Regenerative Medicine
for Pets
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
Regenerative medicine utilizes the body’s own cells to heal and regenerate damaged tissues. This therapy can be used for acute (sudden) or chronic conditions.
WHAT CAN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE BE USED FOR?
Osteoarthritis, Including Hip Dysplasia
Knee Injuries, Including Partial Cruciate Ligament Tears
Tendon, Ligament & Muscle Injuries
Wound Repair, Including Burns & Slow-Healing Wounds
Certain Spinal Conditions
Knee Injuries, Including Partial Cruciate Ligament Tears
Tendon, Ligament & Muscle Injuries
Wound Repair, Including Burns & Slow-Healing Wounds
Certain Spinal Conditions
TWO KINDS OF THERAPY:
Therapy can utilize either Platelet Rich Plasma or Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate, also known as “Stem Cells”.
Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a highly concentrated blood sample that contains isolated cells called platelets and some of the blood liquid called plasma. At this time, we are primarily utilizing Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) as it is the easier to obtain and concentrate, and works very well in the most commonly treated diseases.
When used as therapy, PRP can regenerate and heal tissues by:
- Recruiting other healing cells to come into an injured or diseased area to clean the area and remove other damaged cells
- Releasing proteins called “Growth Factors” that stimulate tissue regeneration
First, having and accurate diagnosis is critical to determining if your pet is a good candidate for PRP therapy. If that is determined, we draw blood from your pet, process it with the special equipment we have, and inject it into the damaged or diseased area. This is often done with sedation during a scheduled visit time. From the time the sample is drawn until it is injected into your pet is about half and hour. In some cases more than 1 area can be done in a visit.
After the procedure there may be some pain, swelling and discomfort. Certain pain medications and ice or hot packs also are avoided for a few weeks. Improvement is usually noted in a few weeks with some animals needing a second treatment in a month or two, but many patients with chronic conditions having improvement for 6-12 months (such as dogs with hip dysplasia caused arthritis).
Stem Cells
Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any type of other cell in the body. They also activate other surrounding stems cells to assist in the work of repair and healing.
Stem cell therapy is similar but a sample of bone marrow must be obtained and concentrated before it is injected into the diseased area. We feel this therapy holds great promise for patients with spinal cord diseases. Due to the ease and effectiveness of PRP, for most other disease issues that is the preferred therapy.
Stem cell therapy is similar but a sample of bone marrow must be obtained and concentrated before it is injected into the diseased area. We feel this therapy holds great promise for patients with spinal cord diseases. Due to the ease and effectiveness of PRP, for most other disease issues that is the preferred therapy.
If your veterinarian has determined that your dog is a candidate for stem cell therapy, he/she can process and inject the stem cells during an office visit. A small amount of bone marrow is collected from the femur while the dog is under general anesthesia. It is then processed using a specialized system that isolates and concentrates the stem cells. Once the processing is complete, the stem cells are then directly injected into the area of injury.
As with PRP therapy, every dog’s response to therapy will be different. Most veterinarians have noticed that dogs with moderate to severe osteoarthritis will show marked improvement for more than a year with one treatment of stem cells. Follow our recommendations for rehabilitation and follow-up.
If you feel your pet would benefit from this type of therapy please feel free to make an appointment for a consultation. Remember that therapy is performed only after a diagnosis has been made.
We look forward to helping you and your pet!
Call us nowWe look forward to helping you and your pet!
