Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs
Stem cell therapy in dogs is a form of regenerative medicine. It can improve a pet’s quality of life by repairing damaged tissues and healing musculoskeletal injuries. In this article, Physio-Vet answers questions about treatment with stem cells, including:
- What is stem cell therapy?
- What’s involved in stem cell therapy?
- What are the benefits of stem cell therapy for pets?
While veterinary treatment with stem cells has been available globally since 2004, it has only started to be used in the UK within the last few years.
The process involved in animal stem cell therapy refers to the use of specialised cells that are taken from the patient and reintroduced to areas that are injured or affected by disease.
The team members at Physio-Vet are specialists in advanced veterinary medicines. They know that your pet’s quality of life means a great deal to you, so you can be sure that your best friend will be in the safest of hands.
What is stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy involves the gathering of specific, highly versatile cells from a pet and injecting those cells into damaged or diseased limbs, joints and other parts of the musculoskeletal structure.
What’s involved in stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy in pets – from horses to dogs and cats – begins with the collection of “mesenchymal stromal” cells from the bone marrow in the femur.
The cells are then isolated and concentrated using a specialised system. Once this is complete, the cells can be injected into damaged tissue or affected joints to aid in the healing process.
What are the benefits of stem cell therapy for pets?
Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells can develop the characteristics of cells needed to repair a pet’s injury when injected into damaged tissue.
When in situ, they will jumpstart the healing process. Stem cells can activate cells that are nearby and recruit additional cell types to aid in wound and health and tissue repair.
This isn’t the only way in which an animal can benefit from stem cell therapy. The introduction of new specialised cells can also have an anti inflammatory effect.
Almost any pet, from horses to dogs and cats and even small animals, can benefit from stem cell therapy if they have suffered from damaged tissue or arthritic joints. Clinical trials have shown that the approach may even be used on spinal cord injuries.
Stem cell therapy FAQs
Do you treat all patients with stem cell therapy?
The team at Physio-Vet will always undertake careful diagnostic procedures in order to determine the most effective treatment for each of our patients.
While they may decide that stem cell therapy will be the best course of action, there are a variety of other treatments available that may be deemed better-suited to your pet’s condition.
Is stem cell therapy safe?
Physio-Vet had been deemed well-equipped to perform stem cell therapy by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, meaning their processes are sophisticated and low-risk.
The cells used will always be from the patient themselves, so there is very little chance of adverse effects.
What conditions can be treated with stem cell therapy?
Most commonly, stems cells are used to treat tendon, ligament and joint injuries and osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs, cats and other pets.
What does the stem cell therapy service include?
At the start of the treatment process, an appointment will be made for cell collection. Your pet will be put under general anaesthetic and a small number of cells will be taken from their femur bone marrow.
The cells are then processed so they can be injected into the affected area. This is all done under the one anaesthetic and takes about 45 minutes.
Depending on your pet’s condition, stem cell therapy may be used as part of a wider bespoke treatment plan.
What is the recovery time following stem cell therapy?
There is very little recovery time involved at all – so your pet will be able to return home with you on the day of treatment.
How long can you expect to see an improvement after stem cell therapy?
In most cases of stem cell treatment performed by Physio-Vet, dogs showed significant improvement in as little as 3-6 weeks. Once the treatment has had its full effect, it’s likely that the improvements will last between 1 and 3 years.
Stem cell therapy is a highly advanced treatment that will help significantly in the healing process of almost any musculoskeletal condition.
The specialists at Physio-Vet know how difficult it is to see a pet in pain, and are glad to be able to offer this revolutionary therapy. In many cases, stem cell therapy can increase a pet’s quality of life significantly – something that is extremely important to the Physio-Vet team.
For further information about stem cell therapy, contact Physio-Vet today.
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