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 »

Vet-Stem has teamed up with Dr. Norm Griggs of Shepherds Spring Animal Hospital and the Cat Life Foundation in order to help a panther with arthritis.  The Tallahassee Museum’s male Florida panther recently underwent a stem cell procedure that could potentially help heal a problem in his leg. 

“This treatment is the first known attempt of its kind in a panther in the United States and the gradual results are closely being monitored by the panther’s vet and Museum staff,” said Tallahassee Museum Animal Curator Mike Jones. “The Museum is appreciative of the opportunity to participate in this cutting edge process that will hopefully help our panther as well as help pave the way for this technique to help other large cats.” Read the rest of this entry »

The impact of a dogs love, devotion, and special training often makes a huge difference in the lives of people.  Our clinical studies have often described a significant improvement in pain reduction for dogs with arthritis, but sometimes the biggest improvement is in the quality of life as seen by the dog owner.  This is particularly true in the case of service dogs that have a special bond with the people that depend on them for help and support.  Read the rest of this entry »

The letter below came to us from a happy dog owner whose dog, Jackson, was diagnosed with Osteochondrosis in his elbows at the young age of 1. Limping and in pain, Jackson had bilateral arthroscopies (surgical procedure to look at the joint through a scope) and Stem Cell Therapy in the summer of 2010. We are glad to report, one year later, that Jackson is up and running, playing like a “normal dog” once again.  The diagnosis of osteochondrosis or OCD means that part of the cartilage is not normal.  This can lead to breakdown in the covering over the surface of the bone and progression to arthritis.  Jackson already had this type of breakdown and pain from the arthritis and the early treatment probably played a large part in his recovery. Read the rest of this entry »

Pain relief is not the first thing you think of when you think of stem cells, but years of working with dogs and horses has taught us that pain relief is a significant reason that stem cell therapy helps dogs and cats achieve a better quality of life and horses to return to performance.  Vet-Stem will be attending the IVAPM meeting (International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management) in Nashville September 14-18.  We look forward to meeting with pain management experts who currently utilize stem cell therapy so that we can learn the latest methods to use stem cell therapy to reduce pain. Read the rest of this entry »

Veterinary regenerative medicine made its start with horses, but has grown dramatically since its introduction into canine medicine.  In May this year, the first public presentation on stem cell isolation from dolphins was given by Dr. Shawn Johnson at the International Association for 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 and develop a minimally invasive technique to collect stem cells for clinical use.  Read the rest of this entry »

A June 2011 article written in Cottage Dog Magazine called Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs highlights Thomas, a Dogue de Bordeaux, whose owner, Kira, is a sales representative and registered veterinary technician for Avivagen Animal Health. Thomas is afflicted with osteochondrosis (OCD) and dysplasia in both elbows. After receiving orthopedic surgery for his OCD, he is now undergoing VetStem RC stem cell therapy provided by Vet-Stem’s affiliate Avivagen in Canada. To read Thomas’ story and how Avivagen is helping treat dogs in Canada with stem cell therapy click here.

I want to share with you the stories of Cookie, a 13 year old Australian shepherd mix, and Scout, a 6 year old Newfoundland and their experiences with Stem Cell Therapy for arthritis. An article recently published in the Mercury News, “Stem cell therapy gives dogs new pep in their step” tells us the stories of Cookie and Scout.  Read the rest of this entry »

When making a decision on stem cell therapy for your companion, it is important to understand the process a bit, especially the process of storage of the extra cells for the future.  If your dog or cat is being treated for arthritis, it is likely that they will need additional treatments in future years for the arthritis or for other conditions.  One single collection of fat by your veterinarian provides for a lifetime of stem cells for your dog.  The Vet-Stem lab stores (banks) stem cells in a cryopreservation system that provides for safe storage of stem cells that can last the lifetime of your dog.  In most cases there are enough cells stored so that your dog can be treated one or more times from stored cells.  This way there is no need to do another surgical collection of fat (which decreases anesthesia risk and cost).  The first year of storage is free. Vet-Stem will then notify you as the owner/caretaker when it is time to renew the contract for storage of the stem cells. Read the rest of this entry »

Arthritis in dogs is what has been treated most often with partial tears of cruciate ligaments coming in second. However, Vet-Stem is part of an international effort that is exploring the ways that stem cells can be used to treat many of the major diseases and injuries known to veterinary and human medicine.  Read the rest of this entry »