Gogo

In previous blogs  I introduced you to Gogo, a male German Shepherd who was recently retired from the bomb squad.  Gogo’s job was  to keep the airport safe from terrorist threats.  The sad thing is that Gogo loved his job and would still be out there working hard if his arthritis in his hips and elbows hadn’t been so painful. Despite trying all the latest in pain killers, Gogo just could not tolerate the

medications.  His handler had heard about stem cells and there happened to be a very experienced veterinary surgeon that used stem cells on many of his patients just down the street.    Dr Gassell examined Gogo and felt that the stem cells might reduce the pain and inflammation that the arthritis in Gogo’s hips and elbows was causing.  This first video shows Gogo before his stem cell treatment.   Note the difference in Gogo’s attitude, energy level and how he moves 3 weeks after stem cell treatment in the hips and elbows for arthritis.

We asked three of the top pet insurance companies in the United States to tell us in their own words if their company would cover a stem cell procedure for a dog or cat. Here are their answers.

“At Fetch, we’re proud to offer the most comprehensive pet insurance coverage for all medical conditions, including congenital and hereditary diseases. To us, this means that pets should get the best and most appropriate treatment as recommended by their veterinary team.”

When veterinarians started recommending Vet-Stem therapy to our policyholders, as an insurance company, we were excited to be able to offer coverage for a new treatment modality for serious orthopedic conditions. Now, having seen the success stories, I’m even more excited to be able to offer it to my own patients!”  (fetchpet.com)
– Dr. Jules Benson, BVSc MRCVS, VP Veterinary Services

Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell therapy is eligible for coverage in pets with a VPI® Pet Insurance policy providing that the condition being treated is eligible for coverage under the terms of the policy.  The reimbursement amount will vary based on the plan coverage provided for your pet’s condition. (www.petinsurance.com)
– Dr. Carol McConnell
Chief Veterinary Medical Officer/Vice President Underwriting and Veterinary Services

PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance takes great pride in the fact that our policies cover the cost of stem cell therapy for treatment of eligible conditions.  Our web site (www.purinacare.com) has more specific details about coverage and exclusions.

“As a veterinarian, I am always pleased to see that PurinaCare’s policies cover the latest in medical advances.  Our goal is for veterinarians and their clients to have the freedom to choose the best treatment for their pets!”
– Dr. Bill Craig, Chief Medical & Underwriting Director, PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance

We thank these three insurance companies for their answers and willingness to discuss coverage.  It is important that you review any insurance policy for coverage and exclusions.  We will continue to work with the industry to try to secure the best coverage for stem cell therapy for all your pets!

Last week I had the honor of presenting our Vet-Stem stem cell treatment success data at the First North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Meeting.  Sponsored by our partners at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, it was an incredibly intense and exciting stem cell meeting focused specifically on veterinary medicine.  I presented data on arthritis in horses and arthritis in dogs and how stem cells can reduce the pain and improve quality of life and even performance.  There were over 40 presentations from universities, private practices, and industry.  The amount of sharing and open discussion frankly surprised me.  It is the first of many to come I am sure.  In my upcoming blogs I will provide you with a glimpse into some of the exciting possibilities being researched.  But for now, be proud that the data from your dogs and your horses (those that have used stem cells) was the most solid and clinical proof of how well these cells work in real patients.  I presented data on over 3,500 cases of orthopedic injury and disease including pain from arthritis and how animals can return to a useful and happy life after treatment with stem cells from adipose (fat) by their Vet-Stem trained veterinarian.

As all of you know, I am personally dedicated to Vet-Stem and the mission of relieving pain in our animal companions. I am proud of what Vet-Stem has accomplished but I am a veterinarian first and foremost. I often use the Internet and read literature to find new ways that dogs can be treated for arthritis.  In my travels, I see many blogs, stories, YouTube videos, and publications about cell therapy and how it helps treat arthritis in dogs.

As we start a new year, I wanted to share a list of the best sites and stories of 2009 that can provide more information and different perspectives on arthritis and stem cell therapy.  Happy reading!

OzPets.com – Our friends in Australia.

Dog-Care – Suite 101:  A great overall review of therapy.

WebVet.com: Dr. Pamela Schwartz of AMC in New York City.

Buzzle.com: A good summary of natural treatments.

Scoop:  Nice review of natural treatments and weight management.

The question of human stem cell treatments is one I get asked often as I travel around the country.  The answer is yes, but don’t pick up the phone to call your doctor quite yet.  The process for people takes considerably longer than stem cell treatments for dogs and is filled with red tape that is both political and scientific.

I am speaking at the 2010 Stem Cell Summit in NYC next month and presenting a summary of the collective experiences of all our vets, owner, and patients from the last seven years.  We are all leaders and our data does make a difference. Read the rest of this entry »

When we started Vet-Stem in 2002, many people said it was unrealistic and unreasonable to expect that stem cell therapy for dogs and horses would succeed like we had hoped it would.  The following quote is one I always follow:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”  George Bernard Shaw.

Thanks to all of you who trusted that stem cells could help your beloved pet (all 5,000+ of you!), we have started a revolution in the treatment of horses, dogs and cats with arthritis and tendon and ligament injuries. 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 »

I was recently interviewed on a live pod cast with my friends at Pet Sentinel and I am always blown away by the love and dedication that pet owners have towards their best friends.  I thought in this blog I would address a lot of the common questions that came up during our discussion.  A common question was “Can I store the extra cells for use in the future?”  So if you and your veterinarian have chosen stem cell therapy as the right choice for your pet, then you already understand the basic process:  your vet will collect a small fat sample, the lab purifies out the stem cells, and then they are injected back into the painful joint.  But that is not the end of the story.  Read the rest of this entry »