Regenerative Therapy
08/06/08

There is an emerging therapy called regenerative or “stem cell” therapy that appears to be an extremely promising new area of medicine for the treatment of arthritis, ligament or tendon injuries, and other diseases. The cells used are not embryonic stem cells but instead are adult stem cells harvested from a patient’s own fat tissue, treated and injected into a damaged area of the body where they aid in regenerative healing.

Roughly 2600 horses and 700 dogs have received the treatment through a new company call “Vet-Stem” with generally very good results. The therapy is approved for treatment of dogs, cats and horses. Since the animal’s own stem cells are used, there is no chance of a rejection reaction and the only side effects observed so far have been mild, temporary inflammation at the injection site(s) in about ½ of one percent of cases. The process begins with a surgical harvesting of roughly 2 tablespoons of fat from the patients shoulder or flank area. The sample is then shipped overnight to Vet-Stem where they harvest the stem cells that occur naturally in the fat. The cells are then shipped back to the veterinarian and immediately injected back into one or more sites like arthritic joints. The stem cells then begin regenerating new tissue and aiding the body’s own natural healing process.

The first commercially available dog treatments were done in July of 2005 so this is a very new area and has yet to stand the test of time. However, there are some remarkable success stories. As with any therapy, the potential risk to benefit ratio has to make sense for each patient. The fat tissue preparation costs are significant, anesthesia is required for at least the harvesting procedure, and the number of veterinarians certified to do the treatment is still small. Human trials for this therapy are ongoing, but the evidence is building that this therapy can be extremely effective with a variety of degenerative and immune modulated diseases. Dripping Springs Animal Hospital is now certified to perform regenerative stem cell therapy and will be happy to give you more information and help you decide if it makes sense for your pet.