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Canine Health: Stem Cell Treatment For Dogs
What Is It ? How Does It Work? Can It Help 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. This knol looks at how the therapy was developed, how it works and which conditions can be helped by stem cell treatment.
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| Image Courtesy: vet-stem.com |
Dogs suffer from a range of serious orthopaedic problems, some hereditary, others caused by simple wear and tear.
Arthritis, for instance, is the most common cause of chronic pain in dogs. According to one study, Osteo-arthritis in particular affects 20 per cent of dogs - or 10 to 12 million pets - in the United States alone. [1]
Traditional veterinary solutions such as drugs, weight loss and joint-replacement surgery are being replaced by a simple yet highly successful regenerative treatment using stem cells.
The cells are extracted from the dog's fatty tissue and re-injected into the affected limbs and joints.
According to the leading provider of the treatment the procedure improves the quality of life of 75 per cent of dogs that undergo the therapy. [2]
How Was The Treatment Developed?
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| An X Ray Image of a dog's hips. Image: wikimedia.org |
The first animals to receive the treatment were horses. Tendon and ligament injuries in thoroughbred horses were first treated in 2003. Studies and anecdotal evidence on more than 2, 500 horses treated showed that the therapy helped the patients' recovery. [4] According to one source, 77 per cent of horses treated returned to working at the same level as prior to the treatment. [5]
TIMELINE - HOW STEM CELL TREATMENT WA...The first major study into the treatment's effectiveness in treating dogs was carried out in 2007. Twenty one dogs with Osteoarthritis of the hip joint were selected for the clinical trial. The dogs were a mix of ages, genders, weights and breeds ranging from an Akita and a Boxer to a Gordon setter, a Labrador Retriever and a Rottweiler. [6]
The study concluded that dogs treated with the injection
"demonstrated statistically significant improvement in lameness ...[and that] adipose-derived stem and regenerative cell therapy decreases patient discomfort and increases patient functional ability."
Three of the dogs that took part in the study had owners who had been considering euthanising their pets. All three were living relatively pain free lives after the treatment.The next major research into the treatment was published in the journal Veterinary Therapeutics in 2008. [7]
The study (sponsored by Vet-Stem) looked at the effectiveness of the treatment in relieving the suffering of dogs with osteoarthritis of the elbow joint. In all 14 dogs, made up of six spayed females and eight neutered males and from a range of breeds from a bullmastiff to a springer spaniel and Labrador retriever took part in the study. Scientists studied a range of measures from lameness, pain, manipulation, range of motion and functional disability, each of which was monitored over a period of 180 days after the stem cell treatment. The study found there was "statistically significant improvement" in the measured criteria. Click Here To Read The Full Study In PDF Form.
[6]
What Conditions Can Be Treated?
The initial success of stem cell treatment has led veterinarians to test its use in a range of cases. Anecdotal evidence of dogs with spinal problems being successfully treated have emerged recently, for instance. However, at the moment, the treatment is primarily used to treat the following:
| CONDITIONS CURRENTLY TREATABLE BY STEM CELL THERAPY - Osteoarthritis (of the leg joints). - Osteochondritis Dessicans (OCD) a form of hereditary elbow dysplasia. - Orthopaedic soft tissue injuries such as partial tears of the tendons and ligaments. - Bone fractures. |
How Is Stem Celll Treatment Administered?
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| Stem Cell Therapy is a simple and quick solution for a range of orthopaedic conditions and injuries. Image: wikimedia.org |
The treatment is usually delivered over a period of 48 to 72 hours and takes place in three stages.
Day One:
A small fat sample - roughly the size of two tablespoons - is extracted from the dog. This sample is then shipped to the laboratory for processing.
Day Two:
The fat sample is processed so that the stem cells are concentrated. The cells are then placed in a ready-to-inject syringe which is then returned overnight to the veterinary practice.
Day Three:
The veterinarian injects the stem cells directly into the relevant area of the patient's body.
How Successful Has The Treatment Been?
Canine Stem Cell Treatment: Recent NewsCASE HISTORY:
Blue, a three and half year old German Shepherd from Memphis, Tennessee had begun limping badly and was diagnosed with hip dysplasia.[8]
The traditional cure would have been a hip replacement which would have involved at least six months of recovery. When Blue's owner went to see a second vet, she recommended stem-cell therapy.
The vet removed fatty tissue from Blue's abdomen, sent the sample to the Vet-Stem labs in San Diego where stem cells were extracted using centrifuges. A day later the cells were shipped back to Memphis where they were injected into Blue's ailing hip and began adapting into healthy cartilage and tendon cells.
Blue's owner saw a distinct improvement within 36 hours. Within weeks she was running, swimming and chasing Frisbees just as she had before the treatment. In case there was any recurrence of the problem, a batch of Blue's stem cells were kept frozen in the San Diego labs.
 Read all the latest news on canine stem cell research and other dog health issues. Canina: The Dog JourKnol |
Further Reading:
American Veterinary Medical Association - www.avma.org
British Veterinary Association - www.bva.co.uk
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