Around 3000 Medivet Adipose Stem Cell procedures by over 200 vets in the first 2 years. Would love to see the month by month stats to see how (presumably) these numbers have been growing. 2014 looks like it will be a great year and here is a recent story that reiterates the success of the procedure for starters.
A dog's life: Pet owners turn to stem cells to alleviate pain
By Brian Leaf Rockford Register Star Posted Dec. 21, 2013 @ 6:08 pm
ROCKFORD - Buddy the black Labrador is like a puppy again.
At age 7, he no longer suffers from debilitating arthritis. A spring is back in the big boy's step, thanks to a miracle elixir, stem cell treatment, that has made his creaky joints young again.
For now.
Stem cell therapies are becoming popular in the veterinary world, turning hypodermic needles into fountains of youth for pets like Buddy the biotech lab.
Just how long Buddy's pain stays at bay is anyone's guess, but Pat Kelly is pleased that the $1,500 treatment his 105-pound companion received this year appears to be working.
Fat was harvested from Buddy's abdomen. Stem cells were extracted from the fat and activated. Two hours later they were injected into arthritic joints and given intravenously.
Inside the body, stem cells create tissue to replace damaged tissue. MediVet America, a Kentucky firm that markets the "world's first affordable in-house stem cell procedure kit" to veterinarians, said stem cells regenerate cartilage in joints but can be used to treat tendon and ligament damage and fractures.
For arthritis, the company claims "positive clinical improvement" in 95 percent of treatments nationwide, but it makes no guarantees.
But Buddy "has continued to get better," said Kelly, who has a baking business, Pat the Pie Guy, that he runs from his home.
What's going on
Controversy has followed stem cells in the U.S., where early breakthroughs using human embryonic stem cells pitted science against religious belief.
Until recently, the only source of stem cells was the inner cell mass of an embryo, which right-to-life and anti-abortion groups vehemently opposed on moral grounds.
But scientists have been developing treatments based on non-embryonic stem cells to treat a variety of ailments.
Some therapies for humans are in clinical trials to determine whether they are safe. Results are years away, but some patients aren't waiting; they're accessing stem cell treatments through the "medical tourism industry" at overseas clinics.
But veterinary medicines aren't held to the same scrutiny in the U.S. Buddy traveled less than two miles from Kelly's home to Hillcrest Animal Hospital, 227 N. Alpine Road.
"There have been very few controlled studies for stem cell therapy in veterinary medicine to demonstrate a benefit from the use of stem cells," Suzanne Berry-Miller, a University of Illinois stem cell researcher, said in an email. "Despite this, stem cell therapy is being offered at many veterinary clinics (usually for a lot of money)."
Veterinarians are using stem cells to treat arthritis, tendons and inflammation in horses, dogs and cats.
A dog's tale
Buddy was 4 months old when Kelly and his wife, Susan, adopted him from a no-kill shelter in Genoa.
His troubles started two years ago while the Kellys vacationed near Hayward, Wis. Buddy was playing with several other dogs when Kelly heard him yelp. Buddy had snapped a tendon in his back leg and became, essentially, a three-legged dog.
He had surgery on the tendon in his back leg and limped around on the other three as he healed. But while the repaired leg got better, the other rear leg got progressively worse. Buddy's hip began to hurt to the touch.
Kelly said he didn't want to put Buddy through more surgery and an additional four to six months recovery. One day he was talking about Buddy with a friend, who mentioned stem cell treatment. Kelly hadn't heard about it, but the friend told him about an Appaloosa horse that was about to be put down because of a bad leg. Three months after stem cell treatment, the horse was well enough to take a rider again.
Kelly called Hillcrest, which has been providing stem cell therapy since 2011. He said he was told the treatment might help. Or it might not.
Nine months after receiving treatment, Buddy is back to chasing squirrels. Before treatment, Buddy struggled to get up from the floor and could no longer jump up on the couch.
"He is like a puppy again," Kelly said.
'The unknown'
Sheri Maloney, a certified veterinary technician at Hillcrest, said the owners of older animals see stem cell treatment as a way to improve the animals' quality of life.
"We find it works best for arthritis, even though it works for other things as well," she said.
Kelly said the treatment was expensive, but relatives kicked some money into a Buddy fund to pay for it.
So far, it has been a price worth paying.
"Buddy's got his spunk back," Kelly said.
Kelly said he hopes the treatment provides his Buddy with years of mobility, although he's under no illusion that the solution is permanent.
"That is the unknown. There is no guarantee."
MLA Price at posting:
27.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
