I am always thrilled to hear success stories from owners and am excited to be able to share with you Whisper’s story.

“Seven years old and she’s still kicking butt and taking names! Two osteotomies, two surgeries, two stem cell therapies… AMAZING, this little dog!!!”

That’s what Elise recently commented on her now-7-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, on Whisper’s banking renewal form.  Here at Vet-Stem we bank stem cells for future uses.  Whisper was a very special case, done way back in 2009.  She received stem cell therapy, after multiple surgeries and significant pain medications failed to provide relief. This relief lasted for 2 years when she had another treatment using some of her stored stem cells. Read the rest of this entry »

Tazer, who has osteoarthritis in both elbows, was in a lot of pain and discomfort. He would sleep all day, wouldn’t even eat and lost 10lbs. in a month. His pain hit so fast. I took Tazer to Dr. Jason Pozzuoli at Animal Medical Clinic of Bountiful where we decided to treat with stem cells. Tazer had a complete turn-around after stem cell therapy. Even the next day he seemed to feel significantly better. I was really surprised. My dog that just slept all day was up greeting me at the door again every time I got home with a wagging tail and smile on his face. He was finally happy again. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet Scarlett – A 3 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who underwent Vet-Stem Cell Therapy to help her elbow and hip dysplasia.

“In the spring of 2010 at the age of 21 months I noticed that she wasn’t enjoying her walks – she was walking slower, dragging behind and sometimes even stopping and wanting me to carry her. This was a young dog that used to walk for hours and loved visiting with all of the neighbors.  We were sent to Dr. Gassel at Southern California Vet Specialty Hospital and after some specialized tests found out that she did have elbow dysplasia in both elbows. We also found out that she had hip dysplasia. I was concerned at first because this was something new to me but Dr. Gassel felt Scarlett was a good candidate for this procedure. 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.

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 »

The following letter came to us from a grateful dog owner who was faced with some hard choices for her young dog’s arthritis due to elbow dysplasia. Her veterinarian was willing to spend time learning and training a new procedure in order to provide the best treatment options for her patient. Below is the story directly from the owner, Judi P. Read the rest of this entry »

In an article in DVM Newsmagazine September 1, 2010, Dr. Sherman O. Canapp, DVM, MS, CCRT, Dipl. ACVS describes three options for optimal care and comfort for dogs with elbow arthritis.  Dr. Canapp is a nationally-recognized veterinary surgeon with a specialty practice in the Baltimore area that specializes in sports medicine for dogs.  He has presented the last two years at the American Veterinary Medical Association annual meetings on his use of stem cell therapy in the elbow and stifle for repair of serious sports injuries.

This particular article is the third in a three-part series covering the treatment of elbow disease in dogs, where Dr. Canapp reviews intra-articular medical treatment options for dogs.  Treatment with adipose derived stem cells is featured prominently in the article and in the associated table (see below) showing sustained duration of effect.  Read the entire article for more information.

“Nash had chronic degenerative arthritis in both elbows.  Walking more than 10 minutes would make him lame,” Kristie remembers. 

For those of us who have experienced it or have even seen it take its toll on relatives or pets, we know how debilitating arthritis can be.  Arthritis involves anything from joint inflammation to depletion of the smooth articular cartilage that allows our bones to glide smoothly against each other.  Swelling, stiffness, and pain typically perpetuate the cycle of more swelling, more stiffness, and more pain.  Read the rest of this entry »

As our pets age, we watch with fingers crossed as they slow down.  We hope that the stiffness is just because of the cold weather, and come summer they will liven up again.  But when a new puppy starts to limp and whimper in pain, we are faced with the unexpected.  That puppy was supposed to be frolicking and carefree for years and years, not hobbling around like an old guy.

Meet Walker, the Golden Retriever, 2 ½ years after stem cell therapy. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »