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 »

A common question is “when will this be available for humans?” New therapies do take longer to be allowed in people, but the good news is that Vet-Stem has collected very valuable data from the thousands of dogs and horses that we have helped veterinarians treat for OA and tendon and ligament injuries. The dog is actually a very good model for human osteoarthritis. Dogs are also prone to similar soft tissue injuries such as cruciate ligament ruptures (ACL, knee injury) and tears, conditions that veterinarians have seen great improvement in healing by using stem cells. Read the rest of this entry »

With the advent of the internet the amount of information both accurate and interesting is absolutely amazing. As a veterinarian I am constantly challenged to keep current with all the latest advancements, and with stem cells this can really be a challenge. A common search engine for medical literature is PubMed (use www.pubmed.gov if link does not work). Over the past few years the number of reviewed papers on fat derived stem cells has seen incredible growth. There are advances in what stem cells are being used for and in the knowledge of how stem cells do what they do. Read the rest of this entry »

You will be surprised to find that it is not only possible, but over 2,000 dogs in the US with arthritis and tendon injuries have already been treated with their OWN stem cells from fat. Yes, their own.

Remember the saying “Patient Heal Thyself?” We all, human and animals, carry around a stem cell repair kit that is used every day in helping heal the minor bumps, bruises, cuts and more serious injuries. These stem cells are called “Adult” stem cells and are found throughout the body. They sit there waiting for the signal that they are needed and they rush to the scene of the injury and begin the healing process. When the body can’t heal the injury totally, then scar tissue fills in so that the body can function. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Marquis and Yeoman

Veterinarian Spotlight: Dr. Marquis and Yeoman

Dr. Bob Marquis of Tiara Rado Animal Hospital is using cutting-edge medicine to treat arthritis and other joint problems in large breed dogs. In the past year, he has treated nearly 20 dogs using intra-articular injection of their own adult stem cells. “We are just beginning to scratch the surface of what stem cells can do and it’s really exciting,” Marquis said. “Our work has all been very positive for these animals with no negative effects so far,” Marquis said.

Marquis hopes that some day stem cells will become widely used in veterinarian medicine. He stays well educated on new medical procedures, explaining that already researchers are finding new ways to treat kidney and liver disease using stem cells. It could become a valuable tool for doctors to treat disease in animals.

Read the full story to learn more about fat derived stem cells to treat arthritis in dogs, and their potential to treat other diseases.