Therapy Treatment for Cats and Dogs That Suffer From Arthritic Pain

March 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Dr. Gregory Paplawsky of Cascade Hospital for Animals is now certified to do a one-of-a-kind stem cell therapy to treat dogs and cats suffering from arthritic pain.  Credentialed for the Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell (VSRC) therapy, available to vets only since January, 2008, Dr. Paplawsky can now treat arthritis and tendon and ligament injuries in dogs and cats.

San Diego-based Vet-Stem, the nation’s only company offering veterinarian’s fat-derived stem cell therapy, has developed a procedure that isolates stem and regenerative cells from the animal’s own fat for a therapeutic injection into the injured tissue. The cells are isolated and returned to the authorized veterinarian for treatment of the injured animal within 48 hours.  

“This is a breakthrough. The cells aren’t foreign to the body, engineered or modified in any way,” says Dr. Robert Harman, founder of Vet-Stem. “Fat stem cell therapy avoids the ethical concerns surrounding embryonic stem cell research because our process uses the animal’s own fat to isolate adult stem cells.”

After having clients successfully treat close to 3,000 tendon and ligament injuries in horses, Vet-Stem has nationally unveiled its online veterinary training course to small animal veterinarians. Once a veterinarian completes the VSRC therapy credentialing course, they will have the education to use VSRCs to treat arthritis, fractures and tendon and ligament injuries in dogs.

“We’ve seen stem cell therapy help dogs whose pain was previously so severe that they struggled to stand, jump into cars, chase balls or run up and down stairs,” said Dr. Harman. “Stem cell therapy stimulates healthy cells to grow within the injured area, spurring regeneration.”

Since 2005, Vet-Stem has worked with selected veterinarians who have treated dogs with arthritis and tendon and ligament injuries. Initial studies demonstrate that administration of VSRCs into a joint significantly decreases pain, and improves comfort in the majority of cases. The duration of the benefit from a single injection varies from several months to more than one-and-a-half years.

Clinical trials studying the use of VSRCs for arthritis in dog elbows, hips, and knees have concluded with successful results published January 2008 and October 2008.  Vet-Stem is currently conducting studies for the use of VSRC therapy for internal medicine conditions as well.

Cascade Hospital for Animals is dedicated to setting the standard of excellence in veterinary care by offering the expertise of eight veterinarians and a dedicated staff of 64 professionals.  They work together to provide quality, compassionate, state-of-the-art veterinary care for patients and their families.  The hospital has garnered a loyal following of clients, as exhibited by being voted the area’s favorite veterinary hospital five consecutive years by the readers of Grand Rapids Magazine.

Contact Cascade Hospital for Animals today, to see if fat stem cell therapy is the answer for your best friends aches and pains.

Visit http://www.chfa.net or call (616) 949-0960 for more information.

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Cascade Hospital for Animals is a full-service Animal Hospital providing quality, compassionate medical care for dogs, cats and other small pets in the greater Grand Rapids area. Open 7 days a week to serve your needs and those of your pet.