Amazing regenerative stem-cell procedures for dogs

February 22, 12:06 PMTacoma Dogs ExaminerPenny Eims

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tacoma Dogs Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Dogs age faster than humans; lucky for them, some areas of medicine are more advanced for veterinary care due to less stringent regulations. For the past five years, Vet-Stem, a lab in San Diego, has been utilizing stem-cell therapy for horses and it is now being used to treat dogs.

Conditions such as hip-dysplasia and arthritis are being treated with fat cells taken from the patient's own body. Using cells from the dog's own body eliminates the risk of rejection, and the ethical dilemma raised by using embryonic stem cells.The cost is MUCH lower than a canine hip replacement. Traditional joint replacement in dogs averages $10,000, while the stem-cell procedure falls within the $2000-3000 range. The procedure seems simple enough; fat cells are removed from the dog, sent to the San Diego lab where they go through a concentration process, and then are returned to the vet clinic for insertion within 48 hrs. The cells are injected near the site of the injury, or degeneration. Owners report seeing significant improvement in their dogs within the first month.

Just this past month, a police dog named Cris, in California, was able to benefit  from this procedure. Cris had severely injured himself during a training exercise and was going to be forced into early retirement. Luckily, Cris' veterinarian was aware of the stem-cell treatment and Cris was able to undergo the procedure. After a short period of time, he was able to rejoin the force. Amazing! For more on Cris' story, please see the ABC article with full details.

I personally am amazed by the stem-cell procedure and I hope that the stiff regulations governing human medicine will either relax somewhat, or embrace this treatment.  Imagine if we could help our dysplastic dogs run without pain and our arthritic friends could have pain-free mobility?! The implications are huge! I know that I'd rather have an injection of my own cells to treat a degenerative joint, rather than an invasive surgery to replace it. I hope that we'll see these medical advancements continue to become more mainstream for our pets and spill over into traditional human medicine - soon!