Administrator
04-01-2009, 02:58 AM
One incredible new treatment available in pets is using stem cells.
This is really rare at the moment, but is likely to become more common in the future.
(also See the blog (http://petdoctorforum.com/blog/)where other possible future advances in veterinary clinics were mentioned...)
Dogs age faster than humans; but actually luckily for them, some areas of medicine are more advanced for veterinary care due to less stringent regulations (in the US at least). In the last few years, companies have started to investigate stem cell therapy for pets.
Conditions such as hip-dysplasia and arthritis can be treated with fat cells taken from the patient's own body. Using cells from the dog's own body eliminates the risk of rejection, and the ethics raised by using stem cells from embryos.
The procedure seems simple; fat cells are removed from the dog, sent to a laboratory where they go through a concentration process, and then are returned to a vet clinic for insertion within 48 hrs. The cells are injected near the site of the injury, or degeneration. Owners report seeing significant improvement in their dogs within the first month.
The implications are huge! an injection of ones own cells to treat a degenerative joint, rather than an invasive surgery to replace it, is easier, could be cheaper, and is less invasive.
Here is the ABC news article (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=6649775)with a real life example of a Police Dog being helped.
Vets- more details are available in the private vet forum also.
This is really rare at the moment, but is likely to become more common in the future.
(also See the blog (http://petdoctorforum.com/blog/)where other possible future advances in veterinary clinics were mentioned...)
Dogs age faster than humans; but actually luckily for them, some areas of medicine are more advanced for veterinary care due to less stringent regulations (in the US at least). In the last few years, companies have started to investigate stem cell therapy for pets.
Conditions such as hip-dysplasia and arthritis can be treated with fat cells taken from the patient's own body. Using cells from the dog's own body eliminates the risk of rejection, and the ethics raised by using stem cells from embryos.
The procedure seems simple; fat cells are removed from the dog, sent to a laboratory where they go through a concentration process, and then are returned to a vet clinic for insertion within 48 hrs. The cells are injected near the site of the injury, or degeneration. Owners report seeing significant improvement in their dogs within the first month.
The implications are huge! an injection of ones own cells to treat a degenerative joint, rather than an invasive surgery to replace it, is easier, could be cheaper, and is less invasive.
Here is the ABC news article (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=6649775)with a real life example of a Police Dog being helped.
Vets- more details are available in the private vet forum also.