Dobie has to walk with assistance, a symptom of the degenerative nervous system condition that mimics that of some human patients.

The 12-year-old German shepherd had his back end lifted by owner Dave Avedissian as the pair left House Paws Mobile Veterinary Service headquarters in Mount Laurel. Minutes before, Dobie was treated with stem cell therapy that veterinarian Russell Howe-Smith said is designed to give the beloved pet a better quality of life.

There really arent any cures, he said. We try to delay the progress (of the condition).

Veterinarian and practice owner Lisa Aumiller said stem cell therapies for pets have been used for about a decade. Theyre available through a handful of Burlington County vets, and are mostly offered by specialists.

Although human embryonic stem cell extractions have been controversial with the general public, the pet therapies rely solely on the animals own bodies. Fat cells surgically extracted from a canine are used to harvest stem cells that are eventually returned to the same pet.

At House Paws, Aumiller typically performs the fat removal surgery. The cells are sent to a firm in California, where the extraction process takes place in a laboratory.

After the stem cells are harvested, theyre sent back to House Paws, where Howe-Smith is responsible for intravenously injecting patients. He called the procedure regenerative medicine.

Stem cells are cells that can develop into other cells. Were trying to regenerate tissue, he said. We use it a lot for arthritis, where you have a loss of cartilage. (Stem cells) can stimulate regrowth of more normal tissue and make the joint more comfortable.

Aumiller said although stem cell treatment for pets hasnt been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it is widely accepted in the veterinary medical community. Its utilization is growing, while the field continues to be studied. However, Aumiller and Howe-Smith said theyve witnessed improvements in their animal patients that lend weight to the theory that stem cell therapies can work.

Two pet owners whose dogs underwent stem cell treatments agreed with the vets assessments.

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Pet care utilizing stem cell therapy in - Burlington ...