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 »
Stem cell therapy is just one of the advanced procedures being done to help you improve your pet’s quality of life. I recently saw an incredible news story on WHAM, Channel 13 ABC, in Rochester, NY. “ “He’s Part of the Family” is about two pet owners who go to amazing lengths to care for their beloved dogs.
In the first story, a 7-year old Springer Spaniel named Riddle had apparently been hit by a vehicle and was abandoned and left to heal on his own. By the time Riddle was adopted, his bones were “healed at odd angles” and his veterinarian, Dr. Justin Greco, referred to him as “an orthopedic train wreck” with inflamed arthritis and damage to his hips, knees and elbows. Read the rest of this entry »
Little did we know in 2008, when Vet-Stem first offered stem cell therapy for dogs and cats, that so many veterinarians and owners would adopt stem cell therapy. We are celebrating this holiday season with the milestone of the 3,000th treatment of a canine companion with stem cells! We are honored that so many pet owners and veterinarians have placed their trust in the Vet-Stem Cell Therapy technology to treat osteoarthritis and tendon and ligament injuries. We are proud and delighted to hear the stories of the reduction in pain and improvement in quality of life in so many dogs. Read the rest of this entry »
Lex did finally get adopted by the family of Corporal Dustin Lee. The full background of the story can be read at AARP, The Magazine. Lex has had a hard life and his arthritis really became a major problem recently. Read the rest of this entry »
Just like with a medical drug, stem cells must be collected and handled in the highest quality manner in order to maximize their good effects and safety. If your dog’s arthritis is the reason you are seeking stem cell therapy, you expect and deserve the very highest quality. When your Veterinarian collects a small sample of fat, it is done in an operating room with special attention to aseptic technique, meaning they use sterile gloves, instruments, and transport tubes. The sample is then placed into a specially designed shipping container with a custom refrigeration pack. The sample is shipped overnight by FedEx Priority Alert to our laboratory in San Diego, CA. There are dozens of safety and quality checks as the sample makes its way through the aseptic processing by specially trained technicians following detailed written instructions. Many steps are double checked by a second technician. Read the rest of this entry »
Am I too old for stem cells for my arthritis?
Recently there was a segment on 60 Minutes entitled “21st Century Snake Oil” that profiled the use of stem cells in humans for conditions that were over represented, over promised and understudied. The segment showed how people suffering from ALS were taken advantage of because they were so desperate for a cure. Unfortunately, it is companies and clinics like these that inhibit the progress of stem cell medicine.
Vet-Stem Lab
As one of the first veterinary stem cell companies in the world, Vet-Stem sets the standard for other veterinary stem cell companies. The reason why Vet-Stem has a mandatory training class for veterinarians who want to use stem cells for dogs with arthritis is to teach them the science behind regenerative medicine. 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 »
Over a decade has passed since the discovery of stem cells in fat tissue. Dr. Pat Zuk at UCLA has just published an incredible review article on the history and current status of the adipose stem cell. This review covers the discover and the rise of the adipose stem cell to be one of the “most popular adult stem cells currently being explored today” according to Dr. Zuk. There is an excellent review table that shows the many, many articles on the research activity around the adipose stem cell, but more importantly, also shows the many current and past human clinical trials in real diseases such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis. This quote says it all: “Looking back, the isolation of the ASC (adipose stem cell) seemed to preface a decade that could easily be named the “decade of the adult stem cell.” I have emailed Dr. Zuk copies of the Vet-Stem published clinical trials with hopes she will include them in future publications since our data shows the striking clinical benefit in dogs and horses with arthritis and improvement in their quality of life. Please check out the related blog post on the Vet-Stem Dog Arthritis clinical trial. Also you can download the actual paper on the clinical trial at Vet-Stem.com.
Police dogs, man’s best crime partners, are great assets to any police force. Equipped with great hearing and eyesight, ability to reach speeds of over 30 miles per hour and their stealth demeanor that can track criminals through dark and rough terrain – canine cops are a very valuable part of a police team. They’re used to catch bad guys, locate drugs and find bombs as well as to search for and rescue victims such as those in 9/11 and Haiti. These dogs are trained at a young age to become super athletes and super sleuths.
But chasing criminals, climbing in and out of cargo holds and jumping in and out of cars can cause wear and tear resulting in joint pain, arthritis and muscle tears. At a cost of $10,000 to $20,000, these important dogs are usually quite an investment for a police force. Keeping them healthy and agile is crucial to the police force.
One of the fastest growing advocates for stem cell therapy is the hard working police dog. Over the past 2 years stem cells have been used to help those courageous dogs work harder, heal better and keep them on the force. I will be sharing with you some great success stories that demonstrate how using stem cell therapy to treat joint pain, muscle tears and tendon and ligament conditions can help pet dogs as well as these amazing police dogs.
When we started Vet-Stem in 2002, many people said it was unrealistic and unreasonable to expect that stem cell therapy for dogs and horses would succeed like we had hoped it would. The following quote is one I always follow:
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” George Bernard Shaw.
Thanks to all of you who trusted that stem cells could help your beloved pet (all 5,000+ of you!), we have started a revolution in the treatment of horses, dogs and cats with arthritis and tendon and ligament injuries. Read the rest of this entry »