When William, my Golden Retriever was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia at the age of 7 months, I was informed that he would require a hip replacement operation. After obtaining several opinions, I was informed that the prognosis for William was poor, the underlying message being that short of this big operation, euthanasia should be considered for him.
He could not run, walked with a very noticeable limp, could not walk further than a few steps before having to sit down, was not able to walk on the beach without having to be carried, had difficulty sitting up from the lying position, and had sad eyes. He would not swim at all, something that alarmed me, since Golden Retrievers love swimming, and do so naturally. It was clear and obvious that William had a severe problem in his hips and hind legs
Fortunately, for both William and I, a very observant, concerned and kind person, Sharon Armour, noticed William’s condition, and persuaded me to take William to Dr Anuska Viljoen at Mandala Veterinary Hospital.
Prior to taking William to Dr Viljoen, I must admit to being sceptical about the holistic and homeopathic impact on William’s condition, with financial constraints being an ever prevalent consideration, but nevertheless, took William to Sedgefield for a consultation, in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort and pain he was experiencing. I must also admit to not being convinced that this would make any difference to William and his poor prospects. As it transpires, this was ignorance on my part.
After assessing William, Dr Viljoen recommended acupuncture for William, in order to assess him for Gold bead implant, a permanent form of acupuncture. Because he responded well to the acupuncture sessions, with noticeable improvement after each session, Dr Viljoen proceeded with the Gold bead implant
Almost immediately, the improvement in his mobility was noticeable, and has continued, to the extent that he now climbs (runs, I should say) up and down the stairs at my home, something he was not able to do prior to the implants. He also shows no sign of discomfort or pain.
It is a month after the implants. William now runs, jumps, and plays with much confidence and gusto. He smiles a lot. He also swims now, something he was not willing to do before. There has also been a big improvement in his posture.
I am deeply grateful to Dr Viljoen and Mandala Veterinary Hospital for their very professional treatment of William and myself. In addition, it is clear that acupuncture and the Gold bead implant has given William the opportunity to lead a normal, comfortable, pain free life. This is particularly remarkable, considering the poor prognosis given, and substantial saving of financial costs. I therefore, will have no hesitation in recommending this alternative form of treatment for a condition that has always seem to carry with it a poor prognosis with substantial costs.
24 January 2012 – Jean Andrews
Editor: March 2014 – William is 3 years old now and his regular Vets and Jean’s friends cannot believe that he is the same dog. He is still running around like a bullet and does not show that he has such terrible hips.
It is important to note that although Gold Bead Implants can help all cases of Hip Dysplasia and Hip arthritis or Degenerative Joint disease, it has its best effect if performed before the closure of the growth plates. So in my opion as soon as possible after diagnosis, from 6 or 7 months of age onward. It is during the growth phase the there is still some capasity for bone structure remodeling by the body. Once growth plates are closed, the effects are not quite as dramatic. William had Grd 4 hip luxation in both hips and particularly bad in the left one. This is the worst grade. He was a candidate for bilateral triple hip osteoplasty.
