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 »

My post in August last year  was about the first public presentation on stem cell therapy in dolphins as given by Dr. Shawn Johnson at the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine in Las Vegas. The project is a funded three-year collaboration between the Office of Naval Research and Vet-Stem, Inc. to assess the regenerative capacity in bottlenose dolphins.  The research project is based on over 8 years of clinical research at Vet-Stem and the practical treatment of over 4,000 dogs and 4,000 horses with adipose-derived stem cells.   The published data on stem cell therapy of arthritis in dogs (http://www.vet-stem.com/pdfs/Double_Blinded_Canine_Study.pdf ) was one of the key reasons the Navy contacted Vet-Stem.  Dr. Johnson and I both presented this year on the success in healing skin wounds.  Preliminary findings showed that stem cells improved healing in the treated wounds compared to those not treated. Now the Navy may be able to treat any wounds in Dolphins and reduce scars and improve the time it takes to heal.  Future studies may evaluate the technique in treating eye, kidney, and liver disease as well as in therapy for hearing loss in the dolphin.  And yes, it is incredibly cool to go work with these amazing creatures!  Many great articles have been written about this groundbreaking study, one of the best is at http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i19/Marine-Mammal-Health.html

Among the queries we see most commonly from owners of arthritic dogs are those regarding how long the therapy will last and how frequently a pet might need to be re-injected. While the degree of response, as well as the duration, is as individual as each pet whose sample we process, Fox 2 News in St. Louis recently covered the stories of two dogs. Riley, a Bernese Mountain Dog 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 »

Dr. Marty Becker is often referred to as “America’s Veterinarian”.  You might have seen him on Good Morning America or other TV shows.  He is also a bestselling author and continues to work to educate pet owners about the value of good pet health care.  His latest book is titled “Your Dog, The Owners Manual” and is available on his website.  Stem Cell therapy is mentioned prominently in his book. Dr. Becker and Dr. Bruce King have launched stem cell therapy at their practice treating arthritis in dogs at Lakewood Animal Hospital in Idaho. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Ben Ealing has been performing stem cell therapy treatment for dogs since early November 2008. In the eight months he’s been performing this therapy, he’s seen very positive results.

One of our earliest cases is a dog named Sunshine. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of our clients have inquired about pet insurance. Most pet insurance will help cover costs if the condition is arthritis or tendon injuries and not pre-existing or related to a congenital disorder. I have found this independent website helpful at trying to understand all the different pet insurance companies out there and what they have to offer.

Vet-Stem offers another kind of insurance. We can store cells that are not used for the first treatment. These stored cells can be used if your dog needs a ‘tune-up’ or if he has a new injury or disease.

Do you have insurance for your horse or pet?

You will be surprised to find that it is not only possible, but over 2,000 dogs in the US with arthritis and tendon injuries have already been treated with their OWN stem cells from fat. Yes, their own.

Remember the saying “Patient Heal Thyself?” We all, human and animals, carry around a stem cell repair kit that is used every day in helping heal the minor bumps, bruises, cuts and more serious injuries. These stem cells are called “Adult” stem cells and are found throughout the body. They sit there waiting for the signal that they are needed and they rush to the scene of the injury and begin the healing process. When the body can’t heal the injury totally, then scar tissue fills in so that the body can function. Read the rest of this entry »

Owner Spotlight: Anne Marie & Dasha Ogle

Anne Marie Ogle of Napanoch, the owner of Dasha, a 9 year-old German Shepherd, hoped to find a therapy to improve her pet’s quality of life. Two vets from Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates in Kerhonkson studied up on the process offered by Vet-Stem. The results were miraculous for Dasha.  Anne Marie found just what she was looking for.

Has your veterinarian heard about stem cells for pets?

Owner Spotlight: Kim & Ezri Galusha

I want to share with you the story of a dog and his owner who compete in agility. Dogs that compete in sports may have different types of injuries than our companions, so if you compete in a sport there may be different symptoms such as limping or unwillingness to perform the activity.

Kim Galusha and her 10-year-old Border Collie, Ezri, were an agility team to be reckoned with. Read the rest of this entry »