VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES | The Stem Cell Blog | Page 8

Stem cell therapy goes to the dogs

A surgical team at Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove removes fat from Doodle, a 9-year-old German Shepherd suffering from osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia. Stem cells will be derived from the fat and injected into the dog. Photo submitted by Veterinary Specialty Center

Doodle was the first dog to receive the new one-day stem cell procedure in Illinois./Photo submitted by Veterinary Specialty Center

Things were getting bad for Doodle. Despite her youthful name, the 9-year-old German Shepherd was experiencing joint pain from bilateral hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. She would get sore and tired from long weekend walks and started falling up the stairs.

Her owners, the Dahl family of Oak Brook, had tried different options before landing on animal stem cell regenerative therapy, a procedure thats a hot topic in the veterinary world. Last week, Doodle received reportedly the first such one-day operation in Illinois at the Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove.

The practice of using stem cells, derived from the animals fat, to treat joint problems could be discouraging for pet owners because of cost and timing. The animal used to have to go twice to a vet hospital: once for surgery to remove fat cells and once again for the injection of the stem cells into the inflamed joint. The cost was around $2,700.

Leslie Dahl, Doodles owner and a veterinarian herself, didnt want to go that route. She had tried anti-inflammatory medication, but Doodles stomach couldnt handle it. She tried collagen injections, but they didnt fully relieve Doodle of her pain. Plus, the animal already was difficult at the vets and she was concerned that Doodle would get too anxious between the visits.

So when the Veterinary Specialty Center started looking into a new procedure that allows the stem cells to be processed in the same facility on the same day for about $1,900, Dahl was intrigued.

Here is the original post:
VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES | The Stem Cell Blog | Page 8