I have devoted previous posts to the important subject of pet obesity and the effects on canine and feline arthritis.  I would like to revisit the subject again with some great new information  from veterinarian and author Dr Ernie Ward.  I pulled some interesting facts out of the article but if you would like to read it in it’s entirety click here.  Dr Ward is passionate about educating pet owners about pet obesity. Why is obesity in pets on the uprise?  Part of the obesity problem is lack of exercise and poor portion control.  According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), when it comes to expressing our affections with food, we are doing our animals a lot more harm than good. 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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Gogo

In previous blogs  I introduced you to Gogo, a male German Shepherd who was recently retired from the bomb squad.  Gogo’s job was  to keep the airport safe from terrorist threats.  The sad thing is that Gogo loved his job and would still be out there working hard if his arthritis in his hips and elbows hadn’t been so painful. Despite trying all the latest in pain killers, Gogo just could not tolerate the

medications.  His handler had heard about stem cells and there happened to be a very experienced veterinary surgeon that used stem cells on many of his patients just down the street.    Dr Gassell examined Gogo and felt that the stem cells might reduce the pain and inflammation that the arthritis in Gogo’s hips and elbows was causing.  This first video shows Gogo before his stem cell treatment.   Note the difference in Gogo’s attitude, energy level and how he moves 3 weeks after stem cell treatment in the hips and elbows for arthritis.

The internet has quickly become a resource to many pet owners, especially those seeking new solutions for their dog’s arthritis. In this Examiner article, Dr. Selmer does a great job of taking a complicated subject of stem cell therapy for dog arthritis and making it an easy read. In the video embedded in the article, you will see how a dedicated pet owner used the internet to find new solutions for her dog’s arthritis pain due to elbow dysplasia.

Stem cells are quickly becoming many veterinarians’ treatment of choice for pets that have pain due to arthritis.  But with over 50,000 veterinarians in the country, many are still learning about this new therapy.  While there are veterinarians like Dr. Michel Selmer who researched new solutions for his patients suffering from arthritis pain and are now offering stem cell therapy, many veterinarians hear about this new modality from their clients.  At Vet-Stem we have created a letter for pet owners to download and share with their veterinarian.

Clinical Trial in Dogs with Hip Dysplasia Shows that Stem Cells Alleviate Pain from Arthritis

Veterinarians strive to practice the highest level of medicine by using products and techniques that have solid evidence to support effectiveness.  Vet-Stem was the first company to conduct and publish the results of a clinical trial in dogs that were suffering from arthritis pain associated with hip dysplasia.   Many of these dogs were crippled from arthritis and their owners had tried many different therapies to treat the pain.  For a few of the dogs, being in the study was a last resort. 
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Once it was determined that Gogo was a good candidate for stem cell therapy, his veterinarian did a full pre-surgical work up to determine if Gogo’s kidney, liver, heart and other organs were in good working order.  In order to collect the fat from Gogo, he would need to go under anesthesia for a brief time.  His blood work and chest films came back with information that determined he was a healthy senior citizen.  Read the rest of this entry »

Upon retirement from the police force, Gogo was adopted by his handler, Deputy Letze.  Deputy Letze wanted to ensure that Gogo would be comfortable and enjoy his retirement.  He discussed using stem cells to treat Gogo’s elbow arthritis with his veterinarian.  Gogo’s veterinarian wanted to make sure that he was a good candidate for stem cell therapy for arthritis.  Gogo was referred to a board certified orthopedic specialist, Dr. Adam Gassel, for a thorough lameness evaluation.  Dr. Gassel has performed over 50 stem cell procedures and has seen how stem cells have improved the quality of life for a majority of his patient, making them more mobile and less painful.  Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I had the honor of presenting our Vet-Stem stem cell treatment success data at the First North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Meeting.  Sponsored by our partners at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, it was an incredibly intense and exciting stem cell meeting focused specifically on veterinary medicine.  I presented data on arthritis in horses and arthritis in dogs and how stem cells can reduce the pain and improve quality of life and even performance.  There were over 40 presentations from universities, private practices, and industry.  The amount of sharing and open discussion frankly surprised me.  It is the first of many to come I am sure.  In my upcoming blogs I will provide you with a glimpse into some of the exciting possibilities being researched.  But for now, be proud that the data from your dogs and your horses (those that have used stem cells) was the most solid and clinical proof of how well these cells work in real patients.  I presented data on over 3,500 cases of orthopedic injury and disease including pain from arthritis and how animals can return to a useful and happy life after treatment with stem cells from adipose (fat) by their Vet-Stem trained veterinarian.

Meet Gogo.  Gogo is a Male German Shepherd from the Czech Republic.  He and Deputy Len Letze graduated from the TSA National Explosives Detection K-9 School in March 2003 and Gogo was a diligent partner until he was forced to retire due to the pain from arthritis on July 4^th, 2009.

During his career Gogo helped keep the airport safe for the traveling public by conducting sweeps of aircraft, vehicles, luggage and cargo.  He had the pleasure of serving the citizens of the County of Orange, California, by searching trains and train stations during elevated security times.  Gogo was involved in many search warrant services and searching of hazardous locations identified by Law Enforcement.  He was part of the major security plan for highly publicized events including the World Baseball Series, World Games, Stanley Cups, MLB playoffs and many other events.  Gogo also conducted bomb sweeps for Presidents Carter, Bush Sr., Clinton, G.W. Bush and Obama and many other VIPs including Diplomats and foreign leaders. Read the rest of this entry »

We would like to thank the Olathe Animal Hospital for this incredible video, the journey of Monty, about a mixed breed older dog that was showing signs of aging.  As you will see Monty was experiencing pretty classic symptoms of pain from arthritis.  Note that when Monty’s own stem cells were used to treat his pain from hip dysplasia, he became a “younger” moving dog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqiGvfoG7xg