Press Releases

Veterinarian Dr. Patrick Leadbeater Brings VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy to the Island of Kauai

2018-11-13 --

Renowned Honolulu veterinarian, Dr. Patrick Leadbeater, has begun offering VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy to patients on the island of Kauai. Dr. Leadbeater, of Kahala Pet Hospital on Oahu, is a skilled surgeon who has been providing stem cell services since 2009. Recently, he began traveling to the island of Kauai on an almost weekly basis to perform surgery at Kapaa Animal Clinic. In October 2018, Dr. Leadbeater collected fat from his first stem cell patient at Kapaa Animal Clinic.

Dr. Leadbeater became credentialed to perform VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy in 2009 and has since treated over 50 patients. He primarily uses stem cell therapy to treat osteoarthritis as well as cruciate ligament injuries. As the first veterinarian on the island of Kauai to offer VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy, Dr. Leadbeater is working on building the trust of pet owners and referring veterinarians. According to Dr. Leadbeater, “Residents of Kauai are very reluctant to ship pets to Oahu. That concern has been a major impetus in my effort to take the service to Kauai.”

Once Dr. Leadbeater has identified a patient as a good candidate for stem cell therapy, he begins the process with a fatty tissue collection. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia however it is minimally invasive. Dr. Leadbeater packages the fat in sterile containers and ships it to the VetStem laboratory in San Diego, California. Once received, VetStem lab technicians process the fat and concentrate the stem cells to create injectable stem cell doses. Those doses are then shipped to Dr. Leadbeater who injects them back into the same patient approximately 48 hours after the initial fat collection. Dr. Leadbeater summed up the process in a recent blog post about stem cells.

VetStem Biopharma has been providing autologous stem cell services for veterinarians across the United States and Canada since 2003. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types, reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues. In a peer-reviewed study of dogs with chronic osteoarthritis of the hip joint, it was found that stem cells reduced lameness and pain.

About Patrick Leadbeater, DVM, MRCVS
Dr. Patrick Leadbeater was born in England and obtained his DVM at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. Following graduation, he interned separately with the two most prominent veterinary surgeons of the time, who were considered founding fathers of modern veterinary surgery. He was also accepted as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London, England. Since moving to Oahu in 1979, Dr. Leadbeater has been known for providing the most up-to-date, compassionate and complete veterinary service in Hawaii.