It’s always a sad day when we learn of one of our patients passing away.  We recently learned that Knuckles, an English bulldog, passed away suddenly in early April.  This particular passing pulled on our heartstrings a little extra, as some of us were lucky enough to meet Knuckles and witness his success with stem cell therapy and platelet therapy in person.

Knuckles’ case was a bit different than our standard osteoarthritis case in that Knuckles was also dealing with a chronic infection in the affected joint.  This is known as septic arthritis.  His right stifle, or knee, had become badly infected after a failed surgery to repair a torn cruciate ligament and luxating patella.  Knuckles spent 2 years in pain, taking various medications, and going to rehabilitation appointments.  While his rehab helped him regain some muscle mass in his bad leg, he continued to be lame and in pain so his loving owner, Sarah, took him for a consult with Dr. Holly Mullen at VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral.

Dr. Mullen recommended VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy along with the Pall V-PET^TM, a platelet enhancement therapy system that is distributed by VetStem.  After a month of antibiotics to clear the infection in his knee, Knuckles received stem cells and platelet therapy.  In his follow up appointments, it was apparent that he had a terrific response to the therapy.  He became more active and was in less pain, so much so that he was able to discontinue his pain medications.  You can read about Knuckles’ experience with stem cells and platelet therapy here.

At first this blog was meant to be our usual “success story” blog.  When I began writing it, I pulled up Knuckles’ record in our database and saw that he was deceased.  It immediately made me sad, as he is well known around the office and has been a VetStem “poster child” so to speak.  That’s when I thought that perhaps a memorial to Knuckles would be nice.  He was certainly a special pup, loved very much by his family and all those who were lucky enough to know him.

One of his favorite activities was chasing bubbles.  Before his stem cell and platelet therapy, his leg kept him from being able to do this.  After the treatment, he was not only back to chasing bubbles, he began chasing lizards and squirrels in his new backyard!  He loved running around the yard and chasing the critters, all the while digging up mom’s plants.  She didn’t mind though.  In fact, when I reached out to Sarah to get her permission to write this blog, she informed me that he passed doing just that.  While sad, I couldn’t help but smile envisioning Knuckles’ big bulldog face covered in dirt with that silly bulldog smile.

Knuckles will be sorely missed, that is for sure.  But perhaps his legacy can live on in his story and his experience with stem cells and platelet therapy.  If his story reaches just one person who is searching for treatment options for their dog with a similar condition, then we’ve succeeded at carrying on his legacy.

Run free big guy!

As you have all gathered from past blogs, Ben is my border collie hiking buddy and also my hearing assist dog for my high frequency hearing loss!  He is an expert at detecting rattlesnakes on the trail.  I was all set for a great 4 day hiking adventure in the Sierra Nevada mountains when he got his first bladder stone urethra block.  That means he had bladder stones and several plugged up his urethra and he could not urinate.  He just lifted his leg and looked at me asking, “What is wrong Dad?”

After the first check with a specialist it was determined that he had a rather rare type of stone that was likely caused or made worse by bladder inflammation.  They unblocked him.  Within a week he blocked again and this time needed surgery in which we flushed out 50 stones!  Wow.  Very rare in such a young dog (5 years old).  Since we had to do a surgery, I took the opportunity to have fat collected to isolate his stem cells.  And because the surgeon said his bladder was inflamed and possibly infected, we gave him an IV dose of his own stem cells 2 days after the surgery.  As you all know, stem cells migrate to areas of inflammation and help “turn it off” and are also great at producing natural antibiotics.

It has been nearly a year now and Ben is back hiking (and lifting his leg on everything).  No signs of infection or stones.  Chronic inflammation of any kind is hard to control and causes fibrosis, or in this case, stones to possibly form.  I believe in the coming years we will begin using stem cells for many more types of inflammation like in the lungs, kidneys and even liver.  Two recently published studies show that stem cells can be given for dry eye in dogs and mouth inflammation (gingival stomatitis) in cats!

Check with your vet and find out what kinds of conditions might respond to stem cell therapy and keep your walking or hiking buddy in top shape for new adventures!

KC was a fortunate golden retriever.  Though his breed is prone to osteoarthritis, KC managed to make it to 10 years old before he began to show symptoms of the disease.  His owner, Krista, noticed he was limping and knuckling on one of his back paws.  Having seen a news segment on stem cell therapy for animals, Krista visited Dr. Lillian Rizzo who determined KC had hip dysplasia in addition to osteoarthritis in his right hock. 

In 2008, KC was treated with VetStem Cell Therapy and Krista reported it took less than 2 weeks before he started to show signs of improvement such as swimming, running, and chasing his ball.

Approximately 1 year after KC’s initial treatment, he received a second round of stem cell injections because he had begun to slow down a bit.  Stem cell therapy helped him to live comfortably for the last 5 years of his life.  Read more details about KC’s stem cell therapy here.

Contact VetStem for more information about stem cell therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis or to receive a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

Just another day, just another golden retriever with arthritis…

Today’s blog is about Baxter, a golden retriever that was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both of his hocks, or ankles, at just 1 year of age.  He began displaying some of the common symptoms of arthritis early on such as trouble with stairs and jumping, difficulty getting up from a lying down position, and not wanting to go on walks.  Luckily his owner sought treatment and at 2 years of age,  Baxter received VetStem Cell Therapy under the care of Dr. Joey Yazer at Cobequid Animal Hospital.

After treatment, Baxter was able to resume his normal activities including walking on the beach and jumping on the couch to snuggle with his canine companions.  Baxter responded so well to stem cell therapy, that he hasn’t required a re-treatment since March of 2015!  According to his owner, he continues to live a normal and happy dog life.  Read the rest of Baxter’s story here.

Golden retrievers are not the only dogs that are prone to arthritis.  Statistics show that an estimated 1 out of 5 dogs will get arthritis.  If your dog is displaying some of the symptoms of arthritis or has already been diagnosed, contact VetStem today to get a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

Our stem cell success story this week hails from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Meet Sheldon, a 4 year old Bernese mountain dog.  Sheldon suffered from pain and lameness in his front legs since he was a puppy.  His owners recognized his discomfort and took Sheldon to be examined by Dr. Robert Landry of Colorado Center for Animal Pain Management.  Dr. Landry determined that Sheldon had arthritis in both elbows as a result of Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP).  As part of Sheldon’s treatment plan, Dr. Landry recommended VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy so in December of 2016, Sheldon received stem cell injections into each elbow and also intravenously.

Fast forward just over one year later and Sheldon’s owners remain pleased with his improvement since receiving VetStem cell therapy.  He is more active and is able to participate in some of his favorite activities once again.  His owners state they “are so happy with how the stem cells worked for him.”

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

Does your dog suffer from orthopedic pain, lameness, or discomfort?  Has your dog been diagnosed with arthritis?  If so, contact VetStem to find VetStem providers in your area.

Dog owners frequently ask how long the effects of stem cell therapy will last for arthritic canines and whether their dog may require additional treatments in the future.  The answer is a bit more complicated than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Each patient is different, and several factors may affect the outcome of stem cell therapy and whether the patient will require additional treatments.

Some of these factors include the severity of the arthritis at the time of treatment and your dog’s activity level.  A running buddy might require more treatments than a couch potato.  Typically, a dog will tell you by their behavior or a change in activity level whether a joint has become more painful.

Some dogs treated with stem cells experience prolonged relief. Baxter was treated twice approximately 3.5 months apart and hasn’t required an injection since 2015.  You can read Baxter’s story here.

In data collected by VetStem, it was determined that 63% of older dogs that received VetStem Cell Therapy were not retreated in the first year while 78% of younger dogs were not retreated in the first year.  Perhaps more importantly, according to volunteered survey data from owners, greater than 80% of dogs showed an improved quality of life after treatment with stem cells.

The good news is, should your dog require additional treatments, VetStem keeps a bank of your dog’s stem cells so that they do not have to undergo an additional fat collection procedure.

If you think your dog may benefit from VetStem Cell Therapy, contact us here to get a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

This week, we bring you another stem cell success story.  Ruby, a border collie mix, was 10 years old when her quality of life began to rapidly decline.  She had to be carried up stairs and could no longer go on car rides, which was one of her favorite things to do.  Her owners worried they were going to lose her.

Ruby was examined by her veterinarian and it was determined that she had arthritis in her hips and would require a total hip replacement surgery.  Dissatisfied with this recommendation, Ruby’s owners took her to Dr. Jamie Gaynor at Peak Performance Veterinary Group who specializes in pain management.  Dr. Gaynor recommended VetStem Cell Therapy to provide some relief for Ruby’s arthritic hips.

Just 30 days after her treatment with stem cells, Ruby became more active and happy.  Her owners stated, “Ruby is back! She has regained her playfulness, sassy, bossy, collie attitude. She has resumed going for car rides and can stand up and stabilize herself. She jumps out of the car without hesitation. She ascends and descends the stairs like she used to.”

Click here to read the rest of Ruby’s success story.

While each patient is different, sometimes stem cell therapy can help your dog avoid a major surgery such as total hip replacement.  If your dog has been diagnosed with arthritis, contact VetStem for a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

Although this blog primarily focuses on stem cells for arthritis, we thought a post about other indications for stem cells might be helpful to some.  We frequently get questions from animal owners about whether or not VetStem Cell Therapy might help with various illnesses or diseases.  Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no.  Oftentimes, the answer is maybe.  In this blog we will cover some of the potential indications for stem cell therapy.  It is important to remember however that all of the following treatments are still in the investigational stages.  VetStem cannot guarantee that your animal will have a favorable outcome, should you decide to have him/her treated with stem cells.

Kidney Disease: This is one of the most frequent inquiries we get.  Unfortunately, many pets will experience kidney disease in their lives.  Kidney disease can be either acute (sudden onset, lasts a short time) or chronic (develops over a long period of time, may worsen over time).    Some veterinarians have treated kidney patients with VetStem Cell Therapy.  While they have seen some favorable results, more investigation is needed to confirm the effect of stem cells on patients with kidney disease.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): IBD is a group of disorders that affect the gastrointestinal tract of dogs.  This is another condition that some VetStem veterinarians have treated with stem cell therapy.  There is literature to suggest that the use of fat-derived stem cells in canine patients with IBD can lead to significant improvement and even complete remission in some cases.  Of course every patient is different and IBD can be very complicated to diagnose so it is important to ensure your dog has a complete workup before pursuing stem cell therapy as a potential treatment option.

Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis: This is a severe oral inflammatory disease affecting felines.  Cats with this disease may experience oral pain, reduced appetite, and weight loss.  Oftentimes, these cats will need to have all of their teeth extracted and even then, some will still require lifelong medications and treatment.  VetStem Cell Therapy might provide relief.  Two small studies on cats with full mouth extractions conducted at the University of California at Davis have shown that fat-derived stem cell therapy led to improvement or remission in the majority of cats treated. A few veterinarians have seen favorable results using VetStem cell therapy however more investigation is needed.

Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH): This condition applies specifically to equines.  Many performance horses experience bleeding in their lungs following strenuous exercise.  Traditional therapy includes medications that can reduce the amount of hemorrhaging but don’t actually treat or cure the disease.  In a clinical research program conducted by VetStem, it was determined that the majority of horses treated with VetStem Cell Therapy experienced significant improvement with little to no bleeding post racing.

This is just a small list of what we consider non-standard indications that may respond to stem cell therapy.  As a reminder, these conditions are still in the investigational stages and your animal may or may not respond as expected.  If your animal is suffering from one of these conditions or a condition that is not listed here, it is best to consult with your veterinarian and contact VetStem to get more information about your animal’s specific condition.  You can also contact us here to get a list of veterinary stem cell providers in your area.

A few weeks ago we shared a story about a horse that was able to return to barrel racing after receiving VetStem Cell Therapy.  Stem cell therapy can be effective in alleviating potentially career ending injuries in performance animals.  This week, we bring you the story of Bodie, a now 8 year old Springer spaniel, who is a successful bird dog champion.

At just 8 months old, Bodie was diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  He continued to compete and win championships however the arthritis from his hip dysplasia eventually began to slow him down.  At 3 years old, Bodie’s owner had him treated with VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy by Dr. Mitchell Luce.  He received injections of his own stem cells into each hip as well as intravenously.

After treatment, Bodie was able to discontinue his use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and took 3^rd place at the 2013 BDC High River Classic!  His owner reported increased activity and said he stopped “bunny hopping”.  Click here to read the rest of Bodie’s story.

Arthritis.  It’s a term we all know and a diagnosis most of us will receive at some point in our lives.  The same is true of our canine companions.  In fact, according to recent literature, about 1 in 5 dogs in the United States are affected by osteoarthritis.  It is estimated that there are about 90 million pet dogs in the US, which means about 18 million pet dogs will suffer from arthritis.  With such high numbers, it is not surprising that osteoarthritis has been identified as the number two reason why pets are being euthanized.

While there are several treatment options available to help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, many of them come along with unpleasant side effects and/or begin to lose efficacy after prolonged use.  While not a cure for arthritis, VetStem Cell Therapy is one treatment option that has been shown in studies to be able to provide relief for many dogs without the nasty side effects that may come with certain arthritis medications.  Because stem cell therapy utilizes an animal’s own healing cells, there is a very low risk for rejection or reaction.

But is stem cell therapy right for your dog?  That is a question you should consider asking your veterinarian.  See our recent blog post to help you discuss stem cell therapy at your next vet appointment.

If your dog has been diagnosed with arthritis, contact VetStem to find stem cell providers near you.