Press Releases

Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center Gives Castle Rock Golden Retriever a Second Chance to Enjoy Life with Stem Cell Therapy

Five year old Golden Retriever Deuce Preston's pain had become so bad in the last year that he required pain medication just to get around, but only five months after his stem cell therapy his owner reports he is "running and jumping around with no issue"

2013-09-17 --

Over the course of last year, Deuce, a five year old Golden Retriever, was being treated by Dr. Cheryl Adams at Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center of Castle Pines for pain that had became so severe that he would require pain medication to get around on most days. Dr. Adams turned to stem cell therapy in April to battle Deuce’s pain, and just five months since Deuce’s stem cell therapy his owner, Laura Preston, is happy to report that “He has very few sore days, and I have not seen him be stiff or lame in a few months.”

Deuce was only four when he started to show signs of discomfort in his back legs. As a Golden Retriever, Deuce can be expected to live an average of 11 active and energetic years, but as a youngster he collided with another dog playing on the beach when he lived in warm San Diego. There were no immediate effects from the accident, but his first winter in cold Colorado brought some issues to owner, Laura’s attention.

Deuce was having difficulty getting up from a lying position, walking around the house, or just standing for any length of time. Never mind the fun activities he used to enjoy like long walks in his beautiful home of Castle Rock, Colorado, or enjoying a swim. Dr. Adams and Deuce’s owners refused to allow him to live with such a decreased quality of life at the young age of five.

Dr. Adams collected a small portion of Deuce’s fat, which naturally has stem cells in it, and sent it to Vet-Stem’s lab in San Diego, California. In 48 hours Dr. Adams received a concentrated number of Deuce’s own stem cells for injection into his hocks. Dr. Adams and Deuce’s owners hoped stem cells would improve Deuce’s quality of life by decreasing his pain enough to allow him to stop daily medication and enjoy the activities he used to love so much.

“The first few weeks after stem cells he was like a one year old puppy,” Laura described, “Running and jumping around with no issues.” Slowly increasing Deuce’s movement over time, he was able to return to his full activity level and by three months he had only one noticeably sore day a week. “He can run and swim fine,” Laura states, “All in all he has great improvement!”

Deuce’s veterinarian, Dr. Adams, has been a long-time supporter of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine in animals. In 2005, Dr. Adams began working with Vet-Stem as a clinical study investigator, and became one of the first credentialed Veterinarians for stem cell treatment. She was involved in the initial small animal clinical studies utilizing autologous, fat derived, stem and regenerative cells to treat orthopedic conditions. She is a published author who in 2007 received an award for Regenerative Stem Cell use in companion animals.

The Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center of Castle Pines is proud to be a designated Center of Excellence for Vet-Stem Regenerative Veterinary Medicine, and for their breakthrough work in stem cell therapy. ARWC continues to help with the investigation of the use of stem cell therapy for other diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), select neurologic diseases, kidney disease, some liver disease, and atopy (skin allergies), with the goal to achieve optimal wellness and health in companion animals of all ages. ARWC is a referral center committed to helping companion pets recover from illness, injury and surgery.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. 
Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.’s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine, visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.