Adult Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs
Using Regenerative Medicine for Treating Canine Orthopedic Injuries
Chronic arthritis is one of the most common conditions diagnosed in dogs and can make your dog's life quite uncomfortable. Tendon and ligament injuries and bone fractures are also commonly seen injuries. In many cases, traditional methods of treatment, both medical and surgical, simply are not entirely effective in correcting these situations.
Regenerative medicine is a relatively new technology which is beginning to become available as a treatment for certain conditions in dogs. Currently, adult stem cell therapy is being used to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis in dogs as well as tendon and ligament injuries and fractures which have not responded to conventional therapies.
Adult stem cell therapy has been used in horses for some time now to treat a number of different orthopedic problems. More recently, this technology has been introduced into the field of canine medicine.
What are Adult Stem Cells?
Stem cells are primitive cells which can be found in almost all tissues within the body. Stem cells have the ability to become different types of tissue, including tendon, bone and ligament. There has been much in the popular press about embryonic stem cell research. However, adult stem cell research and therapy is far less controversial and much more practical than embryonic stem cell research.
- Adult stem cells vary from embryonic stem cells in that they are present in nearly all adult tissue. Adult stem cells are not derived from an embryo.
- Adult stem cells are able to differentiate themselves into many different types of tissue and are perfect for tissue repair. Embryonic cells are meant to form an entire animal and are unpredictable in repair work. In many instances, embryonic stem cells actually form tumors known as teratomas, making their use for repairing damaged tissues of little value.
- With adult stem cells, the cells can be harvested from an animal, processed, and then replaced into the same animal so there is no chance of rejection of the cells. This is known as an autologous transplant and is similar to a person giving blood prior to a surgical procedure and then receiving his/her own blood when needed.
- Adult stem cells have the ability to regenerate and repair injured tissue.
Where Do Adult Stem Cells Come From?
Adult stem cells can be obtained from many different sources, including:
- bone marrow
- fat
- muscle
- skin
- brain
- nose
- nerves
- many other places
Bone marrow and fat are two of the most commonly used sources. Fat tissue is ideal because:
- it is plentiful in most animals,
- it is easily accessed and
- it is a renewable source.
Fat can be collected quickly and contains a family of "healing cells". Because fat is an autologous source:
- there is no regulation of collection by the FDA,
- it provides a safe transplant material with low risk of rejection,
- it is unlikely to transmit disease to the animal, and
- the turn-around time to process fat is quick with no need to wait for tissue culturing.
How Does Adult Stem Cell Therapy Work?
Normally, fat is collected during a short surgical procedure performed by your veterinarian. The most common sites for collecting fat is from the side of the chest or from the groin area.
Once your veterinarian has collected the necessary fat samples, the tissue is sent to a specialized regenerative medicine company, such as Vet-Stem, to process the sample. Processing involves concentrating the sample and isolating the stem cells. The prepared stem cells are then sent back to your veterinarian where they can be implanted or injected into your dog at the site of the injury.
What Effects Can You Expect to See with Adult Stem Cell Therapy?
Adult stem cell therapy has the ability to drastically change the quality of your dog's life for the better. Dogs with chronic arthritic changes in the joints have experienced dramatic improvement with adult stem cell therapy and those with tendon and ligament injuries have improved as well. Fractures have been found to heal more quickly when treated with adult stem cells.
Although the optimal time to treat tendon and ligament injuries is within 90 days of the injury, even older injuries with scar tissue have shown improvement when adult stem cells were implanted into the injured area. Fractures have been found to receive the greatest benefit of adult stem cell treatment when used within 60 days of the fracture.
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