Garry Jenkins, based in London, has written a great post about stem cells for dog arthritis on his blog Canine Health.

He covers what Stem Cell Therapy is, how it works, and how stem cells can improve your dog’s life.

“Dogs suffer from a range of orthopaedic problems – from arthritis, osteoarthritis and hereditary dysplasia of the hip and elbow joints, to torn tendons and ligaments and bone fractures. Veterinarians have begun achieving startling results with a revolutionary new treatment, involving the injection of stem cells extracted from the patient’s own fatty tissue.” Read more…

In our previous post (See post on November 21, 2009) we discussed other causes of arthritis in dogs such as Lyme Disease.  Since Lyme Disease is a tick borne disease, here are five quick tips you can use to help your dog avoid an infection disease caused by ticks:

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In a previous post I listed the main causes of arthritis in dogs. (See post from November 2, 2009 on this blog).  Aside from those, there are other reasons for arthritis, deserving of their own post.  These include immune mediated arthritis (similar to the human version called Rheumatoid Arthritis) and infectious reasons for arthritis.  For example, in different parts of the country, such as the Eastern Seaboard, if you were to take your dog to the vet for limping, your veterinarian may check for infectious diseases such as Lyme and Anaplasmosis.  Lyme Disease (and not Lime Disease) is a tick borne disease that can give your dog swollen joints, shifting leg lameness and can cause them to feel pretty down and out.

Most common signs of Lyme disease:

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These are the great stories I love to come across. Sarah Perham had her dog Barney treated with stem cells, and the results were so amazing to her, she started a website and blog about her dog’s stem cell procedure. 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 »

Owners have sent us some great videos of their dogs that have been treated with their
own stem cells from fat. One video link is below, but more can be found at www.vetstem.
com


WKRG.com News

Results do vary, and not all are as dramatic as for Bear. While owner surveys showed
that over 80% of dogs treated did improve, that does mean that 20% had little or no change.

No matter what treatments are used, it is important to note that weight loss, a
personalized rehab and exercise program and good teamwork between you and your
veterinarian will help your pet get the most out of the treatment.

Do you take videos of your dog? This could help you to see if they are showing signs
of arthritis and pain.

• Do they limp?
• Are they less active, sleeping more often, not interested in normal routines?
• Are they reluctant to jump up on the bed or into the car?
• Do they sleep less and circle a lot to get comfortable when lying down?
• Do they have difficulty getting up from a “sit” or a “lie down”?
• Do they have muscle atrophy?
• Stand over your dog looking down on his spine- do you see the front end of your dog well developed while the back end has gotten skinny?
• Do they lick the top of their paws?
• Do they lack stamina on walks? i.e Used to walk a mile every night, now 3 blocks is their limit
• Do you feel and hear crackling and popping in your dog’s joints?

These signs could mean that your dog has arthritis. Your veterinarian can confirm a diagnosis of OA with a good physical examination, a good lameness examination and x-rays. Note I separated out the physical exam from the lameness. The physical exam encompasses the total animal, but the lameness is about their gait, stride, range
of motion, and joint pain tolerance.

Have you discussed options for treating arthritis with your veterinarian?

This next couple of blogs will help you determine if your pet is the ONE out of four dogs that suffers from the pain and immobility caused by arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease, or just “wear and tear”, is a condition in which low-grade inflammation results in pain in the joints. The result is pain and wearing of the cartilage that covers the bones of the joints. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s not forget about cats. Cats too are living longer healthier lives, but what is not
commonly known is that cats also suffer from osteoarthritis. In fact in a retrospective
study conducted at a major veterinary school, radiographs from 100 cats that were
presented to the teaching hospital for illnesses unrelated to arthritis were re-evaluated.
90% of the cats had radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease. These cats
represented a variety of purebred and mixed breed cats.

How do you know if your cat has arthritis? Read the rest of this entry »