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 3,000^th 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 »

Sunny is a 15 1/2 year old buff Cocker Spaniel.  Sunny looks young for his years and is active with his owner (Kristi).  Kristi is my daughter and Sunny has been by her side for all these 15 years.  Two weeks ago, Sunny hopped off the couch and became immediately very painful and lame on his right rear leg.  Ouch!!  Not being a small animal veterinarian, I took Sunny to see a veterinary surgeon, a friend attending the CVC West veterinary convention in San Diego. 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 »

Grab a box of tissues and read on…. The rocket came in fast, maybe 900 feet per second—too fast for anyone to sound the warning siren, and much too fast for all the troops of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force to take cover. It was March 21, 2007, when the 73-millimeter insurgent-launched rocket exploded inside their base in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, right next to Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee and his canine partner, Lex Lee, a 20-year-old Mississippi native, was gravely wounded by the blast. 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 »

Dogs, like people, vary in their need and desire for physical activity; while a Border Collie never seems to stop “working” (be that managing an actual herd, or monitoring the goings-on of all living beings in the household), a Great Dane is content to meander outside for a quick potty break and then spend the next several hours power napping on a cushy bed. And like humans, many dogs who thrive on activity would rather suffer through pain and discomfort after the fact than give up the things they love to do.

Tank is just such a dog; even at 10 years old, the Malamute mix was willing to endure a days-long limp after his regular jaunts through the Canadian wilderness where his family spends half their time, rather than relax on the sidelines. Read the rest of this entry »

When arthritis affects the abilities of our companion dogs, we can tailor their activities to their limited stamina and mobility. When a canine member of the police force can no longer perform his duties comfortably, retirement becomes an inevitability. Such was the fate that awaited Dasty, a canine officer for the Chicago Police Department, whose arthritis pain was not reliably controlled by physical therapy or medications. According to Dr. Cheryl Adams at Arboretum View Animal Hospital in Downers Grove Illinois, who performed Vet-Stem Cell Therapy on the German Shepherd in early 2010, “Traditional treatments were just not working for him.” At Dr. Adam’s suggestion, Dasty underwent Vet-Stem Cell Therapy in early 2010; now he and his human partner can look forward to several more years of service to their city without being slowed by pain from arthritis. Read the full story here.

As someone who has seen his own dogs age and lose their vitality as arthritis sets in, I know just how it feels to wistfully recall the puppy days, when walks could never be too long, couches were never too high, and stairs were never a challenge. We’re even able to forget all the potty accidents in the house and all the things that were chewed beyond salvation, longing to have that energetic, pain-free soul back. Here’s a story about hope fulfilled. Read the rest of this entry »

We tend to think of larger breeds such as Labradors and Shepherds when talking about hip dysplasia, but smaller dogs can be afflicted with the joint abnormality as well. And although the defect is present at birth, some dogs go undiagnosed for many years because they don’t outwardly appear to have a problem; it’s only as they get older and have difficulty rising or getting around that owners seek treatment. The pain that Raina, a nine year old Cocker Spaniel with hip dysplasia, was suffering from had progressed to the point that her owner had to carry her outside on her bed so she could relieve herself. Read the rest of this entry »