Stem cells used to help heal paralyzed dog

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- South Florida vets are conducting potentially life-changing surgery on a dog desperately in need, and the technique they used was innovative.

Brando, an 8-year-old German Shepherd, was suffering from a skin infection that already paralyzed his legs, and it was going after his lungs, so doctors tried a different kind of animal aid to save him: stem cells.

Brando is back at his Coral Gables home and wheeling it after a medical first. Vets hope it will eventually put this German Shepherd back on all four paws. Dr. Manuel Bouza, Brando's owner, said, "If you tickle him, he'll wiggle his foot, but that's about all he does. He doesn't know where to put his feet. His feet just dangle there."

Back in January, a rare skin infection paralyzed Brando from the middle of his back, down to his hind legs, then spread to his lungs. But doctors are now hopeful they can get him walking again after a unique surgery.

On Wednesday, Brando underwent a delicate, two-part stem cell surgery at Paradise Animal Clinic in Hialeah. It's the first such surgery to be performed in Florida.

A similar surgery had already been performed in the U.K. "This hasn't been done in the U.S. In the United kingdom it seems to have been successful," said Bouza.

Here's how the team did it: Doctors took tissue from Brando's stomach, processed out the stem cells then injected them into his spine. They hope the tissue in his spine will regenerate and Brando, named after the actor Marlon Brando, can get back on his feet again. "As long as your brain and feet don't connect, he won't be able to walk," said Bouza. "That's the hope: that he'll walk again. It will take a few months."

In about a month, Brando will get another injection of stem cells into his spine. Doctors said that process will continue until, hopefully, he is fully healed.

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Stem cells used to help heal paralyzed dog