I think part of what makes it so hard to see our beloved little friends in pain is that we can’t explain to them why it hurts.  We try to decipher where the pain is from telltale signs like limping, getting up slowly, or not being able to make it up the stairs anymore.  But some animals are just stoic so we may not even notice their problem until it’s much worse.  If only they could speak up!  Luckily, technology and experienced veterinarians really help in figuring out the problem and finding the best solution to bring our pets back to their playful, happy selves.

Meet Baxter, a happy Yellow Lab with elbow dysplasia.  Raymond & Carolyn tell his story about how Vet-Stem helped bring joy back to his life. Read the rest of this entry »

Although this blog is focused on dogs and arthrtis, this great story by our own employee, April, supports the prior posts about pet insurance.

April T:
You know you’re going to do just about everything you can to save the life (and improve quality of life) of your beloved pets. Why make the decision any more difficult by deciding whether or not you can afford it?  Pet insurance saved me from paying $8,000 for surgery, which would have hurt for a long time. Read the rest of this entry »

Sam Szabo - Forever Remembered

GUEST BLOGGER: Ms. Julia Szabo – New York City.  In 2008, my pit bull Sam had a tremendously successful experience with Vet-Stem: The brilliant Dr. Bob Harman and his team basically “Benjamin Buttoned” my beloved dog.

Sam’s stem-cell saga started two years ago, in April of 2008, when he collapsed on the sidewalk during a routine outing. He’d had mild arthritis since his ACL surgery several years before, but his joints grew progressively more stiff. Eventually, both of Sam’s hind legs gave out and he collapsed on the sidewalk in a humiliated heap. I got him home and immediately began researching Sam’s options.

That’s when I learned about the high-tech hope for dogs with arthritis (and horses and cats): Vet-Stem, the incredible therapy pioneered by Dr. Bob Harman of San Diego. I brought Sam to the vet for an exam, which determined that he was OK to undergo anesthesia even at his advanced age (14 years). It was a risk, but it was one well worth taking. My dog seemed depressed. He used to urinate by lifting his leg with an extension to rival the young Baryshnikov’s – but his limbs were now so weakened that he was relieving himself with all four feet on the ground, looking resigned and sad. Sam was not living; he was existing. Read the rest of this entry »

These are the great stories I love to come across. Sarah Perham had her dog Barney treated with stem cells, and the results were so amazing to her, she started a website and blog about her dog’s stem cell procedure. Read the rest of this entry »

Owners have sent us some great videos of their dogs that have been treated with their
own stem cells from fat. One video link is below, but more can be found at www.vetstem.
com


WKRG.com News

Results do vary, and not all are as dramatic as for Bear. While owner surveys showed
that over 80% of dogs treated did improve, that does mean that 20% had little or no change.

No matter what treatments are used, it is important to note that weight loss, a
personalized rehab and exercise program and good teamwork between you and your
veterinarian will help your pet get the most out of the treatment.

Do you take videos of your dog? This could help you to see if they are showing signs
of arthritis and pain.

More exciting news just released from Vet-Stem. We encourage our dog owners to fill out evaluation forms to tell us how their dogs are feeling after a stem cell treatment for arthritis and other  injuries. What became very interesting is that many of them started to write in their own comments like “Rusty is no longer on his pain meds!”

After seeing a trend in the write ins, we re-designed our evaluations to find out if other pet owners were experiencing the same thing. Read the rest of this entry »

Owner Spotlight: Anne Marie & Dasha Ogle

Anne Marie Ogle of Napanoch, the owner of Dasha, a 9 year-old German Shepherd, hoped to find a therapy to improve her pet’s quality of life. Two vets from Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates in Kerhonkson studied up on the process offered by Vet-Stem. The results were miraculous for Dasha.  Anne Marie found just what she was looking for.

Has your veterinarian heard about stem cells for pets?

How does it feel to get your dog back to a more comfortable quality of life? We asked pet owners whose dogs had received stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis how their dogs quality of life changed? The results are in!

Greater than 80% of dogs showed an improved quality of life according to owners and veterinarians and 85% said they would refer Vet-Stem cell therapy to a friend.

Many stories we hear from owners range from “now my dog can go outside by himself unassisted” to “you gave me my puppy back!”

What are some things that you wish your dog could do again?

Owner Spotlight: Deanna and Zach Winter

For 14-year-old Zack, “His main problem is arthritis,” said owner Deanna Winter. “Trouble walking, trouble sitting and going upstairs.” So she decided to take him to see Dr. Ealing at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic, where he recommended stem cell therapy using stem cells from his own fat. “His quality of life was going down. He couldn’t make it around the block anymore,” said Winter. Read the rest of this entry »

Owner Spotlight: Kim & Ezri Galusha

I want to share with you the story of a dog and his owner who compete in agility. Dogs that compete in sports may have different types of injuries than our companions, so if you compete in a sport there may be different symptoms such as limping or unwillingness to perform the activity.

Kim Galusha and her 10-year-old Border Collie, Ezri, were an agility team to be reckoned with. Read the rest of this entry »