As you probably noticed, our primary focus in this blog tends to be arthritis.  We occasionally discuss torn cruciate ligaments and also have a few blogs about various disease processes that may be helped with stem cells.  One thing we have not spent much time on is stem cell therapy for muscle injuries.

Muscle injuries are not uncommon in the athletic dog.  Typical therapies for muscle injuries include rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical rehab.  Unfortunately, these therapies generally do not prevent the formation of fibrosis (scar tissue) or muscle contracture which ultimately leads to functional impairment.

In a study done on two police dogs (both German Shepherds) with injuries to their semitendinosus muscle, both dogs returned to the line of duty with a normal gait and no signs of lameness after receiving VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.  This study was, in fact, the first report of using stem cells to treat skeletal muscle injuries in dogs.

If your dog has injured a muscle, speak to your veterinarian about whether VetStem Cell Therapy may help.  Or you can contact us for a list of VetStem providers in your area.

Anthony, a competitive hunter-jumper, faced a real challenge when he tore his right meniscus in 2014.  Luckily, Anthony’s mom Lisa contacted experienced stem cell provider, Dr. Ruth-Anne Richter of Brandon Equine Medical Center.  Anthony received VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy in January 2014 and again in June 2014.

After taking some time off to recuperate, Anthony began competing again.  Between 2016 and 2017, Anthony took a few reserve championships.  But earlier this year, in March 2018, Anthony won grand champion in the Adult Maiden Division at HITS VIII Ocala Winter Finals.  This was a dream come true for Lisa.

You can read more details about Anthony’s stem cell treatment here.

If your horse has suffered an injury, stem cell therapy may help to get him/her back under the saddle.  VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy has been used in horses since 2004 and has been shown to help relieve potentially career ending injuries such as in Woody’s case and Zan’s case.  Speak to your veterinarian today or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

Jack is a Great Pyrenees.  As the name of the breed suggests, he is a great big boy.  Unfortunately, large breed dogs tend to develop orthopedic issues such as arthritis as they age.  Unfortunately, Jack was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at a very young age.  He wasn’t even a year old when he began showing symptoms of arthritis. 

His mom, Rebecca, acted swiftly and visited veterinary surgeon Dr. Andrea Hayes of Boone Animal Hospital.  Dr. Hayes gave Rebecca a few options including total hip replacement and treatment with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.  After much deliberation, Rebecca selected the least invasive option: stem cell therapy.

Jack received his first round of injections in 2014 and improved greatly!  Approximately four years later, Jack received a second round of stem cell injections and again had a great response.  You can read more details about Jack’s stem cell treatment and results here.

Unfortunately, Jack’s story is not uncommon.  Large breed dogs tend to develop orthopedic issues such as arthritis as they age, that is, if they’re lucky enough to not be born with a condition such as hip dysplasia that can lead to arthritis while they are still young.  Fortunately, stem cell therapy may help to relieve symptoms of arthritis and can potentially help dog’s avoid invasive and costly major surgeries.  Keep in mind, StemInsure is a great option for large breed puppies that will likely develop arthritis down the road.

In addition to stem cell processing services, VetStem distributes platelet therapy kits to small and large animal veterinarians across the United States and Canada.  Platelet therapy is similar to stem cell therapy in that the patient’s own cells are collected, concentrated, and then reinjected into the affected area.  Unlike stem cell therapy, platelet therapy requires a blood collection and the process of concentrating the healing cells is performed by your veterinarian in the clinic.

How does platelet therapy work?  The scientific answer is that platelets activate by exposure to damaged tissue, releasing their granular contents which include anabolic growth factors.  These growth factors help attract progenitor cells to the injury site and play a key role in stimulating tissue repair through fibroblast expansion and cellular matrix production.  In other, less technical terms, when the concentrated platelets are injected into the site of damaged tissue, the platelets signal additional healing cells to migrate to the affected area to begin the process of tissue repair.

The great thing about platelet therapy is it can be performed in conjunction with stem cell therapy to further aid the healing process.  In our opinion, stem cell and platelet therapies are very different regenerative medicine solutions that can work synergistically. They each have their place and can benefit patients in different circumstances. We see the combination of adipose stem cell therapy and platelet therapy as the “platinum standard” for regenerative medicine.  While the idea of stem cell therapy is to deliver as many regenerative cells to the affected area as possible, by adding platelet therapy on top of it, additional healing cells will migrate to the area to further stimulate local tissue repair processes.  And like stem cell therapy, platelet therapy is autologous, meaning the animal is both the donor and the recipient.  Thus, there is minimal risk of rejection and reaction when performed under sterile conditions.

Our primary platelet therapy product for small animals is Pall Veterinary Platelet Enhancement Therapy or V-PET™.  We’ve seen much success with V-PET™ such as in Pippa Rose’s case and Pearl’s case.  But, similar to stem cell therapy, every patient’s response will vary.  Your veterinarian can best determine if your dog may benefit from platelet therapy.

If you have questions or would like VetStem to help you locate a platelet therapy provider near you, please contact us.  To read more about platelet therapy and success stories, click here and here.