Though we spend a lot of time in this blog focusing on stem cells for dogs, VetStem Cell Therapy has helped a significant number of horses as well. Numerous athletic horses that suffered potentially career-ending injuries were able to get back into competition with the help of stem cells. Similarly, non-competitive horses have also benefited from VetStem Cell Therapy, which allowed them to live better quality lives with less pain.

One example is a Quarter Horse named SR Famousinparadise or Elvis for short. Elvis suffered severe injuries to both front deep digital flexor tendons (DDFT). The DDFT functions to stabilize the joints of the lower leg when the limb is weight bearing and allows flexion of the digit. Unfortunately, injuries to the DDFT are common in athletic horses. These injuries are serious and can significantly affect a horse’s soundness and athletic ability. Injury to the DDFT typically requires a lengthy rehabilitation process regardless of the treatment method.

In Elvis’ case, his veterinarian, Dr. Fabio Aristizabal of Cave Creek Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery, recommended treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy. Typically, the fat for stem cell therapy comes from the tailhead of the horse. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that can be done with limited to no scarring. After the fat was processed at the VetStem cell processing laboratory, several doses of Elvis’ own stem cells were prepared and shipped to his veterinarian for injection into his injured tendons and surrounding areas.

VetStem Cell Therapy utilizes the patient’s natural healing cells to treat degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis as well as traumatic injuries such as torn ligaments and injured tendons. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types. They have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament, and joint tissues. Additionally, stem cells can reduce the formation of scar tissue, and lead to cleaner, more complete healing of torn tendons and ligaments.

After his treatment, Elvis began a strict rehab protocol including stall rest, hand walking, and new shoes every six weeks. At about 1/3 of the way through his recovery, Elvis had an ultrasound to evaluate his injuries which showed significant healing. According to his owner, Elvis continued his rehab program and has appeared happy since the treatment.

If you think your horse may benefit from VetStem Cell Therapy, speak to your veterinarian or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers near you.

Heartbeat is a 22-year-old Oldenberg gelding. When he was 16, he started to show signs of lameness in his left front leg. Extensive examinations and diagnostics revealed his lameness was due to injuries to his lateral collateral and impar ligaments in his left front hoof.

His veterinarian, Dr. Patricia Doyle of Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, recommended treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy and began the process by collecting fat from Heartbeat’s tailhead. The fat was processed at the VetStem laboratory and 3 syringes of Heartbeat’s own stem cells were shipped back to Dr. Doyle for injection into his injured leg.

In addition to VetStem Cell Therapy, Dr. Doyle recommended a slow, regimented rehabilitation program for approximately 8-12 months following Heartbeat’s stem cell treatment. Veterinarian’s may or may not recommend rehabilitation in conjunction with VetStem Cell Therapy depending on several factors such as the condition being treated and the severity of the condition. Some other horses that benefited from rehab after receiving VetStem Cell Therapy are Jesse, Atlas, and Woody.

Following stem cell therapy and one full year of rehab, Heartbeat returned to the jumper ring and has competed successfully at the lower levels for the past 6 years. Now, at age 22, his owner reports, “He remains sound working six days a week on average and still winning in the show ring.” If your horse has suffered an injury or is suddenly lame, speak to your veterinarian about whether or not VetStem Cell Therapy may help. Or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

Jesse, a Spanish Arabian, was 11 years old when he suddenly went lame.  A bone scan and MRI revealed a severe injury to his right front deep digital flexor tendon.  The diagnosing veterinarian, Dr. Mark Martinelli of California Equine Orthopedics, recommended treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy and also referred Jesse to Dr. Sylvia Ouellette who specializes in equine lameness diagnosis and treatment.

Jesse began a long rehabilitation process with Dr. Ouellette.  During rehab he experienced another setback, after which Jesse’s owner pursued treatment with stem cells.  Jesse received one injection of his own stem cells into his injured tendon, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Jesse continued with a rigorous rehabilitation schedule and experienced a few setbacks.  It was two years after his initial injury when Jesse’s owner finally received the good news that Jesse was sound.

Jesse was initially treated with VetStem Cell Therapy back in May 2006- almost 14 years ago!  Yet in a recent update from Jesse’s owner, Jesse is now 24 years old and his tendon has remained sound. Jesse’s owner stated, “Though he has other age-related health issues, the deep flexor tendon has stayed strong and has served him well all of these years.”   

Jesse is not the only horse to receive lasting effects from stem cell therapy.  Another horse, CP Merritt, was still competing at a champion level after receiving VetStem Cell Therapy 10 years prior.

If you think your horse may benefit from stem cell therapy, speak to your veterinarian or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

CP Merritt is a great stem cell success story.  Some of you may remember a blog from many years ago about Merritt’s stem cell treatment and recovery.  If not, you can read the original blog from 2012 here.

As a quick refresher, Merritt originally had his right rear fetlock treated by Dr. John McCarroll of Equine Medical Associates in 2007.  After the treatment, Merritt bounced back to win two Top Tens in Show Hack and Saddle Seat Equitation at Youth Nationals.  His owners considered him a “Medical Miracle.”

Recently, Merritt’s owner reached out to us to give us an update on their beloved horse.  Though it’s been over 10 years since Merritt was treated with stem cells, he continues to compete at a champion level!  He was the 2018 Arabian Horse Association Region XI Champion in amateur English trail and the Reserve Champion in open English trail.  You can read Merritt’s full story here.

If your horse has suffered an injury that is affecting his/her performance, speak to your veterinarian about the possibility of VetStem Cell Therapy.  Or you can contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

AR River Playboy, aka Woody, was in bad shape when Jena purchased him.  Her veterinarian, Dr. Ian Campbell of Santa Lucia Farm, diagnosed Woody with injuries in both front suspensory ligaments.  Jena had known and loved Woody for years so despite his potentially career ending injuries, she purchased him anyway.

Dr. Campbell recommended and treated Woody with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.  After the treatment with stem cells, Woody underwent an extensive rehabilitation program before returning to work.  His injuries healed so well that he eventually went on to win the Central Coast Cutting Horse Association’s $15k Amateur Champion as well as the Kern County Cutting Horse Association’s $15k Amateur Champion.  A year later he won the Central Coast Cutting Horse Association’s $15k Amateur Reserve Championship.

Woody’s story is not entirely unique.  VetStem has helped many horses return to work, including Zan, whose story we shared a while ago.  If your horse has been diagnosed with a potentially career ending injury, contact Vetstem to receive a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

Long before VetStem began providing stem cell therapy for dogs and cats, we were providing stem cell therapy for performance horses.  Stem cell therapy can be very effective for treating potentially career ending orthopedic injuries in performance horses (and in dogs!).  This week, we will look at the story of a barrel racing Quarter Horse who suffered injuries to both front fetlock joints, both front suspensory ligaments, his deep digital flexor tendons and his superficial digital flexor tendons.

Blue DiamondZan Gold, aka Zan, battled lameness in his front limbs for years and he began ducking the second barrel.  His joint injection treatments stopped being as effective so his owner, Ashley, took him to her veterinarian, Dr. Robert Thoni at Kilgore Veterinary Associates, for examination.

Dr. Thoni recommended VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy and his owner reported that she was back to running him in no time!  She even stated that he was stronger and clocking better than he ever did.

To read the rest of Zan’s story, click here.

Has your horse suffered from an injury that is affecting his/her performance?  If so, contact VetStem today to find stem cell providers in your area.

 
In my second post on the UC Davis Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Meeting, I covered the presentations by Dr. Caplan and Bill Casner. UC Davis also presented data on the use of stem cells in horse deep flexor tendon injury (leads eventually to arthritis).  Dr. Larry Galuppo reported that 47 horses were treated (45% were severe injuries). 65% of these horses treated with stem cells recovered to return to work.

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Although this blog is focused on dogs and arthrtis, this great story by our own employee, April, supports the prior posts about pet insurance.

April T:
You know you’re going to do just about everything you can to save the life (and improve quality of life) of your beloved pets. Why make the decision any more difficult by deciding whether or not you can afford it?  Pet insurance saved me from paying $8,000 for surgery, which would have hurt for a long time. Read the rest of this entry »

In my March 12 post on the UC Davis Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Meeting, I covered the general topics presented at the meeting.  Today I want to go a little more in depth on the results of stem cell treatment of arthritis that were presented at the meeting.  First, the keynote speech by Dr. Arnold Caplan of Case Western Reserve University was the highlight of the meeting.  Dr. Caplan described how stem cells really work (I will cover in a blog specifically on this topic very soon).  Read the rest of this entry »

Ted Robinsob and Stylish - treated with stem cells for arthritis

Arthritis is a painful, debilitating joint disease that can develop in any animal. It can be the result of a traumatic injury to the joint or can develop so slowly that many pet and horse owners may not even recognize the progression of the disease.  While this blog is focused mainly on arthritis in dogs, I thought that I would spend a little time discussing arthritis in horses.  According to the AVMA 2007 pet ownership and demographic study, there are about 7.3 million horses in the US.  It is estimated that 60% of the lameness issues in horses are due to arthritis, which extrapolated out is about 4 million horses!
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