial mean pain scores in the gold-bead implantation and control groups were 5.6 and 4.8, respectively, where 0 was no pain and 10 was extreme pain. After 3 months the mean pain scores were significantly reduced in both groups. After six months, no further reduction had taken place in the control group, while a significant further reduction in mean pain score (to 1.9) was found in the gold group. The total reduction in mean pain score was in the gold group 65% compared to 36% in the placebo group (p < 0.01). Each dog's overall response, according to its owner's impression of change in mobility, lameness, stiffness and behaviour at home, scored on a six-point Likert scale, showed a signific
%U http://www.actavetscand.com/content/49/1/9