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!

My post in August last year  was about the first public presentation on stem cell therapy in dolphins as given by Dr. Shawn Johnson at the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine in Las Vegas. The project is a funded three-year collaboration between the Office of Naval Research and Vet-Stem, Inc. to assess the regenerative capacity in bottlenose dolphins.  The research project is based on over 8 years of clinical research at Vet-Stem and the practical treatment of over 4,000 dogs and 4,000 horses with adipose-derived stem cells.   The published data on stem cell therapy of arthritis in dogs (http://www.vet-stem.com/pdfs/Double_Blinded_Canine_Study.pdf ) was one of the key reasons the Navy contacted Vet-Stem.  Dr. Johnson and I both presented this year on the success in healing skin wounds.  Preliminary findings showed that stem cells improved healing in the treated wounds compared to those not treated. Now the Navy may be able to treat any wounds in Dolphins and reduce scars and improve the time it takes to heal.  Future studies may evaluate the technique in treating eye, kidney, and liver disease as well as in therapy for hearing loss in the dolphin.  And yes, it is incredibly cool to go work with these amazing creatures!  Many great articles have been written about this groundbreaking study, one of the best is at http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i19/Marine-Mammal-Health.html

In this blog, we generally discuss arthritis in dogs.  Today I wanted to share a story of arthritis in an amazing horse.  Now picture, a horse is over 1000 pounds and will NOT lay down and rest on command!  The owners, Liz, Sylvia and Elli, tell this story:

“In late 2006, we noticed that Merritt, A National Champion purebred Arabian horse, was limping at the canter; then he began limping at the trot. It was determined that the cartilage in his right hind fetlock (like an ankle) had disintegrated.  Before stem cell therapy, he could only walk.  We consulted Dr. John McCarroll of Equine Medical Association (940 365-9325)  in Pilot Point, Texas and he recommended the Vet-Stem therapy for Merritt.

Dr. McCarroll did the procedure in August of 2007, after which we slowly began getting Merritt back into condition.  He has since recovered and has steadily regained strength.

He began showing with Sylvia (shown riding here) in performance classes in 2008 and in 2009 placed TOP 10/19 in Purebred English Show Hack, 14-17, at Youth Nationals.  He is now showing in English Show Hack and Dressage!

CP Merritt continues to give all that he has and is never happier than when he is in the show arena. We consider him a MEDICAL MIRACLE!

Vet-Stem Cell Therapy was the answer for Merritt.  He is also a great example of how long the stem cell therapy can provide relief, and all while he was back in the show ring!  Maybe the horses can teach the dogs a few tricks??

Of course you already know about how you can store stem cells when your baby is born, right? Well cord stem cell collection in the dog is not really possible, but is there another opportunity, like maybe at the time of a spay or neuter or other elective surgery?  Yes, now there is such an opportunity.

I want to introduce Nancy Sapper.  She is a dog, cat and horse owner and is also the Marketing Manager at Vet-Stem.  Her story is amazing!

Hi All,

I am Nancy, the new Marketing Manager at Vet-Stem (I am the old Industry Relations Manager, but that’s a whole different blog!).  I grabbed the blogger keyboard from Dr. Bob today to tell you about my family’s personal experience with Vet-Stem’s newest service, StemInsure.

I cannot express how excited I personally am about this new service.  As many of you who regularly follow us on Facebook and Twitter know, Boomer, the mini Australian Shepherd, has been featured there frequently.  Boomer is my daughter’s dog.

I am always very proud of the Vet-Stem team, but as I write
this I am especially proud of the accomplishment announced last week, “Vet-Stem
Reaches the Milestone of 8,000 Animals Treated with Vet-Stem Cell Therapy”.

There are more than 8,000 of our beloved with less pain,
less stiffness, the ability to run, play, and return to what they love to
do.  There are more than 8,000 animal
friends who enjoy life again after using their own bodies’ natural healing
abilities.

It takes a team to do what we do:  Veterinarians, RVTs, Caring Customer Service
Reps, Scientists, Professional Laboratory Technicians, you get the idea.  Vet-Stem has compiled a phenomenal team to
bring our patients cutting edge Regenerative Veterinary Medicine, and I am so
proud of the Vet-Stem Team and can’t wait to continue to deliver the care our
companions deserve.

Tazer, who has osteoarthritis in both elbows, was in a lot of pain and discomfort. He would sleep all day, wouldn’t even eat and lost 10lbs. in a month. His pain hit so fast. I took Tazer to Dr. Jason Pozzuoli at Animal Medical Clinic of Bountiful where we decided to treat with stem cells. Tazer had a complete turn-around after stem cell therapy. Even the next day he seemed to feel significantly better. I was really surprised. My dog that just slept all day was up greeting me at the door again every time I got home with a wagging tail and smile on his face. He was finally happy again. Read the rest of this entry »

Results from surveys supplied to Vet-Stem by owners of dogs with arthritis.

What Results Have Dog Owners Reported?
• Greater than 80% of dogs with arthritis have improved Quality of Life
• Here are outcome survey results for Older Dogs
• Here are outcome survey results for Younger Dogs
• Here are outcome survey results for Dogs on Pain Medication

What is the Process?
Stem cells are processed from your animals own fat.

What Do Stem Cells Do?

Dr. Norm Griggs at Shepherd Spring Animal Hospital performed the first stem cell therapy on a Panther named Buddah from the Tallahassee Museum of Natural History back in September 2011. We are happy to report, “Today, over 7 weeks out, Buddah has complete use of his elbow and has his life back, without pain. He is happy, healthy, sound and taking no medications.”

 To read the full story and update on Buddah click here.

We are always pleased to hear happy stories of our patients. Below is the story of Hannah and how stem cell therapy helped her to overcome arthritis pain so that she could continue to serve others.

“Our Border Collie, Hannah, has hip dysplasia and our orthopedic vet Dr. Pam Nichols, at Animal Care Center K-9 Rehab Center, told us both hips were equally bad ….some of the worst she’d ever seen (hip dysplasia is one of the leading causes of arthritis in dogs). She was afraid Hannah would have to have both hips replaced to ensure a long active life; but suggested that we try stem cells first. Hannah used to use her front paws to pull herself up at times after a lot of running or play and the arthritis was very invasive. She was not making any extra trips upstairs and was unable to even stand on her hind legs. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to the thousands of stem cell treatments provided by the Vet-Stem network of veterinarians since 2004, we have learned much about the safety and effectiveness of stem cell therapy for arthritis and also for tendon and ligament injuries using Vet-Stem services.  The care taken to process each sample with the highest standards for sterility and cell integrity has created a stellar track record for safety.

Some veterinary hospitals are now trying to do their own version of stem cell processing in their own clinics or a friend’s clinic.  This often means that the fat sample is processed in an open room by clinic staff that lack expertise in cell processing.  Read the rest of this entry »