Upon retirement from the police force, Gogo was adopted by his handler, Deputy Letze.  Deputy Letze wanted to ensure that Gogo would be comfortable and enjoy his retirement.  He discussed using stem cells to treat Gogo’s elbow arthritis with his veterinarian.  Gogo’s veterinarian wanted to make sure that he was a good candidate for stem cell therapy for arthritis.  Gogo was referred to a board certified orthopedic specialist, Dr. Adam Gassel, for a thorough lameness evaluation.  Dr. Gassel has performed over 50 stem cell procedures and has seen how stem cells have improved the quality of life for a majority of his patient, making them more mobile and less painful. 

During his examination, Dr Gassel discovered that in addition to the elbow arthritis, Gogo’s hips were also causing pain.  Dr. Gassel recommended injecting Gogo’s arthritic hips and elbows with stem cells as well as using an intravenous dose as part of the stem cell procedure.  Many times it is easy to focus on the most obvious problem the dog is having, like the noticeable limp in the front leg that Gogo had as a result of elbow arthritis pain.  A thorough examination revealed additional arthritic areas of pain, in this case Gogo’s hips were also a source of pain due to degenerative arthritis.  In this video watch the left hind leg as he walks up the hill.  Notice the uneven strides, this is a sign that Gogo’s hips are also causing him problems.  And, in this clip watch the left leg as Gogo gets up from a sitting position and walks forward – if you look carefully you might notice he is not using that left leg completely and his stride length is shorter, as if he is not putting his full weight on that paw.  In my next blog, Gogo will have some fat removed so that stem cells can be isolated from the tissue.