Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy for Pets: A Major Breakthrough
A major breakthrough treatment in veterinary health care has come to Wheaton, IL; one that has shown results in lengthening and improving the quality of life for dogs and cats suffering from painful arthritis, hip dysplasia, and ligament and cartilage injuries. Danada Veterinary Hospital at 10 W. Loop Road in Wheaton, is now offering this in-clinic procedure for pets suffering from degenerative diseases. This technology is drug-free and uses the body’s power of regeneration to help heal itself. Animals that had been in significant pain with a limited range of motion, within weeks are able to walk, run and jump again, with no adverse reactions.
The procedure, developed by Medivet-America, involves removing adipose (fat) tissue from an adult animal, separating the stem cells from the fat, activating and then injecting the cells back into the affected areas. Stem cell activation requires use of the patient’s own platelet rich plasma and immersion in specific frequencies of light. The entire process takes 3-4 hours with the stem cells being activated on-site.
Dr. Helen Dane performed stem cell therapy on Basil, a 12 year old shepherd mix, on October 20, 2011. “Basil had been having trouble getting up and was reluctant to go up stairs, even though he was taking arthritis medications. His owner took a video of Basil taking three attempts to make the climb. Just two weeks after the stem cell procedure, the owner was shocked when Basil followed her up the stairs without hesitation.”
Stem cell regenerative therapy costs $1500-$2000. Many owners will see some improvement within 2-3 weeks, with most patients moving well, with little or no pain within 4-6 weeks. The effects can last for 2 years or more. Additionally, stem cells can be frozen and “banked” for future treatments, if needed, for a fraction of the cost.
Regenerative medicine is a wide open field with research being done on its use in autoimmune diseases, degenerative myelopathy, kidney failure, inflammatory bowel disease, skin allergies and more. Stem cell treatments can even provide owners an option for healing their pet’s cruciate ligament injury without the pain and expense of invasive orthopedic surgery.
Dane said she feels stem cell regenerative therapy will have a big impact on veterinary medicine.
“We became veterinarians to help our patients have an improved quality of life. Stem cell therapy definitely gives us that capability. We will be able to treat medical conditions and illnesses that were previously poorly managed.”
To learn more about Danada Veterinary Hospital in Wheaton, visit www.danadavet.com or for more information about stem cell regenerative therapy, visit www.MediVet-America.com.