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Dr. Geller, D.V.M., emergency veterinarian at Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency Hospital and P.E.T.S. of Northern Colorado in Greeley

In the interest of celebrating, protecting, and sharing the love of the animals in our lives, much research has gone in to making Adult Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy a reality. The procedure is being used with much success by Robin Downing, D.V.M., to bring better quality and longevity of life to many family pets.

Since the regenerative therapy is so new, Dr. Downing is one of the few veterinarians in the area that is performing the procedure. She says she is very proud to be able to bring it to the Northern Colorado area to help her veterinary clients. She says the precise term for adult stem cell therapy is actually adipose-derived regenerative cell therapy. The current application for dogs and cats is in treating osteoarthritis.

“It is a much less invasive procedure than, for example, a total hip replacement for a dog with advanced hip joint osteoarthritis, and much less costly as well. The idea that we can regenerate tissue is very nearly mind-blowing.”

She says there are no problems with body rejection in this procedure because the patient is also the cell owner. And there is no ethical controversy involved, as there is with harvesting embryonic cells in which an embryo must be destroyed. And since regenerative cells live in both animals and humans, this is the leading edge of science that could also help humans with organ or tissue disease.

“The undifferentiated cells used in the therapy are cells that do not yet know what they want to be when they grow up.”

She says these stem cells are found in body fat in animals as well as humans, and can be prepared to develop into nearly any tissue or organ and can be stimulated to develop into cartilage when injected into joints.

“In other words, they become whatever is needed in the body,” says Dr. Downing.

Max Wood works out in the underwater treadmill. Max’s nerve-muscle degeneration made him weak in his rear legs, necessitating a wheelchair. But severe osteoarthritis in his elbows soon made using the wheelchair very painful. Stem cell therapy in his elbows has changed Max’s life. He is now stronger than ever in his front legs and back to enjoying life.

“We have five times more undifferentiated cells in our fat than in our bone marrow (same in dogs). This makes the fat a great source for cells that can be prepared and then injected into the body to develop into needed tissue.”

She says to begin the procedure, 60 to 80 grams of fat is harvested from the patient under general anesthesia, and is then put into special transport tubes and sent to Vet-Stem, the company outside San Diego that developed the process.

“The fat is then processed to extract the undifferentiated cells and prepare them for injection into joints. An intravenous (IV) dose is also prepared, and then any extra cells are ‘banked’ at Vet-Stem for use later if needed,” says Downing. The doses are then sent back to the veterinarian for injection into the affected joints.

The technique was first used with great success by Vet-Stem to treat horses with tendon and ligament injuries, osteochondral defects, and osteoarthritis. They then moved forward to successfully treat degenerative diseases in dogs. Dr. Downing says that Vet-Stem is gathering data about every case that is done in order to compile facts and figures and keep track of what is happening in patients.

“There are additional applications under development and investigation that promise to be huge advancements for pet health, including chronic kidney disease, which is the most common disease process in dogs and cats over the age of eight,” says Dr. Downing. In the near future, Dr. Downing believes these innovations will be able to benefit humans as well as animals.

“I know that one potential application of this technology for humans is in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. But Parkinson’s, osteoarthritis, and other degenerative diseases are applications that may have strong potential.” “As it turns out, dogs and humans share many similarities,” she says.

Many members of America’s reported 69 million pet-owning households already knew that. Recent surveys indicate that more than 50 percent of pet owners treat their dogs and cats like one of their own children. To have procedures that can help our pets have less pain and a longer life is, as Downing says, “very nearly mind-blowing.”

“I look forward to providing regenerative cell therapy to many more dogs and cats with degenerative joint disease to help extend and improve their lives.” +