Many animals have received VetStem Cell Therapy without, or sometimes instead of, surgery. There are numerous cases where stem cells can help the body to heal naturally without having to undergo an invasive surgery. That being said, there are times when surgery is absolutely necessary. In these cases, VetStem Cell Therapy is great to use in conjunction with surgery to help improve and expedite healing.

Raven, an Italian Greyhound, was just a puppy when she got her front leg caught in a fence, resulting in a broken radius and ulna. The break required extensive reparative surgery, which included a steel plate and eight screws to anatomically reduce the bones and to prevent shortening and angular and/or rotational deformity. Fortunately, Raven was in the very skilled hands of veterinary surgeon and VetStem proponent, Dr. Jeff Christiansen of Superior Veterinary Surgical Solutions.

We wrote about Dr. Christiansen in a few weeks ago. He is one of VetStem’s most prolific users and has provided this service to over 300 patients. While Raven was anesthetized for her leg repair, Dr. Christiansen collected fat for stem cell therapy. The fat was shipped to the VetStem laboratory where technicians processed it to extract and concentrate the stem and regenerative cells contained therein. Two injectable doses of Raven’s stem cells were prepared and shipped to Dr. Christiansen for treatment and the remaining cells were put into cryostorage for potential future use. Raven received one injection into the fracture repair site and one intravenous injection.

Stem cells have multiple mechanisms of action that can be beneficial when recovering from a major surgery. Stem cells have shown the ability to directly modulate acute pain, down regulate inflammation, and also to reduce the formation of scar tissue. Taken together, stem cells may improve and expedite healing when used in conjunction with surgery.

Since recovery, Raven’s owners stated that you would never know she had a broken leg and that she has “full on Italian Greyhound zoomies with no limp or complaint of pain.” Her owner also stated, “Raven just turned 2 years old and to date has no evidence of pain or difficulty moving around. Between the stem cells and Dr. Christiansen she is as good as new. The VetStem Therapy was highly recommended by the surgeon and for my peace of mind, well worth the money. We now have VetStem keep the stem cells in the event we would ever need them again.”

Raven’s surgically repaired leg

Raven healed after surgery and VetStem Cell Therapy