I am guessing that you might have heard about the exciting data about dogs with damaged spinal cords that were treated with regenerative medicine. As with all science, the devil is in the details.  Cure is a BIG concept.  The group in England presented data in the journal  Brain showing that a stem-like cell from the nervous tissue in the nose could be injected in the damaged spinal cord of dogs.  These cells apparently helped make connections between the rear and front feet to allow a more coordinated walking movement.  It is difficult to see from the single video (this might have been the best one) to tell how much the dogs were helped.  They do state that the dogs did not regain bowel or bladder control. This study was for the purpose of deciding if this therapy could some day help humans. For us, we are excited because it may help our four legged friends.

The dog in the video improved over six months to be able to walk with the hind legs mostly following the front.  It is a major advance, but far from a cure for paralysis.  The authors are realistic in stating: “..this intervention alone is unlikely to have appreciable benefits in the treatment of human spinal cord injury…”  The therapy helps the rear legs follow the front legs without re-connecting to the brain.  It would not likely help with the more complicated activities such as bladder control, hand motion, or sexual function.

Another interesting possibility presented by the authors is that “the precise type of cells in the transplant is not critical to the success of mucosal-derived transplants.”  Vet-Stem is exploring with the authors whether adipose stem cells might provide a similar benefit, as was shown in an article by Dr. Ryu (click here for link).

Science always brings hope, but it is important to realize the time lag of translating clinical trial data into real therapy for affected animals or humans.  We will update you as we determine if this method might be useful to our dog buddies in the near term.

Veterinarians are education junkies.  We have continuing education opportunities nearly every week of the month, all year long.  Vet-Stem has been a leader in providing education about regenerative medicine and we provide the ONLY nationally approved regenerative medicine training course for veterinarians.  Over 3,000 veterinarians have been trained in the US in the last four years!  If your veterinarian has not taken the course, recommend they go to the Vet-Stem webpage (www.vet-stem.com) and click on the button “Vet Login” in the upper right corner of the first page.  They can register and take the FREE 3 hour course online at their own pace to become credentialed.  More next time on what they can learn and how that benefits all the patients they might see, especially relating to arthritis in dogs, cats and horses.

Tucker was a 4 year old Boxer who was EXPLOSIVE in his energy level.  He would run and play outside for 4-6 hours a day.  One day he saw a cat and followed it off a 12 foot embankment at a dead run.  He sailed through the air and when he landed his right rear leg buckled.  When he got up he was limping and it got worse after a few days, so his pet parents, Larry and Robbi, took him to the vet and he was put on anti-inflammatory medication.

This process went on and off for the next 12 months as his hind leg deteriorated to the point that he could not walk up steps and stopped playing outside.  He did not want to go on walks anymore, other than to go outside and take care of Business.  His pet parents were scared that he would not be able to walk at all in 6-12 more months.  Tucker’s vet Dr. Christi Juliano, at Community Animal Hospital of Poughkeepsie, told Larry and Robbi about Vet-Stem and 1 month past his 5^th birthday they did the procedure.

Well, it took 6 months to fully take effect, but he went back to his old self of running, jumping, and playing for hours outside.  It was 2 years on February 5^th, 2012 since he had the procedure and he is like a young Boxer again.

Stories like this are why we do what we do!

We are so happy to be a part of your life, Tucker!

Living the Dream!