A retiree from Fort Lauderdale, Florida was distraught when he realized his dog was struggling to walk.  Paul Jaynes took his 9-year-old Labrador to the vet to see what could be done.  The veterinarian told Mr. Jaynes that his dog had severe joint problems, but they might be treatable through the use of stem cells.

Stem cells were taken from the dog’s fatty cells, processed and re-injected into its joints.  Remarkably within a few weeks the dog was walking again, another successful case of stem cell therapy for animals. 

According to Dr. Jeffrey Peck, a veterinary surgeon in Florida, the evidence for stem cell procedures working in animals is largely anecdotal at this stage.  Some procedures have yielded positive results for animals, but unfortunately many do not.  The procedures can also be expensive, ranging from $1,400 to $3,000.  Currently, stem cell procedures are most often used to treat degenerative joint diseases in dogs.

Veterinarian Dr. Janis Fullenwider suggests that the use of stem cells to treat diseases and injuries in animals has a “bright future”.  This is despite the fact that only a small number of animals have been successfully treated using stem cells.

The good news is that research into stem cell therapy for animals is rapidly growing and the cost of procedures is falling.  New research uses stem cells harvested from umbilical cords of dogs after they give birth.  These stem cells are multipotent so have the ability to be used more successfully in various treatment scenarios.

Because there are fewer restrictions around research involving animals, it is likely that stem cell therapy for animals will evolve at a very rapid pace. 

Source: Does stem cell therapy work for animals?

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