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American Dogs Can Use Stem Cell Treatment, Americans Can Not
While Americans must go overseas to be treated for heart disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and
arthritis using their own adult stem cells, at least American dogs can be given stem cell therapy in the United States. The treatment using the dogs own stem cells is helping the dogs recover from arthritis and various other ailments.
Adult Stem Cells Help With Arthritis
In 2008, Carol Ball had a springer spaniel named Joey who was suffering from arthritis. Carol had already had another dog euthanized due to the pain of arthritis a couple of years earlier and did not want to lose another one to the same condition. However, this time, her veterinarian was offering a stem cell treatment using adult stem cells taken from the dog's fat.
From the
stem cell news story:
In the therapy, stem cells, which produce chemicals that reduce inflammation and pain, are extracted from the animal's own fatty tissue. The cells are then injected directly back into the arthritic joints, where they can develop or change into other cells necessary for repair.
Pets that receive the treatment typically find relief within a month or two, says Keith Clement, the veterinarian at Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital who cared for Joey, but results have been observed as early as within three days of treatment.
Before the stem-cell therapy, Joey used to lag behind during walks. Since the treatments, Ball says 4-year-old Joey simply doesn't wear out and keeps busy roughhousing with her other dogs.
"He has had absolutely no problems," she says. "He's a very active dog. We do a lot of off-leash running and hiking together. His life is wonderful."
Although some countries use the same stem-cell therapies on humans to treat conditions such as arthritis, it has not received Food and Drug Administration approval for human use in the U.S.
Since April 2008, Clement has treated 45 to 50 dogs and one cat. All but five of the pets were treated for arthritis, he says, the most common application for the stem-cell procedure. Vet-Stem also approves experimental use of the treatments for issues such as liver disease and kidney disease.
About 85 percent of patients respond to treatment, Clement says, and it's unknown why it's ineffective in some animals.
The therapy has no side effects, Clement says. The only risks are those faced anytime an animal receives anesthesia, which is required for Clement to surgically remove the samples of fat from the patient's abdominal area before sending them to Vet-Stem.
The veterinarian, Keith Clement, also has used the stem cell research to help his very own dog.
On average, stem-cell therapy costs $2,700 to $3,000 for the treatment of three to four joints, Clement says. B
The veterinarian, Keith Clement, also has used the stem cell research to help his very own dog.
For many pet owners, the treatment is worth the investment, Clement says. His own golden retriever, Buster, who suffers from severe hip dysplasia, had the treatment when he was 7 months old to slow and curb arthritic changes.
"If you have to put a dog to sleep because of chronic joint pain, it's horrible. To be able to offer something that will extend their life and their quality of life ... is a good thing," he says.
Can Americans Get A Better Quality of Life Too?
It is sad that this therapy isn't available to American people who suffer from arthritis and other conditions on a daily basis. This treatment is available overseas, but the US FDA wants to "protect" us from receiving a better quality of life with little risk and no side effects and does not allow stem cell treatment in the USA.