Adult stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine for pets

Stem cell therapy can successfully treat injuries and joint disease in dogs and horses.

Osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint diseases, together with chronic muscle and tendon injuries are common problems for both dogs and horses. Stem cell therapy is an option for successfully treating these types of injuries and diseases, especially for pets who have not responded adequately to more conventional means of therapy.

What is regenerative medicine?

Regenerative medicine is defined as a treatment (or research involving a treatment) designed to restore the function of an adult body part. In the case of stem cell therapy in pets, adult stem cells are used to repair bone, joint and tendon injuries in both horses and dogs. Research and investigation is also ongoing regarding the use of adult stem cells to treat other health issues, such as hepatic disease, cardiac disease, and disease of the immune system.

What are adult stem cells and how are adult stem cells collected?

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells which are collected from adult animals. These stem cells have the potential to develop into many different types of tissues, including bone, cartilage, cardiac, nerve, muscle, blood vessels, fat, and liver tissue.

Adult stem cells can be collected from adipose (fat) tissue or from bone marrow. However, adipose-derived stem cells provide advantages because they are easily collected and stem cells are present in far greater numbers in adipose tissue than from bone marrow.

A simple surgical procedure is performed by the treating veterinarian to collect the adipose, or fat, cells in a sterile manner. These cells are then sent to a veterinary stem cell specialty center, such as Vet-Stem Inc™, where the cells are processed and then returned to the treating veterinarian to be injected into the pet.

No controversy surrounding the use of adult stem cell therapy

Unlike embryonic stem cells and embryonic stem cell research, there is no controversy surrounding the use of adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are collected directly from the animal being treated and no embryos are involved in this treatment.

How adult stem cells are used in pets

Adult stem cell therapy is currently being used to treat bone, joint, muscle and tendon injuries in both dogs and horses. Stem cell therapy has been used in horses since 2003. In dogs, treatment with stem cells has been a more recent treatment option. Regenerative medicine has the potential to return these animals to their previous level of performance.

Adult stem cell therapy may, in time, also provide treatment options for other types of disease as well.

The copyright of the article Adult stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine for pets is owned by Lorie Huston. Permission to republish Adult stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine for pets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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