Stem Cell Therapy/Treatment

Has anyone had stem cell therapy or treatment done to a dog, cat or horse? My GSD, who is 10+ and alot of arthritis in his right hind and right shoulder (does not have dysplasia), could use some help. He now gets Duramaxx daily and Adequan injections 2 x month. I also give him glucosamine and other vitamins. He is on all natural dog food (Chicken Soup or other brands that are all fresh ingredients and not parts or filler). His weight is good, but I can see discomfort and less activity. I was reading about the stem cell treatment and thought it might be worth a try. He is my companion around the barn as well as the house. He tries to hard to be with me. He is about 110 lbs, which is fine for his structure and type.
TIA
PennyG

We do the stem cell treatment (VetStem) at our clinic. It is pricey $2500 (set by the company, not our clinic)--but so far the results are positive and dramatic. We have done several almost "hopeless" cases--needing hip replacements or euthanasia--and they all get around with just some NSAIDs PRN. It actually grows new cartilage in the joint. I would do this before I would do a hip replacement (at $5000 for 2 hips, it's actually a bargain to do VetStem!) because of the reduced invasiveness and downtime. It requires a surgery (2 remove 120 mls of fat), and then a sedation for injection (depending on the joint) a day or so later when the cells arrive. They bank any "extra" cells for you free for 1 year, then for a small fee indefinitely afterwards, so you can repeat the treatment down the road if you want/need.

my pony got stem cell treatment on a torn suspensory. Worked wonders, i swear by it, it also cut the normal recovery time by at least half with better quality results. I know this is a different injury then you would be using it for, but i have heard nothing but good things about it.

TKR, try adding Cetyl-M tablets. (First Response for dogs from Smart Pak). It gave our GSD with very arthritic hips one more year of comfort. It is different than Adaquan and you can do both together.
By the end our dog was on Cetyl-M and Rimadyl.

Pony Fixer, I am interested to hear you are doing VetStem in hip joints. I am seriously contemplating same in a horse stifle joint, and most of the available information is non-joint. Have you used bone marrow stem cells, or only the fat cells?

Basque had stem-cell for bowed tendon. Did the things local vet recommended--shoes,
confinement, etc. Then it really blew up--off to the big clinic and found he had a hole
the size of a quarter in the tendon. So we did the stem cell thing (thank goodness for
major medical). Tendon totally filled in--area is ugly but he's sound.

Have a part-Lab with bad hips and would be interested in hearing about it working for
that. One option was replacement (each hip would be $3,000) and then an alternative
surgery at $1500 each hip. She's 8 or so now and gets around well--don't know if putting
her through all that would be best for her. But the stem cell thing might be just the ticket.

Where in Alabama are you located? My parent's dog, who does have hip dysplasia, is being treated by a vet that does do stem cells. The vet is trying some other routes to manage his pain before doing the stem cells, but that is a viable option for him should he need it. My parents live just outside of Huntsville and their vet is in Hampton Cove.

Did stem cell on my gelding with a tear in his superficial flexor tendon. Seemed like he was coming back, but never really did. Recheck MRI showed no significant improvement after 8 months.

Sigh, someone has to be in the "other" percentage group.

I am near B'ham -- about 30 miles south. I've used the same vets for small animals and their counterpart for equine for about 30 years. They are great to work with me and refer if necessary. I've emailed them about the stem cell therapy and I'm sure they'll give me some good advice. I've wondered about the cetyl m -- worth a try. Thanks!
PennyG

Ok, new question -- what does anyone know about IRAP? My equine vet was out today and we talked about the success she has had with horses and joints using this procedure and it's alot less costly. They can do the prep on premise as well. Does anyone know if it has been used in dogs? It is a procedure where the blood is drawn and prepared with something else and centrifuged (I may be missing some steps here) and re-injected in the joint site which helps it to rebuild and heal. Very intriguing!!
PennyG

I believe IRAP is where they just use the the blood platelets to act as an extreem growth factor agent. There is a vet at MSU that uses this. Very good results in the horses he has tried it in. It is a lot less money than the stem cells.

Dan

the stem cell platelet rich plasma prolotherapy works great in people, too. It is like I- rap. I have done it for hyper-mobile pelvis ligaments. www.treatingpain.com explains it under the heading of re generation. pm for more info

Interestingly -- there was a segment on our evening news about the platelet therapy for people with joint problems! Wow -- I just wonder if it's being dong for dogs!

PennyG