I think it is really admirable that many pet owners will adopt from shelters and rescues, thereby giving that lucky dog or cat a whole new life.  Those new pet owners have made an emotional as well as financial investment in their new family members.  Besides behavioral issues, many dogs may have found their way into shelters because former pet owners could not afford the treatment and care for orthopedic issues.  There are also dogs that have been lost or abandoned for some time, and as a result of being on the streets, may have suffered injuries that have not healed correctly.  That is why I wanted to share the story of Tommy Boy, a gorgeous Golden Retriever rescue in the loving care of his foster mom Sarah through the SCGRR, Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue.  Tommy ended up in a shelter and was originally misdiagnosed with bone cancer.  He was taken to a foster home to die in a better setting.  Follow up x-rays and then ultimately an MRI confirmed that Tommy didn’t have cancer but he had a horrible broken pelvis.  Tommy’s veterinarian suggested stem cell therapy to see if an amputation of his rear leg could be avoided.  The rescue then raised the funds for the surgery and Vet-Stem reduced the cost of the stem cell processing and a year later Tommy’s radiographs continue to show improvement.  We wish Tommy and all the rescues out there that help special patients like Tommy a very Happy 2010!

click here to read Tommy Boy’s whole story.

A common question pet owners ask when considering treatments for their dog or cat. I asked two very prominent veterinarians, Dr. Jamie Gaynor and Dr. Mike Hutchinson, to share with us their thoughts on this concern.

Dr. Jamie Gaynor, Owner of Peak Performance Veterinary Group, boarded anesthesiologist  and internationally recognized pain expert likes to remind pet owners about the value of quality of life.  Though an older dog may not have a long lifespan, the quality of those last months is extremely important.  For example, a thirteen year old dog may not live more than an additional 2 years- but making those dogs feel better, move more comfortably during the remaining time left is a blessing to both dog and pet owner.  He feels it is all about the quality of life.

Dr. Mike Hutchinson, Owner of Animal General of Cranberry and host of his own radio program, Animal General relayed to me the following story. 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 »

When your pet is treated with adipose stem cells for arthritis in their joints, it is common to ask how long the treatment will last and when should you expect to need to retreat.  In survey data returned from owners of dogs treated with Vet-Stem therapy, over 2/3 of all dogs are not retreated during the first year.  Read the rest of this entry »

This blog is all about hope and helping our furry friends have the best quality of life possible.  But eventually, we all reach that point where we have to decide if it is time to say goodbye.  In each of our lifetimes, we may have to tread this path 4-5 times, or more for those of us with multiple buddies.

My wife, Sue and I had to make this decision this last week.  Our border collie, Ritz, was 13.  A sudden paralysis of her hind end was the first symptom.  Since we are in the stem cell business, I immediately took her to a quality clinic here in San Diego, and Dr. Nancy Hampel did a complete examination.  Read the rest of this entry »

So my Dog is Pleasantly Plump??

It is hard to not give in when we think our dogs are ‘starving’.   Did you know that if you can maintain a healthy weight for your dog you can actually reduce the chance of your dog getting arthritis by 33%!!  Dogs that are overweight are also treated for the pain associated with arthritis at an earlier age. Overweight dogs also rupture their cruciate ligament (ligament in the knee)  2-3 times more often than dogs of normal weight.  Convinced yet??

So what is the secret to loosing and keeping weight off?  Read the rest of this entry »

In talking to pet owners, I have seen a lot of denial about their dog or cat’s weight problem.  For some reason we make a lot of excuses or we just chose to ignore the signs that our beloved pet is overweight.  Also, we tend to take this a bit personally.  But actually, obesity in dogs is very common.  There are many studies that estimate that 25 to 40% of all dogs are overweight.  Why is this important?  Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever share your snack with your dog?  You and your dog probably share a love of food and you have a lot in common. You play together. You eat and relax together. And if you aren’t careful about how much you eat and relax, you both might pack on unwanted weight together – excess fat that can be tough to shed.

Canine obesity is an important – and very common – medical condition with serious health implications. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has estimated that there are 41.2 million pet dogs in the United States. Other sources estimate 40 percent of those dogs, approximately 17 million, are overweight or obese. Read the rest of this entry »

Arthritis affects 46 million humans (1 in 5 adults)¹ and 11 million dogs (1 in 4 adult dogs)². It is a chronic health problem for both people and their canine counterparts, causing pain, loss of mobility, and a diminished quality of life.

For the first time ever, Pfizer Animal Health and the Arthritis Foundation are joining together –this unique partnership between a human-health disease foundation and an animal-health company is the first joint venture to explore the insights, facts, and treatment solutions for both human and canine arthritis sufferers alike. Read the rest of this entry »