Dec 28, 2018

Stem Cells for Muscle Injuries

Posted by Bob under Dog Muscle Injury, Dog Stem Cells

As you probably noticed, our primary focus in this blog tends to be arthritis.  We occasionally discuss torn cruciate ligaments and also have a few blogs about various disease processes that may be helped with stem cells.  One thing we have not spent much time on is stem cell therapy for muscle injuries.

Muscle injuries are not uncommon in the athletic dog.  Typical therapies for muscle injuries include rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical rehab.  Unfortunately, these therapies generally do not prevent the formation of fibrosis (scar tissue) or muscle contracture which ultimately leads to functional impairment.

In a study done on two police dogs (both German Shepherds) with injuries to their semitendinosus muscle, both dogs returned to the line of duty with a normal gait and no signs of lameness after receiving VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy.  This study was, in fact, the first report of using stem cells to treat skeletal muscle injuries in dogs.

If your dog has injured a muscle, speak to your veterinarian about whether VetStem Cell Therapy may help.  Or you can contact us for a list of VetStem providers in your area.

Share
Jun 6, 2014

Stem cells: How do they work?

Ready for a little more detail on how stem cells can work?  Great!

Stem cells are kind of multi-purpose, so how they work depends on the particular need.  Ben has volunteered as our example.  Let’s say Ben, being a Border Collie, is so focused on chasing a frisbie that he fails to see the fence in his pathway.  He crashes into the fence Read the rest of this entry »

Share