VetStem Biopharma Shares News of the Successful Treatment of a Non-healing Chronic Wound and Rear Leg Lameness, with the New Pall V-PET™ Platelet Therapy System
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 07, 2016 -- Meet Pearl, a three year old blue pit bull with three and 3/4 legs; she is missing about a quarter of her right front leg. Pearl was found as a stray on the streets as a battered and malnourished little baby girl. Veterinarians were not able to determine exactly what caused her leg disfigurement, but because of the scar tissue and the scarring around her torso, decided it was highly unlikely she was born that way.
Since she was a puppy she has always gotten along just fine with three and 3/4 legs. Pearl’s owner, Julia, had a prosthetic leg made for her at a young age to help her keep up with the other dogs. She loved to run, swim, fetch balls, jump and play with other dogs.
Then this past September Pearl began to develop a wound on her stump. Julia consulted with a holistic veterinarian and a western medicine veterinarian about how to heal her wound but nothing was successful. They tried antibiotics, several different wound dressings, nutritional supplements and laser therapy. The wound stopped Pearl from being able to wear her prosthetic and quickly became a chronic wound that was constantly bleeding. The only solution that any veterinarian had for how to deal with the wound was to amputate the entire leg. At that time, Julia wasn’t ready to have Pearl’s leg amputated so she kept on with the current routine: dressing the wound twice daily, some oral supplements that were supposed to help with wound healing, and doing laser therapy on the wound 2 to 3 times a week. But the wound wouldn’t get better! It just kept getting worse, until it started to seem like limb amputation was going to be her only answer.
Then in October Pearl had another setback. She began limping more than usual and with another trip back to the veterinarian, x-rays and a physical exam revealed that Pearl had partially torn her cruciate ligament, more commonly known as her ACL, on her right hind knee. Her right side was already her compromised side, so Julia was very worried about this and wanted to get her ACL fixed as soon as possible. Pearl was bearing almost all her weight on her 2 left legs, because her right hind leg had a partial tear in the ACL and her right front leg didn’t touch the ground. Needless to say she wasn’t able to do much more than get up to eat and use the restroom. Otherwise she was confined to the dog bed. Julia started doing laser therapy on the injured knee two to three times a week as well as more supplements that her veterinarian recommended.
Then came the big day, the surgery consultation - which Julia had been dreading. Pearl and Julia met with a surgeon, Dr Holly Mullen at VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center in San Diego,, who came highly recommended, to discuss options to get Pearl back to her old self. They talked about ACL surgery and leg amputation, both of which could be done during one procedure so that Pearl only had to go through one big surgery. During the surgery consultation, however, Dr Mullen suggested some alternatives to surgery that they could try. Dr Mullen suggested trying the VetStem Platelet Therapy system V-PET™. While this option was not a 100% guarantee to fix the problems, it has been shown to work well in many cases. Julia had a big decision to make and what it really came down to was that the alternative therapies had much less recovery time and that there was a chance to save her little short front leg. So after much deliberation and going back and forth on how to maximize Pearl’s chances and minimize her expenses, Julia and Dr Mullen decided to try the Platelet Therapy treatment first. If it didn’t work then they would have to do the big ACL surgery and limb amputation.
“At the time of the procedure I wasn’t sure if I made the right decision but now I can say that without a doubt I made the right choice for Pearl” said Julia. “Within two weeks of the Platelet Therapy treatment you could see a tremendous increase with the weight she was putting on her right rear leg and by four weeks her stump had completely healed. I am so grateful that I took a chance on this alternative therapy because it worked! It saved me money but more importantly it saved Pearl’s limb.” “Now I know that most people reading this don’t have an animal that has a chronic wound that won’t heal, but I’ll bet a lot of you have animals with partial ACL tears or other similar issues. My word of advice is that you shouldn’t jump to doing a huge surgery. Look at your alternative options first.”
Now, about 10 weeks out from the Platelet Therapy treatment, Julia and Dr Mullen couldn’t be happier. “I rechecked Pearl and she is doing fabulously! Her stump is completely healed and she is able to wear her prosthesis again for short periods of time. She is completely sound in her right rear leg, no lameness at all, and no effusion or pain on palpation of the stifle (knee),” said Dr Mullen.
VetStem Biopharma has the distribution right to the PALL V-PET™ for the United States and Canada. Platelet therapy promotes healing when the body requires help to kick start its natural internal repair processes. Platelets contain a variety of growth factors that, once released, attract progenitor cells, enhance wound healing and stimulate tissue repair. Since the animal is the donor AND recipient of the therapy (autologous therapy), the safety profile is very favorable. The most common uses of platelet therapy are for indications such as hard to heal wounds, tendon and ligament injuries, as well as joint disease (osteoarthritis).
About VetStem Biopharma
VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-lead company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego (California), currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients’ own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 12 years and 11,000 patients treated by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality beyond the realm of research. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. The company’s stated mission being “to extend and enhance the lives of animals by improving the quality of recovery in acute conditions, but also by unlocking ways to slow, stop and ultimately revert the course of chronic diseases”. In addition to its’ own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a portfolio of over 55 issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.
About VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center
VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego utilizes the latest in state of the art equipment and technologies and has consistently earned the top rating from the American Animal Hospital Association. We have been working closely with referring primary care veterinarians for the health of pets since 1972. The hospital offers a comprehensive team of professionals with specialized expertise that complements the quality care provided by primary care veterinarians. Our doctors, board-certified veterinary specialists, and emergency and critical care veterinarians work in a sophisticated environment with the most advanced veterinary medical equipment and techniques. http://www.vcaspecialtyvets.com/emergency
Contacts:
Kristi Hauta
Marketing Operations Manager
VetStem Biopharma
khauta(at)vet-stem(dot)com
Ph (858) 748-2004 ext 208
12860 Danielson Court, Suite B
Poway, CA 92064
http://www.vetstem.com
Holly Mullen, DVM, DACVS
Veterinary Specialist- Surgery
VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center
2317 Hotel Circle South
San Diego, CA 92108
Ph (619) 299-2400
http://www.vcaspecialtyvets.com/emergency
Kristi Hauta, VetStem Biopharma, http://www.vet-stem.com/, +1 858-748-2004 Ext: 208, [email protected]
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