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VetStem Biopharma Shares the Success Story of Yoshio who was Treated with VetStem Cell Therapy by Dr. Kim Carlson

Yoshio, an Akita, was treated for osteoarthritis in his hocks and carpus with VetStem Cell Therapy by Dr. Kim Carlson of North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group.

2020-03-10 --

Yoshio, an Akita, has bilateral hock (ankle) dysplasia which caused painful osteoarthritis in the joints. He also has osteoarthritis in his right front carpus (wrist). At 9.5 years old, he was unable to jump on the bed or stand with his hocks at the proper angle. This caused discomfort and spasms in his lower back and he was unable to walk any distance.

His owner pursued an intensive physical therapy regimen. Yoshio exercised on an underwater treadmill and also received cold laser therapy. In addition, Yoshio lost weight to help reduce the stress on his ailing joints. After four months of physical therapy and minimal relief, Yoshio’s owner decided to pursue treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy.

Yoshio’s veterinarian, Dr. Kim Carlson of North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group, began the process by collecting fat from Yoshio’s abdomen in a minimally invasive anesthetic procedure. The fat was aseptically packaged and priority shipped in a temperature controlled container to the VetStem laboratory in Poway, California. Once received, VetStem lab technicians processed the fat to extract Yoshio’s stem and regenerative cells for injectable stem cell doses. Yoshio’s stem cell injections were sent back to Dr. Carlson who received and injected them approximately 48 hours after the initial fat collection. Yoshio received one injection into each hock, an injection into his right carpus, and an intravenous injection.

Yoshio’s owner reported that he experienced very little downtime following the stem cell procedure. She noticed improvement in Yoshio within one week following the injections. Yoshio’s owner stated he “can run, jump up on beds, stand with hocks at the correct angle, and is stronger” following the stem cell procedure.

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 elbow it was found that stem cells reduced lameness and pain.

About Kim Carlson, DVM, DACVS
Dr. Carlson received her DVM from the University of Illinois in 2001. She went on to complete a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center of New York, as well as a surgical internship at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center. Dr. Carlson completed her surgical residency at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 to become a board-certified surgeon. She has been VetStem Credentialed since 2007 and has provided VetStem services for over 200 patients.