What are stem cells?

Stem cells are powerful healing cells in the body that can become other types of cells. There are many adult stem cells in fat tissue, however they lie dormant. Stem cell therapy allows us to isolate stem cells from an animals own fat tissue, activate them, and re-inject them directly into damaged areas. For example, in the case of arthritis, stem cells become new cartilage cells, reducing pain and increasing mobility.

Stem cells treat the source of the problem by becoming new tissue to replace damaged tissue. Other treatments, such as drugs, though very useful, merely attempt to reduce symptoms. The treatment is very low risk, because it uses the animals own stem cells. With our technology, over 95% of animals treated show improvement.

Stem cell therapy for animals has been commercially available since 2004, and thousands of animals have been treated around the world. The technology has only recently come to the UK.

This procedure is very safe. The biggest risk is using a general anesthetic, to remove the fat tissue from which we isolate the stem cells. We always carry out a full pre anesthetic blood test and use the safest available anesthetics. Typically, the fat is collected in about 30 minutes. Processing the sample in our lab takes 4 hours, during which the stem cells are isolated, concentrated and activated. In the thousands of animals treated across the world, Vets have not noted side-effects from this stem cell therapy.

An initial consultation is carried out where we discuss all your concerns and carry out a full clinical examination. We will assess the current treatment protocol you have in place and make adjustments or recommendations so that we are happy that you have the benefit of all the most up to date therapies. This assessment will look at the suitability of any or all of the following conventional treatments:

In many cases, the patients we see are being treated with some or all of these but are still struggling with their condition.

In these cases we look at stem cell therapy as an additional benefit.

The procedure is carried out in one day as an outpatient, and patients do not need an overnight stay with us.

We need some blood tests and a urine test for anesthetic safety. Once we are happy with these, we administer a short general anesthetic. Typically this lasts 30 to 90 minutes.

We need to have x-rays of the affected joints and also a chest x-ray. Where recent x-rays are available from your own Vet, we will not need to repeat these.

We then harvest approximately 40 grams of fat from a site behind the shoulder or just inside the tummy and your pet is woken from the anesthetic. There will be a few stitches that need to come out in 10 days.

A small blood sample is taken and prepared into a platelet rich plasma solution.The fat is processed to isolate, concentrate and activate stem cells in our lab, and this takes around 4 hours. The stem cells are mixed with the platelet rich plasma in preparation for injection.Once we have the stem cells, we administer a light sedative to allow us to inject the cells directly into the affected joints. A portion of the cells are given intravenously.

We recommend that the patient be kept quiet for the first 10 days.

We typically see improvement starting after 3 weeks, and then continuing up to around 2 months.

We typically see 1-3 years of relief after the initial treatment. We will bank additional stem cells, so repeat treatment is easy. We have a UK cell banking facility in Hampshire. If symptoms return, we request a dose of cells from the bank, and inject them. No repeat surgery is necessary.

Yes. Because we dont know exactly what happens when cancer patients are treated with stem cells based on human studies, we do not treat those patients, and it is for this reason that we take a chest x-ray on the day of the procedure.

The cost of stem cell therapy for arthritis at our clinic is 2500 plus VAT. This fee includes the initial consultation, blood tests, urine test, x-rays and the stem cell treatment, as well as a follow up consultation. There is an additional fee for banking stem cells of 300 per year which can be paid directly to the storage laboratory.

Some insurance companies will now cover the cost of the treatment, but not the cost of cell banking. You will need to check with your insurance company to see what costs they may cover.

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What Is Stem Cell Therapy - Stem Cell Vet UK

It is always a pleasure to feature the perspective of other pet writers on Patricks Blog. This guest blog from Dawg Business Jana Rade is especially current as she shares her personal perspective on stem cell therapy. As a pet parent to Jasmine, Jana has seen the ups and downs of this cutting edge treatment.

Thank you Lorie Huston, my fellow vet, for initially hosting this post on her excellent Pet Health Care Gazette site.

Jasmine, the stem cell child

Jasmine was five years old when she started limping on her hind leg in the summer of 2008. We didnt think much of it at first, because it has happened before and resolved eventually without a diagnosis or treatment from any of her vets.

Something about it was different though. Unlike in the past, Jasmine started to be reluctant to exercise and play. That wasnt like her, quite the opposite. We always had a hard time keeping her subdued while we wanted her injury to heal.

Even though we didnt expect much from the vet visit this time either, I felt that we should at least give it a try. This time, however, the vet said he was suspecting a torn ACL and suggested an exam by an orthopedic specialist.

When I looked up what a torn ACL was, I wasnt happy at all! Surgery? On my little girl? Six months recovery?

While we were waiting for our appointment with the specialist and hoping that maybe it could be something else, I started researching possible treatment options.

The most common and recommended treatment, a TPLO surgery, we didnt like the least bit. I liked the TTA a bit better, but turned out that it was not available up here at that time. The extracapsular repair looked the least invasive, but all the articles and resources I found were frowning on using it in large breed dog.

We considered a brace, but felt that Jasmine was too young and too active for that.

Meanwhile, the verdict from the orthopedic specialist was in and it was even gloomier that we thought it could be. Not only her left ACL was torn, but her right one was in a bad shape too. Recommendation? TPLO surgery for the left knee right away and another one for her right knee as soon as possible.

Two highly invasive surgeries back-to-back and taking away a year of her life? There has to be another option!?

I put my work and my life on hold and devoted all my time to researching. The more I researched, the more our hopes shrunk.

Searching high and low, one vet from Australia suggested that for a partial tear would could try prolotherapy. I researched it, sounded kind of promising. Finding a vet doing this treatment in Ontario was another story. Eventually I found one. I discussed Jasmines case with her and she said that it could work, pending her evaluation.

Not to do anything behind his back, I brought this up to Jasmines vet. He quickly looked it up and told us it was a horrible idea with high risk of bone infection that could result in amputation. Wow, not every day youre told that youre trying to maim your dog!

Both the Australian vet and the holistic vet I found in Ontario insisted that the risk is minimal when its done properly, but I was already freaked out too much.

(Interestingly, Jasmines new vet does this procedure sometimes for select cases)

When I was sharing my desperation with the holistic vet, she said there might be another way. And that was the first time I heard the words stem cells. She said it was a new treatment that was really a shortcut to what prolotherapy is designed to achieve.

Back on the computer I started researching this. When I learned what stem cells are and what they do, I got quite excited. Sounded right. Made sense.

Other than theoretical information there wasnt much to be found back then. But I found a story of Allie, the Boxer and her stem cell treatment. That was pretty much the only real-life story available at that time. But we were sold on the idea.

I called Jasmines vet again and told him about my find. He talked about rejection. These would be her own stem cells, I said. From bone marrow? he asked? No, from her fat tissue, I replied. Sounds like a scam. he concluded. This time he didnt even bother looking anything up!

Dont you just love being treated like an idiot? I wasnt something I accidentally stumbled upon on the internet, I spend days researching and talked to many people, including vets.

Well, at least he wasnt talking about amputation this time

Regardless of the lack of support on his part, we still really liked the idea and wanted to find out whether or not it could be an option for Jasmine.

I went on Vet-Stems website where they had a directory of vets certified to do the procedure. There were some in Ontario and some even within driving distance.

I took the list and started calling. One of the vets seemed interested in the discussion and in Jasmines case. He spent a great deal of time talking to me on the phone. While he felt that surgery is probably the best solution for her, he was willing to discuss the stem cell option. He said that he wanted to try this treatment on their resident dog who had bad arthritis.

While I was really taken by him, what I really wanted was somebody who had experience with this treatment. I told him that and he was cool with it. However, when I called all the other certified vets, nobody has actually done it yet.

We were even willing to drive down to the states, but nobody within reasonable distance has done it either.

Ok, this was clearly something new, huh?

Yet, we still liked this idea better than the invasive surgery.

Since finding a vet who already had some experience with the treatment turned out impossible, we decided to go with the one who took all that time to talk with me on the phone. He sounded that he cared about animals, and he sounded like a no-nonsense but open to different things guy.

We booked a consultation with him.

He asked to see the x-rays from the orthopedic specialist. He wasnt happy that we had only x-rays of her knees. He wanted to see her shoulders and hips also. So we agreed that hed take his own set.

When we came in, he examined Jasmine head-to-toe, took his own x-rays and found arthritis not only in her knees, but shoulders, jaws and neck also.

I will skip here the whole ordeal about him finding an abdominal mass and the cancer scare, I wrote about that earlier.

The part of that which is relevant to this story is that a resulting exploratory surgery resulted in delay in dealing with her knees.

And to make things more interesting, by the time we were able to schedule Jasmines treatment, her left ACL suddenly tore completely.

That was another blow. Do we have to go with the TPLO after all? The new vet also mentioned the option of extracapsular repair. I told him about what I found on this surgery for large breed dogs, but he said hes done it many times in large dogs successfully. It was certainly less invasive.

He already had a great deal of our trust by then. It would be less invasive. And the worst that could happen would be that we end up where we started. We decided that was what we were going to do.

What about the stem cells though? The treatment clearly wasnt going to help her left knee. But maybe it could save her right one, fix her arthritis and help with recovery from the surgery.

Normally, when using stem cells for ACL tear, a thorough evaluation of the damage by MRI or arthroscopy. In Jasmines case though, already using the treatment in combination with the surgery and for her arthritis, we eventually decided just do it and hope for the best.

On the day of the knee surgery her vet also took a bit of fat tissue from Jasmines shoulder and sent it off the VetStem to be processed. Two days later he injected the stem cells into both knees, her shoulders and gave her one IV dose for the areas that couldnt be injected, such as her neck.

There was nothing left do to than work on her post-op rehab and hope for the best. The first month after the treatment, Jasmines vet looked disappointed, as he couldnt see any difference in her recovery compare to dogs who got the knee surgery only.

Two months later though, Jasmine was getting a bounce back in her step and her vet started to look excited. She was doing remarkably well! We had nothing to compare it with, but it was clear that she was feeling well.

As we got accustomed to in the past two years, just when we were all happy and everything looked good, something was bound to go wrong.

Three months after her surgery her right knee just went. She didnt do anything crazy, just boom. That was really disappointing, but not really surprising. When using stem cell treatment for an ACL injury, the knee should be protected and ideally stabilized using a brace. Not only we couldnt do all that, but the leg had to carry double the load.

But at the end we were happy that her right leg got her through the post-op on the left one, which was now strong enough to take over.

So there we were, back on the operating table. Given what the stem cells did the first time around, this time it was no question for us whether we should combine the second surgery with the treatment also.

Her recovery the second time around was just as remarkable.

Today, over two years after the surgery and the treatments, her knees and shoulders are looking great. Before, her shoulders were very wide, as they were compensating for the bad rear. Now her body has the right proportion. There a little bit of loose skin on both shoulders as a reminder of how broad they used to be.

Jasmine is seven and a half years old now, but she has her life back! Even her jaws are feeling better, as she is showing interest in chewing on bones again, which she hasnt done before.

We thank Vet-Stem not only for the awesome treatment, but also for finding our amazing vet.

Of course Jasmines odyssey doesnt end there, and neither does her stem cell treatment experience. But more on that next time.

Jana

Jana Rade is a graphic designer by profession and never aspired to learning about dog health issues until she met Jasmine. Unfortunately, she received a crash course in the subject due to Jasmines many health issues and has since become an advocate for other pet owners and their four-legged friends. In her blog, Dawg Business, Jana shares her experiences and the lessons she has learned with others. She shares this message with all dog owners: At the end, your dogs health is up to you!

Tagged as: ACL, Australia, Boxer, Canada, canine, Dawg Business, Jana Rade, Jasmine, Ontario, pet, pet owner, pet writer, Rottweiler, stem cell, surgery, TPLO, Vet Stem, VetStem

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Pet Owner Perspective On Stem Cell Therapy Dr. Patrick ...

JoVE Immunology and Infection

Dimitrios N. Vatakis1,2,3, Gregory C. Bristol1,2, Sohn G. Kim1,2, Bernard Levin1,2, Wei Liu4, Caius G. Radu4, Scott G. Kitchen1,2,3, Jerome A. Zack1,2,5

1Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2UCLA AIDS Institute, 3Eli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, 4Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 5Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

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The generation and characterization of tumor specific T cells using humanized mice is described here. Human thymic tissue and genetically modified human hematopoietic stem cells are transplanted into immunocompromised mice. This results in the reconstitution of an engineered human immune system allowing for in vivo examination of anti-tumor immune responses.

Date Published: 12/18/2012, Issue 70; doi: 10.3791/4181

Keywords: Cancer Biology, Issue 70, Stem Cell Biology, Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, Bioengineering, Genetics, Oncology, Humanized mice, stem cell transplantation, stem cells, in vivo animal imaging, T cells, cancer, animal model

Vatakis, D. N., Bristol, G. C., Kim, S. G., Levin, B., Liu, W., Radu, C. G., et al. Using the BLT Humanized Mouse as a Stem Cell based Gene Therapy Tumor Model. J. Vis. Exp. (70), e4181, doi:10.3791/4181 (2012).

Small animal models such as mice have been extensively used to study human disease and to develop new therapeutic interventions. Despite the wealth of information gained from these studies, the unique characteristics of mouse immunity as well as the species specificity of viral diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection led to the development of humanized mouse models. The earlier models involved the use of C. B 17 scid/scid mice and the transplantation of human fetal thymus and fetal liver termed thy/liv (SCID-hu) 1, 2 or the adoptive transfer of human peripheral blood leukocytes (SCID-huPBL) 3. Both models were mainly utilized for the study of HIV infection.

One of the main limitations of both of these models was the lack of stable reconstitution of human immune cells in the periphery to make them a more physiologically relevant model to study HIV disease. To this end, the BLT humanized mouse model was developed. BLT stands for bone marrow/liver/thymus. In this model, 6 to 8 week old NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) immunocompromised mice receive the thy/liv implant as in the SCID-hu mouse model only to be followed by a second human hematopoietic stem cell transplant 4. The advantage of this system is the full reconstitution of the human immune system in the periphery. This model has been used to study HIV infection and latency 5-8.

We have generated a modified version of this model in which we use genetically modified human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSC) to construct the thy/liv implant followed by injection of transduced autologous hHSC 7, 9. This approach results in the generation of genetically modified lineages. More importantly, we adapted this system to examine the potential of generating functional cytotoxic T cells (CTL) expressing a melanoma specific T cell receptor. Using this model we were able to assess the functionality of our transgenic CTL utilizing live positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to determine tumor regression (9).

The goal of this protocol is to describe the process of generating these transgenic mice and assessing in vivo efficacy using live PET imaging. As a note, since we use human tissues and lentiviral vectors, our facilities conform to CDC NIH guidelines for Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) with special precautions (BSL2+). In addition, the NSG mice are severely immunocompromised thus, their housing and maintenance must conform to the highest health standards (http://jaxmice.jax.org/research/immunology/005557-housing.html).

A. Generation of BLT mice

The generation of BLT mice is divided into three (3) parts: (1) processing of fetal tissue and preparation of CD34 human hematopoietic stem cells, (2) transplantation of human tissue, and (3) secondary transplant. For all the protocols, we have provided Table 1 with reagent information.

1. Tissue Processing and Isolation of CD34 Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Fresh fetal tissue or tissue shipped overnight on ice from various organ procurement agencies can be used. Often fetal tissue is not sterile, as evidenced by the production of 1,000 bacterial colonies on blood agar per milliliter of surrounding medium. We routinely wash the tissue twice in 40 ml of sterile PBS. While this does not remove all bacteria, it can make a difference between a successful transplant series and an outcome in which most of the recipient mice succumb to bacterial infection. As an added step, to further disinfect the tissue, we culture the cell suspension in the presence of antibiotics.

1.1 Processing of Fetal Thymic Tissue

1.2 Processing of Fetal Liver Tissue

1.3 Sorting and Transduction of CD34 Hematopoietic Stem Cells

2. Tissue Transplantation

The goal of this step is to transplant a human fetal thymus/liver organoid under the NSG mouse kidney capsule. This organoid better mimics the process of human T cell selection and maturation processes as the human hematopoietic stem cells will use the human thymus and not the mouse as the site for their differentiation to different T cell and other lymphoid lineages. The use of CD34- cells in the transplantation process is to re-generate the fetal liver stroma and allowing for better transplantation and growth of the implant. The age of NSG mice used is 6-8 weeks old.

3. Secondary Transplantation

The goal of this step in the generation of BLT mice is to populate the moue bone marrow with human hematopoietic stem cells. The transplanted implant from procedure (2) is not sufficient to support full reconstitution of the human immune system in these mice. During the secondary transplant, we sub-lethally irradiate the mice to deplete murine bone marrow cells thus generating "space" for the implantation of the human CD34+ cells.

B. In vivo Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

For our studies we examine glucose uptake ([18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) thus mice are fasted 4-6 hr prior to imaging. MicroPET/CT scans are done using the microPET Inveon scanner (Siemens Preclinical Solutions) and MicroCATII CT scanner (Siemens PreclinicalSolutions). Image analysis is done using OsiriX (Pixmeo, Switzerland) software. The goal is to measure the metabolic activity of the tumor and ultimately to use PET imaging as an alternative to physically measuring tumor regression. As seen in Figure 2, we have encountered tumors that based on physical appearance and size are not targeted but live PET imaging revealed extensive tissue necrosis. This methodology can serve as a more sensitive and accurate indicator of tumor regression.

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A flow chart of the transplantation process is shown in Figure 1A. A picture of the thy/liv implant is shown in Figure 1B. The thymic tissue develops normally and has a physiological distribution of human CD4 and CD8 T cells. Following reconstitution, the animals carry a human immune system with normal distribution of CD4, CD8 T cells and other immune cell lineages.

The discrepancy between tumor size and live tissue is shown in Figure 2. While the CT scan (grey area) indicated a large tumor growth, in vivo PET imaging showed that it was mostly necrotic and scar tissue (Figure 2). This underscores the utility of PET imaging as a more sensitive and accurate way to assess tumor regression and clearance.

Figure 1. (A) A schematic diagram on the modified BLT model used in these studies for the generation of chimeric mice carrying MART-1 specific T cells. The Thy/Liv implant was reconstructed from transduced and non-transduced CD34 cells isolated from an autologous fetal liver. A fraction of the transduced cells is frozen and injected into the irradiated mice 4-6 weeks later. (B) A representative image of the thy/liv implant in humanized mice. The implants have a physiological tissue distribution and CD4/CD8 ratios as shown by the IHC and flow cytometry figures. Click here to view larger figure.

Figure 2. A PET and CT image of a mouse carrying a melanoma tumor. The grey area indicates the physical size of the tumor while the red color indicates the tumor's metabolic activity, which is very limited.

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The modified BLT humanized mouse model coupled with in vivo PET imaging are powerful tools to study chronic human diseases. This system takes the BLT mouse model and advances it beyond the limited scope for HIV research. In addition, it is a great system in which we can examine various gene therapy protocols as well as diagnostic techniques before they can reach the clinical setting. The latter coupled with the low cost of using mice versus primates makes this a very useful model.

The PET imaging technology allowed us to assess the efficacy of our approach. If we relied exclusively on physical measurements of the tumor, we would have underestimated the potency of the antitumor response generated by our transgenic T cells. The extensive scarring and necrotic tissue gave the appearance of a large tumor, which in reality was dead tissue.

In conclusion, the utility of the modified BLT mouse model can be extended to other disease models. While some disadvantages still persist such as the shorter lifespan of mice, this can be a very strong tool to in vivo assess many aspects of human immunity, test and develop novel therapeutic interventions.

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No conflicts of interest declared.

We would like to thank Alvin Welch and Larry Pang for their technical assistance. This work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) award P50 CA086306, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grants RC1-00149-1 and RS1-00203-1; CIRM New Faculty Award RN2-00902-1, the Caltech-UCLA Joint Center for Translational Medicine, UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) NIH/NIAID AI028697, the UCLA AIDS Institute, the CIRM Tools and Technology Award RT1-01126, and the UC Multicampus Research Program and Initiatives from the California Center for Antiviral Drug Discovery (number MRPI-143226).

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Interview: HIV-1 Proviral DNA Excision Using an Evolved Recombinase Published 6/16/2008

Accelerated Type 1 Diabetes Induction in Mice by Adoptive Transfer of Diabetogenic CD4+ T Cells Published 5/06/2013

Preparation of 2-dGuo-Treated Thymus Organ Cultures Published 8/28/2008

Expanding Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes from Umbilical Cord Blood that Target Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, and Adenovirus Published 5/07/2012

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Using the BLT Humanized Mouse as a Stem Cell based Gene ...

By Dr. Becker

If you're a dog guardian, you may be aware that arthritis becomes a problem for many of our canine companions as they mature. In fact, one in five dogs over a year of age will develop degenerative joint disease (DJD). And the number jumps to four out of five for certain large breeds.

The gradual, persistent degeneration of cartilage characteristic of osteoarthritis (OA) can affect one or multiple joints and causes decreased mobility, and often, debilitating pain.

Geriatric dogs typically develop arthritis in the hip, knee, or elbow. In dogs with hip or elbow dysplasia, joint degeneration can occur as early as one to two years of age.

Traditional veterinary treatment of canine arthritis and degenerative joint disease has typically included supplements, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, or a combination of these. But more recently, stem cell therapy, which is a type of regenerative medicine, has become more common.

Stem cell therapy uses stem cells to treat or prevent disease. Stem cells are a type of master cell. They have the capacity to develop into one of many different types of cells, including skin cells, muscle, nerve, bone, tendon or ligament cells, or the cells of virtually any organ in the body.

Stem cells maintain the ability to divide throughout their life, producing cells that can become highly specialized and replace cells that die or are lost. Stem cells contribute to the body's ability to renew and repair tissues. Bone marrow transplant is one of the most common types of stem cell therapy.

Interest in stem cell therapy for dogs with OA, DJD, hip and elbow dysplasia, and cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries1 is high, and several studies are underway. However, at this time there isn't much scientific research available for review, so results of stem cell therapy treatments are anecdotal and come primarily from veterinarians and owners of dogs that have undergone the procedure.

Brad Perry of Alexandria, Kentucky has two dogs, a Golden Retriever named Cowboy, and Mr. Jones, a mixed breed. Cowboy was suffering from terrible arthritis, and Mr. Jones had somehow managed to tear the ligaments in both knees.

Both dogs were seriously disabled and in pain, and Perry had tried all sorts of medications. None of them really worked, and he was worried about side effects. Cowboy and Mr. Jones continued to deteriorate, and Perry had reached the point of considering euthanasia when he heard about a local veterinarian who performed stem cell therapy on dogs to repair joints. Perry figured he had nothing to lose.

Cowboy the Golden received the treatment first, and a few months later Mr. Jones underwent the procedure. According to Perry, within 10 days of receiving stem cell therapy, both dogs were running around like puppies, chasing his kids, and swimming in the lake.

Dr. John Sector of the Shelby Street Veterinary Hospital in Florence, Kentucky performed the surgery on Cowboy and Mr. Jones. He has high praise for the therapy:

"This is potentially a game changer. We're seeing incredible results in the joints. We also see some unexpected improvements in other things, like skin conditions," he said.2

Snoop Dog, a 10-year-old Poodle mix with knee problems, and Ben, a 9-year-old Akita with hip issues and a limp, received stem cell therapy recently at the Mercersburg Veterinary Clinic in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Roger Horst performed the procedures. His partner, Dr. John Ludwig, said the injected stem cells communicate with cartilage and other cells, stimulating them to rebuild.3

"This is improving his life and maybe prolonging his life," Ludwig said of Ben. "They won't go back to being a 2-year-old dog, but if it's a 10-year-old and goes back to being a 7-year-old, I'm excited about that," he said.

Dr. Horst is also hopeful the therapy will decrease the need for painkillers for Ben and Snoop Dog.

According to Dr. Ludwig, some improvement in the dogs could be seen within two weeks, but it can take 30 days to see the full effect of the therapy. He expects the treatment to last 12 to 18 months, at which time another injection might be needed.

Stem cells are either embryonic or somatic (adult). Adult stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow or fatty tissue. Because the cells are easy to retrieve from fatty tissue, it is typically the source for stem cells used in therapies for companion animals.

In addition, stem cells harvested from fat don't need to be cultured and can be processed and returned to the veterinary clinic in about 48 hours. The fat is usually taken from the dog's shoulder, lumbar region, or a fatty ligament (called the falciform ligament) that attaches the liver to the body wall.

The harvesting procedure takes less than a half-hour and is performed under general anesthesia. The fat is then sent to a laboratory, where it is used to produce a substance called stromal vascular fraction (SVF). Once the SVF is received back at the veterinary clinic, the dog is again sedated and the SVF is injected into the affected joint or joints. Any remaining product can be stored for future treatments.

Stem cell therapy is considered a safe procedure (although any procedure requiring anesthesia carries some risk), and since the substance being injected is derived from the dog's own body, immune reactions are rare, but can occur. Additionally, the long-term immunologic effects of stem cell therapy have not been researched in pets.

Treatment costs, which include the surgery to retrieve stem cells, processing of the cells, and the initial injection, average $2,000 to $3,000. And it's important to remember there are no guarantees the treatment will work (and sometimes it doesn't), or for how long.

My goal as a proactive practitioner is to help clients help their canine companions avoid the need for invasive procedures to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease. That's why I typically recommend certain joint-protecting supplements and treatments starting at an early age, especially for my large-breed canine patients.

I separate chondroprotective agents (CPA's) into different categories according to their intensity of action. We have preventive protocols for young healthy pets and canine athletes. We have more aggressive protocols for pets with moderate degenerative joint disease and very comprehensive protocols for pets with severe musculoskeletal degeneration or trauma. This approach allows us to not only match our patients with the correct protocol, but also accounts for a dog's dynamically changing body.

One of the most important steps in managing arthritis and degenerative joint disease in dogs is building and maintaining excellent muscle, tendon and ligament health, so exercise is a necessity. The type of exercise, intensity, frequency and duration can all be tailored to the dog's specific musculoskeletal issue. Therapeutic exercises can also be added to target and strengthen specific muscles or limbs.

I also recommend a balanced, species appropriate diet, supplemented with joint supportive agents such as eggshell membrane, glucosamine sulfate with MSM, and cetyl meristoleate. I discourage carbohydrates in the diet because they promote inflammation. Animals with musculoskeletal issues should eat a naturally anti-inflammatory diet to help reduce and control inflammation. Fresh, unprocessed foods provide unadulterated enzymes that are also beneficial for reducing inflammation.

In addition, I recommend physical therapies like regular at-home strengthening exercises, stretching, massage, routine chiropractic care, water therapy on an underwater treadmill or in a pool, laser therapy to control inflammation and pain, and acupuncture.

I would also consider ubiquinol and other antioxidants; super green foods like spirulina and astaxanthin; vitamin C; natural anti-inflammatory herbs such as turmeric, proteolytic enzymes and nutraceuticals; homeopathic remedies (Rhus Tox, Bryonia, and Arnica can be particularly helpful depending on your pet's specific symptoms); and Acetyl-D-glucosamine injections. Cytokine therapy and prolotherapy may also dramatically improve quality of life and assist in slowing degeneration.

By taking a proactive approach to preserving the integrity and function of your dog's ligaments, tendons and joints throughout life, you may be able to avoid the need for invasive procedures. Supporting those all-important hip and knee joints should be a primary focus for every owner of a large breed dog. The physical therapies I mentioned, combined with the right nutrition, supplementation, and exercise, can go a long way toward keeping your dog active, agile and pain-free for a lifetime.

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Could Stem Cell Therapy Ease Dog's Debilitating Joint Pain?

A couple of years ago, Brad Perry's dogs started having joint problems. Cowboy, the golden retriever, developed a severe case of arthritis, while Mr. Jones, the mutt, tore the ligaments in both of his knees during some overenthusiastic play.

"It was so sad. They wouldn't even come to the door to greet me they were in so much pain. It just broke my heart," recalled Perry, a tractor-trailer driver from Alexandria, Ky.

Perry gave the dogs all sorts of medications, but nothing worked, and he knew such medications could result in kidney and liver damage. The dogs' suffering became so great, Perry considered putting the pets down. But late last year he heard about a veterinarian in his area who performed stem cell therapy on dogs to regenerate and repair their joints and figured it was worth a try.

Cowboy underwent the procedure first. Mr. Jones followed a few months later. Perry said that within 10 days of receiving treatment the dogs were like puppies again, chasing his kids, running around in the park and swimming in the lake.

The treatment Perry's dogs received was developed by MediVet America of Lexington, Ky., one of several companies that sell equipment and training to veterinary clinics around the world. MediVet has more than a thousand clinics. Participating vets have performed more than 10,000 stem cell procedures about 7,000 of them in the past 12 months.

An operation like the one Cowboy and Mr. Jones underwent takes several hours. To start, the vet harvests a few tablespoons of fat cells from the pet's abdomen or shoulder, then spins the cells in a centrifuge to separate out the stem cells that are naturally present in fat. Next, the cells are mixed with special enzymes to "digest" any residual fat and connective tissue, and are then "activated" by mixing them with "plasma rich platelets" extracted from the animal's blood cells. The mixture is stimulated under a LED light for 20 minutes or so to further concentrate the stem cells. Finally, the newly awakened cells are injected back into the damaged joint.

Jeremy Delk, MediVet's chief executive officer, said that the therapy works because stem cells are the only cells in the body that have the ability to transform themselves into other types of specialized cells -- such as cartilage -- making them a potent tool for repairing damaged and deteriorating joints. There are 50 to 1,000 times more stem cells in the fat than bone marrow, a source that was more consistently used in animal and human -- stem cell therapy until the fat method started becoming more popular.

"As we age, humans and animals alike, our stem cells are starting to die off so we have fewer. What we are able to do with these techniques is isolate the cells in very large numbers, wake them up and put them back into the area that needs help," he explained.

While still largely unavailable to their owners, stem cell therapy from fat cells has been offered to our furry friends for several years. With fewer regulatory hoops to jump through in veterinary medicine and no contentious religious debates, experimental procedures are often tested and perfected on animals decades before they're green-lighted for use on humans.

One of the things veterinarians and owners alike praise about the procedure is it can be completed in one day, and all at the vet's office. Stem cells can also be banked for future injection so the animal does not have to endure extraction again.

John Sector, the owner of Shelby St. Veterinarian Hospital in Florence, who performed the surgery on Cowboy and Mr. Jones, had high praise for the therapy.

"This is potentially a game changer. We're seeing incredible results in the joints. We also see some unexpected improvements in other things, like skin conditions," he said.

Stem cell therapy is not just for pets who curl up on couches or ride in the backseat either. Delk said horses, donkeys, zebras and lions are also regular stem cell patients. He and his team recently traveled to the Middle East to perform the therapy on some prized racing camels.

However, stem cell remedies, even for animals, are still considered experimental. Shila Nordone, the chief scientific officer at the AKC Canine Health Foundation, a nonprofit group that funds health research for dogs, said that its use for joint regenerative purposes is exciting, but that the lower regulatory bar in animal medicine is both good and bad.

"It's good because we can do things sooner for our patients without 10 years of expensive clinical trials, but bad because we are still in the process of establishing best practices to ensure the procedures are the safest and most effective possible," she said.

Studies funded by the Health Foundation and others have been promising. One study of more than 150 dogs found improvements in joint stiffness, mobility and other joint health indicators in nearly 95 percent of arthritic cases. In some patients, improvements were seen in as little as a week while others took up to 90 days and required multiple injections.

The cost of a single procedure is $1800-$3,000, depending on the area of the country, the species of animal and severity of joint damage. Even those with pet insurance can expect to pay out of pocket.

Owners like Perry believe it is worth every penny.

"They are completely different dogs. It absolutely changed their lives," he said of Cowboy and Mr. Jones. "It changed mine too -- I got my dogs back."

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Arthritic Dogs Healed With New Stem Cell Therapy - ABC News

POWAY, Calif. November 1, 2012 Vet-Stem, the worlds leading Regenerative Veterinary Medicine company, is pleased to announce that Pets Best Insurance plans provide coverage for our Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy.

Vet-Stem first offered stem cell therapy for dogs and cats in 2007 and is honored that so many pet owners and veterinarians have placed their trust in Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy to treat osteoarthritis, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries. Vet-Stem is proud and delighted to hear the stories of the reduction in pain, and improvement in quality of life, in so many dogs.

One of those stories is about Jetta, a member of the Pets Best Insurance family who was treated with Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy in 2011. Our CEO had a wonderful experience utilizing Vet-Stem therapy in his twelve year old lab. He loved throwing, and she loved chasing, a ball every evening. But as she aged, she just could not do it due to severe arthritis. Surgery was not a viable alternative and he asked me about stem cell therapy. I told him we had seen claims with the treatment and it was covered with our insurance. He had it done, her condition very much improved and she was able to chase the ball again. Pets Best Insurance provides full coverage for Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy, in fact we were early adopters of providing coverage and paying for the therapy. Any procedure performed by practicing veterinarians that helps pets, we are in favor of said, Jack L. Stephens DVM, President/Founder of Pets Best Insurance

We are proud that so many dog owners and veterinarians have placed their trust in Vet-Stem Cell therapy. We feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that there are thousands of dogs and dog owners who have experienced the benefit of stem cell technology. This practical and beneficial application of technology puts stem cell therapy into the present day instead of a future theoretical concept. The fact that Pets Best provides coverage for our therapy is an added plus and makes this a viable treatment option for many more pet owners, said Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM, Founder and CEO of Vet-Stem.

More information about Vet-Stem can be found at http://www.Vet-Stem.com

More information about Pets Best can be found at http://www.petsbest.com

About Vet-Stem, Inc.

Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. In January of 2004, Vet-Stem introduced the first veterinary stem cell service in the United States. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. Vet-Stem has exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells.

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Arthritis in Dogs | Stem Cell Canine | Hip Elbow Dysplasia ...

By Mathew Lyson, on July 26th, 2015

I initially heard about stem cell therapy for arthritis from an email from the American Animal They also went over why the treatment may fail in certain pets .

He cited studies that include 2007 research involving 21 dogs with arthritis. Researchers from Vet-Stem and other animal hospitals concluded the stem cell therapy improved the dogs mobility. The placebo effect is real, Harman said. Pet owners thought they

Arthritis in cats in a painful disease and successful treatment methods must relieve the pain caused by feline arthritis. Finally, while not largely used in cats yet, stem cell therapy may be another option for your cat. Arthritis in Dogs a

Cowboy, the golden retriever, developed a severe case of arthritis, while Mr. Jones But late last year he heard about a veterinarian in his area who performed stem cell therapy on dogs to regenerate and repair their joints and figured it was worth

Treatment Options for Arthritis in Dogs Stem cell therapy is a promising new treatment option for canine (and equine) joint problems. This therapy may be a treatment option for your arthritic dog.

The Center for Regenerative Medicine at OSC treats patients with mild to moderate arthritis with stem cell or platelet therapy, which is perfect for patient who cannot or choose not to have surgery for their medical issues. Success in dogs points

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis Creative Medical Health (CMH) announced today that it has filled a patent of intellectual property covering the utilization of its

DOG-lovers are paying specialist vets up to 1,700 for a stem cell treatment they hope could ease the symptoms of arthritis in their beloved pets. Scientists say they have used the new treatment on more than 150 dogs in the UK with 85 per cent

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Stem Cell Therapy For Arthritis In Dogs | Stem Cell ...

BOSTON (WHDH) - If you have a pet, you know they are like a member of the family. If they are in pain, you want to do whatever you can to help.

Veterinarians in Massachusetts are using stem cells to help dogs and cats suffering with arthritis and other joint problems and the procedure just got easier for the animals.

Though his tail still wags, walking looks painful for seven-year-old Angus.

"You don't want to see him that way," said Vern Mace, Angus' owner.

Ten-year-old Lilly has a very bad case of hip dysplasia. Her owner is a veterinarian technician at an animal hospital in North Dartmouth and says it's the worst case she has ever seen.

"It is very heartbreaking," said Sarah Farias, Lilly's owner.

Both owners are hopeful that a cutting edge procedure will help their dogs move around pain free.

"Hopefully can play ball like he likes to, which is all day long," said Elizabeth Mace, a pet owner.

Our cameras were there as Angus and Lilly made a little history at the Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital. They were the first pets to undergo a stem cell therapy in a much faster way.

"We've been waiting a good long time for this and I think it's fascinating," said Dr. Jean Pitcairn, a veterinarian.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Pets - 7News Boston WHDH-TV

Stem Cell Therapy

After many years of research, it now possible to provide affordable same-day stem cell therapy to dogs and cats suffering from a variety of degenerative diseases and injuries. With our Stemlogix in-clinic stem cell isolation process, our board certified veterinarians can extract fat tissue, isolate millions of regenerative stem cells and deliver them back to the patient all in about 90 minutesin just one office visit!

This quick turnaround maintains the highest cell viability and functionality which gives patients the best chance for clinical improvement. Stemlogix stem cell therapy can relieve pain, increase range of motion in joints and improve the quality of life in pets suffering from the following conditions:

Arthritis Joint pain Cartilage damage Tendon & ligament damage Hip dysplasia

Often your pet will have renewed energy and freedom of movement. Talk to your veterinarian about gradually reintroducing activity in order to prevent aggravating the condition.

Stem cells are delivered to an area of damaged tissue where they stimulate regeneration and aid in repair of the damaged tissue. In addition, the stem cells have the ability to differentiate into many different cell types such as tendon, bone, ligament and cartilage, which may further help in the repair of damaged tissue.

Your pet will undergo a simple surgical procedure to obtain a fat tissue sample either from the shoulder area or from the abdomen. The tissue sample will be processed in about an hour directly on-site at our state-of-the-art facility where highly viable & potent regenerative stem cells are obtained. The stem cells are then delivered back to your pet at the injury site and/or with an intravenous (IV) infusion.

The Stemlogix stem cells are derived from the animals own tissue and they can be injected in large concentrations in the area of injury. Because the injected cells are derived from the animals own tissue and are minimally manipulated there is almost no risk of rejection or reaction. The main goals of stem cell therapy are to provide long-term anti-inflammatory effects, slow the progression of cartilage degeneration and initiate healing of the damaged tissue. This provides pain relief within a few days to a few weeks after the injection with further improvement as healing progresses.

For more information, please visit http://www.stemlogix.com

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Stem Cell Therapy

This information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas doesnt produce enough insulin. Insulin is required for the body to efficiently use sugars, fats and proteins.

Diabetes most commonly occurs in middle age to older dogs and cats, but occasionally occurs in young animals. When diabetes occurs in young animals, it is often genetic and may occur in related animals. Diabetes mellitus occurs more commonly in female dogs and in male cats.

Certain conditions predispose a dog or cat to developing diabetes. Animals that are overweight or those with inflammation of the pancreas are predisposed to developing diabetes. Some drugs can interfere with insulin, leading to diabetes. Glucocorticoids, which are cortisone-type drugs, and hormones used for heat control are drugs that are most likely to cause diabetes. These are commonly used drugs and only a small percentage of animals receiving these drugs develop diabetes after long term use.

The body needs insulin to use sugar, fat and protein from the diet for energy. Without insulin, sugar accumulates in the blood and spills into the urine. Sugar in the urine causes the pet to pass large amounts of urine and to drink lots of water. Levels of sugar in the brain control appetite. Without insulin, the brain becomes sugar deprived and the animal is constantly hungry, yet they may lose weight due to improper use of nutrients from the diet. Untreated diabetic pets are more likely to develop infections and commonly get bladder, kidney, or skin infections. Diabetic dogs, and rarely cats, can develop cataracts in the eyes. Cataracts are caused by the accumulation of water in the lens and can lead to blindness. Fat accumulates in the liver of animals with diabetes. Less common signs of diabetes are weakness or abnormal gait due to nerve or muscle dysfunction. There are two major forms of diabetes in the dog and cat: 1) uncomplicated diabetes and 2) diabetes with ketoacidosis. Pets with uncomplicated diabetes may have the signs just described but are not extremely ill. Diabetic pets with ketoacidosis are very ill and may be vomiting and depressed.

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by finding a large increase in blood sugar and a large amount of sugar in the urine. Animals, especially cats, stressed by having a blood sample drawn, can have a temporary increase in blood sugar, but there is no sugar in the urine. A blood screen of other organs is obtained to look for changes in the liver, kidney and pancreas. A urine sample may be cultured to look for infection of the kidneys or bladder. Diabetic patients with ketoacidosis may have an elevation of waste products that are normally removed by the kidneys.

The treatment is different for patients with uncomplicated diabetes and those with ketoacidosis. Ketoacidotic diabetics are treated with intravenous fluids and rapid acting insulin. This treatment is continued until the pet is no longer vomiting and is eating, then the treatment is the same as for uncomplicated diabetes.

the inset picture shows the top of the insulin bottle

Diabetes is managed long term by the injection of insulin by the owner once or twice a day. Some diabetic cats can be treated with oral medications instead of insulin injections, but the oral medications are rarely effective in the dog. There are three general types of insulin used in dogs and cats:

In general, cats and small dogs need insulin injections more frequently, usually twice daily, compared to large breed dogs that may only require one dose of insulin daily. The action of insulin varies in each individual and some large dogs will need 2 insulin shots daily. The insulin needs of the individual animal are determined by collecting small amounts of blood for glucose (sugar) levels every 1-2 hours for 12-24 hours. This is called an insulin-glucose-response curve. When insulin treatment is first begun, it is often necessary to perform several insulin-glucose-response curves to determine:

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causes-the-pet | StemCell Therapy MD