Press Releases
VetStem Biopharma is pleased to share the success story of Lady who was treated at Aloha Pet and Bird Hospital with Stem Cell therapy
- Lady, a nine year old Shetland sheepdog, was treated with success for arthritis and a cruciate tear with VetStem Cell therapy by Dr Jeff Christiansen of Superior Veterinary Surgical Solutions at Aloha Pet and Bird Hospital.
2016-06-06 --
Lady had been battling arthritis since the age of two and at the age of eight she tore her cruciate ligament in her left knee. Lady’s owner Hannah sought the help of Dr Jeff Christiansen, a central Florida board-certified veterinary surgeon, to repair her cruciate ligament and help with the pain of Lady’s arthritis. Dr Christiansen suggested that in conjunction with the surgical repair of Lady’s cruciate ligament, that he also perform Stem Cell Therapy in her other joints affected with arthritis. Dr Christiansen has used stem cell therapy with VetStem, for cruciate ligaments, meniscus injuries, as well as osteoarthritis of the hips and other joints for many years. He has treated over 70 patients with VetStem Cell Therapy since 2012.
Dr Christiansen performed a simple surgery on Lady to collect fat and sent it overnight to VetStem’s lab in California for processing. Once processed the stem cells were quality checked and the injectable doses of Lady’s stem cells were sent overnight to Dr Christiansen at Aloha Pet and Bird Hospital. Within 48hrs of collecting the fat sample from Lady, Dr Christiansen was able to inject stem cells into her left hip and left knee as well as both carpi along with an intravenous dose to begin the healing process.
Lady’s owner Hannah is very happy with the outcome, she said “Prior to the stem cell treatments, Lady had a hard time going from a sit-to-stand position and would go outside for no more than 10 minutes at a time. Now she goes on 30-50 minutes walks. She is far more playful than she was before the stem cell treatment. The stem cell treatment has been life changing for my fur baby. I would highly recommend stem cell therapy!” Lady has several doses of stem cells stored with VetStem, so should she need additional injections in the future they are available for her.
Stem cell therapy can be an alternative for pets that are unable to take anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) or have digestive issues, as well as pets that need long-term pain management. Because the stem cells come directly from the patient risk is low, and the procedure is natural. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types as well as being able to reduce pain and inflammation thus helping to restore range of motion and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues (http://www.vet-stem.com/science.php). In a study using VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy on dogs with osteoarthritis of the hip joint it was found that regenerative cell therapy as provided by VetStem (adipose-derived stem cells) decreases patient discomfort and increases patient functional ability.
Even if a pet is not an immediate candidate for stem cell therapy, but is undergoing an orthopedic or other type of surgery with Dr Christiansen, he offers the ability to collect a small sample of fat to process and save for the future. When stem cells are needed, this small sample is grown to get enough cells to use for treatment. VetStem has the ability to cryo-bank stem cells and grow them in the future to provide doses when needed. This service is called StemInsure for dogs, and provides the insurance for a pet to have a lifetime of stem cell therapy available from a single sample collection.
