Therapies for both age and injury related joint diseases in our animal friends have really come a long way. We already offer plenty of affordable options to keep our four legged friends running like champs for a few extra years on average – But are we on the brink of yet another game-
changer?
Slowly gathering steam amongst our southern neighbours; stem cell therapy has been really taking off recently and improving the mobility of dogs, cats and horses alike since 2005. The technique which has been most successfully applied in the veterinary world is more specifically labelled – Adipose Derived Stem Cell Therapy. Adipose refers to fat, which is actually how stem cells are collected rather simply from just below the skin – fortunately most of our four legged patients have plenty of fat cells to spare. Don’t let their origin fool you though, stems cells derived from fat are just as potent and useful for a huge variety of applications as any other stem cells. Already multiple well-derived and well-controlled studies have demonstrated major benefits to mobility in pets. Once a sample is “harvested” owners don’t need to concern themselves with needing more samples in the future. That’s because cells are actually grown or “cultured” in a lab and kept safe until needed in the event of an injury or your pet simply reaches his or her golden years and starts to have trouble with mobility.
But.. Are these the same controversial stem cells we hear about in the news? Well the short answer is no. The stem cells used are actually adult stem cells found living and derived from bone marrow, fat tissue, skin, liver, blood vessels, and neurons. This is contrary to embryonic stem cells which are found in tissues such as embryos or placentas. Thus by using adult stem cells – we circumvent any moral or ethical concerns which often arise regarding stem cell harvesting.
Stem cell therapy has a very promising future but the treatment of osteoarthritis and other joint diseases may be just the beginning. We very much look forward to offering stem cell therapy across all our Muskoka branches and to helping your pet live and age more comfortably with the newest advances in veterinary medicine.
