As most of you know, stem cell therapy is most commonly used to treat orthopedic conditions  such as osteoarthritis and injured ligaments.  In previous blogs, we’ve shared that VetStem Cell Therapy may help other conditions such as canine back pain, inflammatory bowel disease, feline kidney disease, and feline gingivostomatitis.  VetStem continues to evaluate the use of stem cells for these disease processes with some favorable results being seen.  Another condition that VetStem is evaluating is canine Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, otherwise known as KCS and commonly referred to as “dry eye.”

This disease of the eye is found in an estimated 35% of dogs.  Symptoms include decreased tear production, discomfort, and potential vision problems.  Studies suggest KCS may be caused by an inflammatory process that leads to the destruction of the tear production glands.  Unfortunately, most dogs with KCS will require lifelong treatment with medications to relieve the symptoms associated with the condition.

The good news is, two recent studies found that symptoms of KCS in dogs were reduced or, in some cases, completely resolved after treatment with adipose-derived stem cells.  To receive treatment, your dog would first undergo a minimally-invasive fat collection procedure.  From the fat, VetStem laboratory technicians will isolate your dog’s stem and regenerative cells to create injectable stem cell doses.  Your veterinarian would then inject the stem cell doses following a protocol that VetStem has established.

If your dog has KCS, speak to your veterinarian to determine if he/she may be eligible for this clinical research program using VetStem Cell Therapy.  You can also contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

VetStem Cell Therapy is primarily used for the treatment of orthopedic conditions in dogs and horses. It is also used, with some frequency, for non-standard indications in cats such as chronic kidney disease and gingivostomatitis. Another non-standard indication that is treated in both dogs and cats, as you may remember from this previous blog, is inflammatory bowel disease.

These and other non-standard indications fall under VetStem’s clinical research department. This means that there are minimal published studies demonstrating effectiveness of stem cell therapy in the treatment of these diseases and VetStem is conducting their own research to help determine if stem cells are a viable treatment option. Clinical research cases are approved on a case-by-case basis, as stem cells are not appropriate for all disease processes.

Stem Cells Have Immunomodulatory Functions

The truth is, we don’t yet fully understand the entirety of what stem cells are capable of. That is one of the reasons why stem cell research for the treatment of various diseases is so important. While the research is ongoing, there is some evidence to suggest that stem cells have multiple immunomodulatory functions. That is, they have the ability to modulate the immune system. Thus, it makes sense that they may be helpful in controlling immune-mediated diseases.

VetStem Cell Therapy for Immune-Mediated Disease

Veterinarians have utilized VetStem Cell Therapy for a number of immune-mediated diseases. We mentioned a few of them earlier: gingivostomatitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). That’s right, the literature suggests that both gingivostomatitis and IBD are immune-mediated diseases. Additional immune-mediated diseases that have been treated with VetStem Cell Therapy with some success include keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS, or dry eye), immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), and immune-mediate polyarthritis (IMPA).

As we mentioned above, the research is ongoing so we can’t say with certainty that stem cell therapy will help in every case. Additionally, diseases present differently from patient to patient. Thus, treatment outcomes will also vary. Stem cell therapy is not a miracle cure-all treatment option. But it is a natural alternative to the potentially damaging immunosuppressive medications that are commonly used to treat immune-mediated diseases.

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

August 26^th is National Dog Day. This day was founded in 2004 and celebrates dogs of all breeds. The stated mission is to bring attention to all the dogs that need rescuing as well as honor both family dogs and working dogs. For our own celebration, we would like to discuss the various uses of VetStem Cell Therapy in dogs!

VetStem Cell Therapy for Dogs

Though the first patient to be treated with VetStem Cell Therapy was a horse, dogs followed closely behind. Initially, we worked with select veterinary clinics to evaluate the use of VetStem Cell Therapy for osteoarthritis (OA) and orthopedic soft tissue injures such as cruciate ligament tears. After several years of collecting and analyzing data, we published two peer-reviewed studies. The first, in 2007, evaluated the use of stem cells for chronic hip OA. The second was published in 2008 and looked at stem cells for chronic elbow OA. Both studies concluded that treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy led to reduced lameness and pain as well as increased range of motion in the affected dogs.

VetStem Cell Therapy for More than OA

Though dogs were initially treated primarily for orthopedic conditions, we eventually broadened our research interests. Veterinarians have now used VetStem Cell Therapy to treat a wide array of conditions in dogs including organ failure, inflammatory bowel disease, back pain, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS or “Dry Eye”). Though we do not have any completed peer-review studies for these conditions, some dogs have experienced good results!

VetStem Cell Therapy for Canine Back Pain and IVDD

Canine back pain is one of VetStem’s current clinical research programs. A clinical research program is designed to evaluate the safety and possible effectiveness of VetStem Cell Therapy for specific conditions. One condition that falls under our back pain clinical research program is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). This is a condition in which one or several intervertebral discs in the spine bulge, resulting in pressure on the spinal cord and leading to pain and possibly the loss of limb function. While IVDD can potentially be a devastating disease, several owners have reported improvement in their dog after treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy including Bella and Bailee.

If you think your dog may benefit from VetStem Cell Therapy, even if he/she is not suffering form an orthopedic condition, we recommend speaking to your veterinarian or contacting us to find VetStem providers near you.

As the first company to provide adipose derived stem cell services to veterinarians in the United States and Canada, VetStem has processed nearly 14,000 patient samples resulting in over 30,000 stem cell treatments for animals. VetStem Cell Therapy is primarily used for the treatment of orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis as well as torn tendons and ligaments in dogs, cats, and horses. In addition to domestic animals, VetStem has worked with multiple exotic animal organizations to provide stem cell therapy for several exotic species. (Read last week’s blog about Brody the bear!)

Veterinarians have also used VetStem Cell Therapy to treat several “non-standard” indications. Some of these include feline chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, feline gingivostomatitis, and canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca (“dry eye). While we are still researching the full capabilities of stem cells, veterinarians have seen promising results when treating these and other conditions with VetStem Cell Therapy.

VetStem has been providing stem cell processing services to veterinarians for their patients for over 17 years. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality stem cell processing services for all patient samples. Our laboratory technicians undergo extensive training and dedicate the majority of their workday to stem cell processing. All patient samples are processed in bio-safety cabinets in hepa-filtered cleanrooms. We take sterility and patient safety very seriously.

In addition, VetStem determines the cell yield and viability of each sample to ensure an accurate dose prior to shipment. Using cell counting technology allows us to know the number of cells packaged in each stem cell injection. We continually draw upon existing and new research as well as 17+ years of experience to determine appropriate cell numbers.

If you think your pet may benefit from stem cell therapy, speak to your veterinarian about the possibility of using VetStem Cell Therapy. We have provided a letter you can take to your vet to help them get better acquainted with the science behind stem cell therapy and VetStem’s services. Or you can contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.  

VetStem had the privilege of exhibiting at the 2025 Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) this week, one of the largest and most anticipated events in veterinary medicine. As leaders in regenerative medicine, VetStem showcased its innovative stem cell therapy and off-the-shelf PRP products, which are revolutionizing how veterinarians treat a number of diseases and injuries.

This year, we were excited to announce the news that we entered into an Exclusive License and Supply Agreement with Petvivo Animal Health, Inc. to commercialize our innovative allogeneic orthobiologic products, PrecisePRP™ Canine and PrecisePRP™ Equine. PrecisePRP™ is a groundbreaking, off-the-shelf platelet-rich plasma (PRP) product designed for ease of use by veterinarians. Unlike traditional PRP mechanical kits that require a blood draw and centrifugation, PrecisePRP™ is ready-to-use, offering veterinarians a truly off-the-shelf product that is easy and convenient. More importantly, PrecisePRP™ ensures uniformity and consistency with its unique patent-pending manufacturing process and quality testing.

Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to learn about VetStem’s groundbreaking advancements in stem cell technology, which are helping thousands of pets recover from injuries, arthritis, and other challenging conditions like renal disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gingivostomatitis, back pain/IVDD, and dry eye.

We were thrilled to connect with veterinarians and industry professionals at the event. It was a great opportunity to share how VetStem’s regenerative solutions are improving the health and quality of life for animals everywhere. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and made our time at WVC 2025 such a success. We look forward to continuing to drive advancements in veterinary care and supporting the veterinary community in the years to come!