At just 14 weeks old, Trusty walked with a slight limp and had difficulty with stairs.  Even for a purebred Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, he was large for his breed.  As he grew, his limp continued to worsen, and it was obvious he was in pain.  This was especially problematic because Trusty lives on a 40-acre apple orchard in the Pacific Northwest with his human family and several other active dogs.

Diagnosing Trusty’s leg issue proved to be very difficult.  After 10 travel appointments, X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds, Trusty was eventually referred to veterinary surgeon Dr. Kristin Kirkby Shaw of Animal Surgical Clinic of Seattle.  After additional imaging and arthroscopy, Dr. Kirkby Shaw diagnosed Trusty with Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP) and osteoarthritis of the left elbow.  She recommended surgery in addition to treatment with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.  

In August 2019, Trusty received an injection of his own stem cells into his ailing left elbow.  According to his owner, Trusty recovered almost immediately from his surgery and was walking without a limp at two weeks post-surgery.  Approximately six weeks after the procedure, Trusty was feeling great and running around the property, playing with his dog siblings.  Trusty’s owner stated, “It’s really the first time in his life he has been able to run! We are very happy for him, thankful to Dr. Kirkby Shaw for her skills and knowledge and to VetStem Biopharma for providing us with this tremendous healing technology which we know has been a huge factor in Trusty’s recovery.”

Trusty’s stem cell success story is reminiscent of Sheldon’s, who also received VetStem Cell Therapy for osteoarthritis related to FCP.  Unfortunately, this condition is not uncommon in large breed dogs such as Trusty and Sheldon.  If your dog has been diagnosed with FCP or osteoarthritis, speak to your veterinarian about the possibility of treating your dog with VetStem Cell Therapy.  Or contact us to receive a list of VetStem providers in your area.

For our first blog of the new year, we thought we would try something a little different.  This week, we have a guest blog submitted by dog owner Virginia regarding her dog Ember and her stem cell story.  Ember received VetStem Cell Therapy after she was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia.  She’s feeling much better and…well, we’ll let Ember tell her story…

Hi,

My name is Ember and I am a 4-year-old Newfoundland. I’m writing this because I was asked to tell my story.

In my family we are first and foremost companions to our people, we live side by side with them.  But we have other jobs as well.  One is we do a lot of social and therapy work to bring smiles to people.  Our other career is to be “show dogs.”  Being social dogs, we like both our jobs.

But things changed for me when we discovered that I had bilateral elbow dysplasia confirmed by OFA x-rays.  Sometimes I would limp a bit, other times not.  When I was 2 and 1/2, I started limping and did not stop for months.  That was not fun, and I did not feel like playing with all my friends at home (I have a big family). 

Then on “My Lady’s” birthday her best friend (and my first home) gave her the gift of stem cell therapy for me.  She seemed excited; I did not know what she was talking about at all.  I just go with the flow so I wagged my tail. 

Before stem cell therapy, I was lame and really didn’t play as much as I wanted to.  It is over 5 months now from my injections and I feel a lot better!  I am my happy self, I play with my friends, even the puppy.  I am more active and can get in bed to sleep with my people at night.  I am not lame anymore.  My movement is so much better and I am pain free. 

I am very grateful to My Lady’s friend for giving such a thoughtful gift.  It has made a huge difference for me.  I want to say thank you to all the people who worked hard so this option could be made available for us dogs. 

Life is better with stem cells.

Love,

Ember

Harper is a four-year-old Landseer Newfoundland.  When she started limping at around three years of age, her owners became concerned and took her to the veterinarian.  It was determined that Harper had severe elbow dysplasia, which caused painful osteoarthritis in her elbows.  Harper’s veterinarian recommend surgery and referred her to a specialist.

Fortunately for Harper and her parents, that specialist was VetStem proponent Dr. Christopher Eich of Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital.  Dr. Eich recommended VetStem Cell Therapy in lieu of surgery.

Harper received stem cell injections in both of her elbows in October 2018.  Her owners reported that within three months, she was back to her daily walks and was even running around on the grass and at the beach!  You can read the rest of Harper’s story here.

We recently checked in on Harper and her owner reported that Harper is still doing great!  He stated, “She has had a busy Summer of road trips and making appearances at various festivals and events.  Attached is a photo of her from Special Olympics So Cal, where she greeted the athletes and took photos with them for a book.  Everyone we meet that we share her stem cell story with have all been amazed with how well she is doing!”  You can keep up with Harper and her buddies on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/ventures.of.harper.finn.bodhi/

If your dog has osteoarthritis caused by joint dysplasia, VetStem Cell Therapy may be a treatment option.  Speak to your veterinarian to determine if your dog is a candidate for stem cell therapy.  Or you can contact us to receive a list of VetStem credentialed veterinarians in your area.

Pearl is a 10-year-old black lab who loves retrieving her Frisbee. When Pearl developed a persistent limp, her concerned owners took her to be examined by her veterinarian. Pearl was referred to Dr. Amie Csiszer at Oregon Veterinary Referral Associates who determined that Pearl had elbow dysplasia, which caused osteoarthritis in her elbows. Dr. Csiszer recommended elbow arthroscopy along with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.

Pearl had her procedures done in September 2017. After her recovery, Pearl’s pain and lameness improved and by the third month after the procedure, Pearl was back to chasing her Frisbee.

Pearl’s owner, Norm, began an almost daily ritual of taking Pearl to play fetch in the local pond. This allowed her to exercise without hard impact on her joints. Pearl was placed on a diet to lose some weight, which also helped relieve the arthritis in her joints. You can catch up on Pearl’s story here.

We recently checked in with Norm and he reported that Pearl is still chasing her Frisbee in the pond. He even sent us some new action shots (see below). He stated, “she is doing wonderfully and shows no evidence of her past lameness.” Great news for Pearl and her family!

Koda was about 9 years old when his owners noticed he was limping and his left elbow was swollen.  X-rays revealed that Koda had arthritis as a result of elbow dysplasia.  Dr. Douglas Stramel at Advanced Care Veterinary Services recommended VetStem Cell Therapy and Koda received an injection of his own stem cells into his problematic elbow as well as intravenously.

In addition to stem cell therapy, Koda also received physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care and the combination of therapies led to an improved quality of life.  According to his owner, Koda became happier and more playful.  She noted, “Koda can now go up and down the stairs when he wants to and not struggle. He had been hesitant to go on walks for a period of time prior to the stem cell therapy but now there is no hesitation.”

You can read the rest of Koda’s story here.

If your dog has been diagnosed with arthritis, stem cell therapy may provide some relief.  Consult with your veterinarian or  to find a veterinary stem cell provider in your area.

I am always thrilled to hear success stories from owners and am excited to be able to share with you Whisper’s story.

“Seven years old and she’s still kicking butt and taking names! Two osteotomies, two surgeries, two stem cell therapies… AMAZING, this little dog!!!”

That’s what Elise recently commented on her now-7-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, on Whisper’s banking renewal form.  Here at Vet-Stem we bank stem cells for future uses.  Whisper was a very special case, done way back in 2009.  She received stem cell therapy, after multiple surgeries and significant pain medications failed to provide relief. This relief lasted for 2 years when she had another treatment using some of her stored stem cells. 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.

As our pets age, we watch with fingers crossed as they slow down.  We hope that the stiffness is just because of the cold weather, and come summer they will liven up again.  But when a new puppy starts to limp and whimper in pain, we are faced with the unexpected.  That puppy was supposed to be frolicking and carefree for years and years, not hobbling around like an old guy.

Meet Walker, the Golden Retriever, 2 ½ years after stem cell therapy. Read the rest of this entry »

I think part of what makes it so hard to see our beloved little friends in pain is that we can’t explain to them why it hurts.  We try to decipher where the pain is from telltale signs like limping, getting up slowly, or not being able to make it up the stairs anymore.  But some animals are just stoic so we may not even notice their problem until it’s much worse.  If only they could speak up!  Luckily, technology and experienced veterinarians really help in figuring out the problem and finding the best solution to bring our pets back to their playful, happy selves.

Meet Baxter, a happy Yellow Lab with elbow dysplasia.  Raymond & Carolyn tell his story about how Vet-Stem helped bring joy back to his life. Read the rest of this entry »