Chronic arthritis can be very debilitating and painful.  The story of Ruggles, a Deutsch Drahthaar (a rough-haired pointer dog) illustrates the common dilemma for an owner in deciding whether to subject their buddy to a lifetime of pain drugs or a new procedure.  I present here the complete story of Ruggles as told by her owner, Byron Dashnaw, so you can get the complete picture. Read the rest of this entry »

If you read my two preceding posts, you know that Vet-Stem Cell Therapy can improve your older dog’s quality of life, even if his arthritis has reached an advanced stage. So now you may be asking whether your older dog will need to be re-treated at some time in the future after getting stem cell therapy.  Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous post, I discussed the fact that many of our patients are older dogs, and that the vast majority of owners who completed voluntary surveys considered their pets’ quality of life to have been improved following Vet-Stem Cell Therapy. Now that you know older dogs have been treated successfully, you may wonder whether your dog’s arthritis may be too advanced to see such gains. According to the veterinarians treating these older dogs, 76% of them were considered to be arthritic to a severe or “last resort” degree.  So even with advanced or severe arthritis, older dogs often benefit by undergoing stem cell therapy. Again, to see the survey results, click here: Osteoarthritis and the Older Dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Kent Leach at UC Davis has just release some ground-breaking research findings that stem cells from fat, when administered with a new bio-scaffolding, can help repair bone injury and damage.  Read the rest of this entry »

As they age, many dogs lose that spring in their step. Sometimes it’s a gradual decline, and other times it seems like one day the dog who always leapt into the car before the door was even all the way open suddenly needs a boost to get in. One of the most common questions we are asked by owners is whether their dog might be too old for treatment.   Read the rest of this entry »

Quality is important when it comes to Vet-Stem’s stem cell therapy and the laboratory where your dog’s sample is processed is especially critical.  Our lab is where samples of fat are processed to provide concentrated stem cells for your animal.  Samples arrive daily, are processed the same day and the cell doses are returned to your veterinarian for use in treating arthritis and other orthopedic conditions in dogs, horses and cats within 48 hours of collection.  I have asked Dr. Carolyn Wrightson, our laboratory director, and her staff to write this post to give you a little peek behind the scenes here at Vet-Stem.  You can also watch the Nightline segment to get more of a look at the lab.  Read the rest of this entry »

As our pets age, we watch with fingers crossed as they slow down.  We hope that the stiffness is just because of the cold weather, and come summer they will liven up again.  But when a new puppy starts to limp and whimper in pain, we are faced with the unexpected.  That puppy was supposed to be frolicking and carefree for years and years, not hobbling around like an old guy.

Meet Walker, the Golden Retriever, 2 ½ years after stem cell therapy. Read the rest of this entry »

You want the best for your companion when it comes to health care.  Your veterinarian has recommended Stem Cell Therapy as the best treatment for your dog with arthritis.  The pain from your dog’s arthritis has not been controlled very well with his regular pain medications and he just is not able to enjoy life.  He may be older, but clearly he has a lot of life to live!  This is a common scenario and one in which you need to evaluate the costs and how to afford the best treatment.  Luckily, there are now a number of great options to help with financing this treatment if you can’t just write the check today.

Always discuss the options available through your veterinarian and see what the clinic provides.  Veterinarians are kind-hearted and want to see that your pet gets the very best of care. Read the rest of this entry »

People often believe that Vet-Stem is in the business of Stem Cell Research.  In reality, we are in the business of delivering an animals own stem cells to practicing vets for treatment of arthritis in real patients every day.  My partner of over 20 years is Mr. Mike Dale.  He is the Chief Operations Officer for Vet-Stem and also the head of Marketing.  It is his job to deliver the message about real stem cell therapy to our veterinary customers, and to you.  I asked him to write a short post to you:

How we communicate stem cell medicine to the world.
         By Mike Dale

I have an interesting job.  I get to communicate a message of hope and life changing medicine.  I get to offer the future of medicine today, every day. Read the rest of this entry »

When you visit your veterinarian to discuss treatment options for their arthritis, you will likely spend time discussing all of the options available, hopefully including stem cell therapy.  I am presuming in this post that you have already been through diet changes and have tried supplements.  Now you are considering alternatives and how they might apply to your dog.  These could include more advanced pain medications, surgery, or even joint replacement.  Stem cell therapy is the newest option, really only available for dogs since 2008.  Only about 10% of practicing veterinarians have advanced training in regenerative medicine and even recent veterinary graduates have had limited exposure to regenerative stem cell medicine.  Your primary care veterinarian is probably a general practitioner and also a business owner.  Long hours can make it difficult to keep up with all the latest scientific journals.  So how do you discuss this new treatment for arthritis with your veterinarian to see if your dog is a good candidate? Read the rest of this entry »