The letter below came to us from a happy dog owner whose dog, Jackson, was diagnosed with Osteochondrosis in his elbows at the young age of 1. Limping and in pain, Jackson had bilateral arthroscopies (surgical procedure to look at the joint through a scope) and Stem Cell Therapy in the summer of 2010. We are glad to report, one year later, that Jackson is up and running, playing like a “normal dog” once again.  The diagnosis of osteochondrosis or OCD means that part of the cartilage is not normal.  This can lead to breakdown in the covering over the surface of the bone and progression to arthritis.  Jackson already had this type of breakdown and pain from the arthritis and the early treatment probably played a large part in his recovery. Read the rest of this entry »

Veterinary regenerative medicine made its start with horses, but has grown dramatically since its introduction into canine medicine.  In May this year, the first public presentation on stem cell isolation from dolphins was given by Dr. Shawn Johnson at the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine in Las Vegas.

 The project is a funded three-year collaboration between the Office of Naval Research and Vet-Stem, Inc. to assess the regenerative capacity in bottlenose dolphins and develop a minimally invasive technique to collect stem cells for clinical use.  Read the rest of this entry »

A June 2011 article written in Cottage Dog Magazine called Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs highlights Thomas, a Dogue de Bordeaux, whose owner, Kira, is a sales representative and registered veterinary technician for Avivagen Animal Health. Thomas is afflicted with osteochondrosis (OCD) and dysplasia in both elbows. After receiving orthopedic surgery for his OCD, he is now undergoing VetStem RC stem cell therapy provided by Vet-Stem’s affiliate Avivagen in Canada. To read Thomas’ story and how Avivagen is helping treat dogs in Canada with stem cell therapy click here.

I want to share with you the stories of Cookie, a 13 year old Australian shepherd mix, and Scout, a 6 year old Newfoundland and their experiences with Stem Cell Therapy for arthritis. An article recently published in the Mercury News, “Stem cell therapy gives dogs new pep in their step” tells us the stories of Cookie and Scout.  Read the rest of this entry »

When making a decision on stem cell therapy for your companion, it is important to understand the process a bit, especially the process of storage of the extra cells for the future.  If your dog or cat is being treated for arthritis, it is likely that they will need additional treatments in future years for the arthritis or for other conditions.  One single collection of fat by your veterinarian provides for a lifetime of stem cells for your dog.  The Vet-Stem lab stores (banks) stem cells in a cryopreservation system that provides for safe storage of stem cells that can last the lifetime of your dog.  In most cases there are enough cells stored so that your dog can be treated one or more times from stored cells.  This way there is no need to do another surgical collection of fat (which decreases anesthesia risk and cost).  The first year of storage is free. Vet-Stem will then notify you as the owner/caretaker when it is time to renew the contract for storage of the stem cells. Read the rest of this entry »

Arthritis in dogs is what has been treated most often with partial tears of cruciate ligaments coming in second. However, Vet-Stem is part of an international effort that is exploring the ways that stem cells can be used to treat many of the major diseases and injuries known to veterinary and human medicine.  Read the rest of this entry »

Veterinarians are always looking for new ways to improve the lives of animals.  You might say that they will go to the ends of the earth to help our four-legged friends.  One of the most innovative and forward thinking clinics in the US is the Peak Performance Veterinary Group.  Dr. James Gaynor and his staff have developed a new way to bring the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatment technologies to canine athletes with the PEAK PET, their Performance Evaluation Trailer.  Read the rest of this entry »

Many dog owners who are considering stem cell therapy for their dog want to know if stem cells are a one-time treatment or if periodic injections are needed.  The answer is yes to both questions.

Some dogs treated with stem cells see a prolonged benefit that lasts years, click here to read Yogi’s experience. Other dogs, especially older dogs with more severe arthritis might need re-treatment periodically.  Read the rest of this entry »

The letter below came to us from a dog owner who is now enjoying her dog Whisper, after multiple surgeries and significant pain medications failed to provide relief.

 “Clearly someone has forgotten their birthday…  At 3 years old Whisper has returned to her puppy self!

 Diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at age 2, Whisper had gone from an effortlessly athletic agility and flyball dog to a closet-hiding pup in less than six months.  Nothing we did helped.  She endured surgery, medication and physio but it was so clear that her quality days were winding down.   I wasn’t sure she would make her 3^rd birthday.

 Somehow we made the leap to do more surgery and include stem cell therapy.  Adding stem cell therapy to orthopedic surgery was AMAZING!  Read the rest of this entry »

Among the queries we see most commonly from owners of arthritic dogs are those regarding how long the therapy will last and how frequently a pet might need to be re-injected. While the degree of response, as well as the duration, is as individual as each pet whose sample we process, Fox 2 News in St. Louis recently covered the stories of two dogs. Riley, a Bernese Mountain Dog Read the rest of this entry »