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Vet says stem cells brought about "amazing" turnaround for local dog

2013-06-27 -- JONESBORO, IL (KFVS)- It's cutting edge, and it's happening close to home. Jonesboro veterinarian Dr. Charles Haire says he's been astonished by the results of a stem cell procedure done in his office. The patient is an 8-year-old black Labrador retriever named Sylvie who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in 2006. Sylvie's owner, Joyce Samuel, says recently her ailment had gotten so bad that the dog could barely stand up after sitting or lying down. Three weeks ago - Dr. Haire extracted fat cells from Sylvie and sent them to a laboratory in California. The lab separated the stem cells and sent them back to Jonesboro. Dr. Haire then injected the stem cells into Sylvie's hip joints. Samuel says the results have been dramatic. "It's almost like a miracle, it really is," said Samuel. "When you see a dog that's limping and almost dragging their leg, and he just gives her a shot. Three weeks later she's walking, running, playing. It's great." Sylvie was able to stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs for the first time since 2006. Dr. Haire says at first he was skeptical of stem cells science. Now he says he's been astonished by impact the therapy has had on Sylvie. "I thought this was too good to be true, and I've been absolutely amazed," said Dr. Haire. "I think Sylvie actually had an improvement in her gait within two weeks of her injections."

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