Veterinarians are always looking for new ways to improve the lives of animals.  You might say that they will go to the ends of the earth to help our four-legged friends.  One of the most innovative and forward thinking clinics in the US is the Peak Performance Veterinary Group.  Dr. James Gaynor and his staff have developed a new way to bring the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatment technologies to canine athletes with the PEAK PET, their Performance Evaluation Trailer.  Read the rest of this entry »

We are always impressed by the dedication and love that “Pet Parents” show their pets.  A great example is Sarah from Texas.  You have to check out the website she made for her beloved Barney at www.LuckyPuppyDog.com.  Sarah made a webpage dedicated to the Story of Barney, his severe hip dysplasia and arthritis, and his Vet-Stem Cell Therapy.  Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a recent email from a dog owner.  Simply put, this is why we do what we do.

“Here’s a picture of Yogi at the beach.  He’s in great shape, 2 years after the stem cell treatment.  We joke that he goes around singing “I feel good” in a James Brown voice.

Yogi was infected with 3 tick born diseases including Lyme’s about 2 and ½ years ago.  The Lyme’s, together with significant hip dysplasia, proved a terrible combination. He got so bad (even after weeks of antibiotics that cleared up the Lyme’s) that in the evenings he stiffened up so much he could barely get up from a lying or sitting position.   Some days he was in so much pain he didn’t want to go for the daily park outings with the other household dogs and would just sit forlornly on the deck.

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Meet Tango (right), a 9-year old Beagle with severe arthritis who, we are happy to report, is doing great 9 months after stem cell therapy changed his life.  Flutter, his English Setter buddy, is glad to have him back.

“In his 9^th year, Tango’s arthritis had progressed to the point where he could barely walk.  Multiple tests, x-rays, and alternative therapies had no effect, and pain medications were barely keeping him mobile.  Sadly, I could see his days winding down dramatically. Read the rest of this entry »

Stem cells have been and will continue to be a hot news topic.  They are praised, cursed, debated and researched.  So what do we know about how they actually work? 

First, these little cells we call “stem cells” can be found anywhere in the body.  You are alive right now because your own stem cells replace the hundreds of millions of cells you lose every day as a part of normal living.  They are your “spare parts” and are essential.  If your dog has arthritis, stem cells help replace the lost cartilage caused by the disease.  Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been eight months since I started blogging – more that 60 posts about arthritis in dogs and the causes, treatments, and prevention.  Topics like diet, exercise, and stem cell therapy.  We have also shared our pain and talked about how to tell if your pet has arthritis.

Great stories of dogs and their owners and veterinarians have been posted.  We have linked you to other experts and analysis of the latest research data and reports.  I hope you have gained a better understanding of arthritis and how to prevent or treat it in your own animals. Read the rest of this entry »

 One of the most common injuries a dog can get is a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).  The tearing of the ligament happens in healthy athletic dogs as well as overweight dogs when they are running and suddenly change direction.  The ACL and the posterior cruciate ligament are two ligaments that cross each other as one travels from the front to the back of the knee joint, and the other travels from the back to the front. What does the ACL do?  This ligament is a fibrous band of tissue that attaches your dog’s femur with their tibia, making the knee joint a hinge. 

I have devoted previous posts to the important subject of pet obesity and the effects on canine and feline arthritis.  I would like to revisit the subject again with some great new information  from veterinarian and author Dr Ernie Ward.  I pulled some interesting facts out of the article but if you would like to read it in it’s entirety click here.  Dr Ward is passionate about educating pet owners about pet obesity. Why is obesity in pets on the uprise?  Part of the obesity problem is lack of exercise and poor portion control.  According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), when it comes to expressing our affections with food, we are doing our animals a lot more harm than good. Read the rest of this entry »

Ted Robinsob and Stylish - treated with stem cells for arthritis

Arthritis is a painful, debilitating joint disease that can develop in any animal. It can be the result of a traumatic injury to the joint or can develop so slowly that many pet and horse owners may not even recognize the progression of the disease.  While this blog is focused mainly on arthritis in dogs, I thought that I would spend a little time discussing arthritis in horses.  According to the AVMA 2007 pet ownership and demographic study, there are about 7.3 million horses in the US.  It is estimated that 60% of the lameness issues in horses are due to arthritis, which extrapolated out is about 4 million horses!
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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.