His quality of life was significantly improved and Ole’s owner noted that VetStem Cell Therapy exceeded her expectations.
POWAY, Calif. (PRWEB) November 05, 2019
Ole, a German Shepherd, was demonstrating signs of osteoarthritis in April 2019. He was lame and stiff and had difficulty with stairs and jumping. Though his energy level and his willingness to play were normal, it was clear that he was in pain.
Ole’s owner took him to veterinary surgeon Dr. Holly Mullen of VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego, California. Dr. Mullen is an experienced VetStem user and has provided VetStem Cell Therapy services for over sixty patients. Upon examination, Dr. Mullen diagnosed Ole with severe osteoarthritis in his hips as a result of hip dysplasia. In patients with joint dysplasia, the affected joint is malformed causing the bone to rub irregularly, which can eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Ole was also diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his lower, or lumbar, spine. It was apparent that these issues were causing Ole discomfort.
In an effort to provide relief, Dr. Mullen recommended Ole receive VetStem Cell Therapy. Adipose-, or fat-derived, stem cell therapy is used by veterinarians to treat osteoarthritis and soft tissue injuries. VetStem Cell Therapy utilizes a patient’s natural healing cells which may reduce inflammation, block pain, and regenerate damaged joint tissues.
To begin the process, Dr. Mullen extracted fat from Ole’s abdomen in a minimally invasive anesthetic procedure. The fat was delivered to the VetStem laboratory in Poway, California where it was received and aseptically processed by trained VetStem laboratory technicians. Ole’s stem cells were extracted and concentrated from his fat tissue and dosed out into an injection that was delivered back to Dr. Mullen. Within 48 hours of the initial fat collection, Ole received one intravenous injection of his own stem cells.
As a follow up to his first injection, Ole received additional stem cell injections approximately two months later. This time he received one injection into each hip, injections along the muscles in his back, as well as an intravenous injection.
In a 90-day post stem cell therapy evaluation (approximately 90 days after the first treatment), Ole’s owner reported that he was no longer stiff or painful. She also noticed an improvement in his ability to go up and down the stairs, walk, and jump. His quality of life was significantly improved and Ole’s owner noted that VetStem Cell Therapy exceeded her expectations.
Dr. Mullen’s findings were similar at the 90-day examination. She stated, “He is doing great! He runs around [the owner’s] acreage every day with no overt lameness and no signs of pain…he’s strongly ambulatory with a bouncy gait.”
Like Ole, many dogs suffer from osteoarthritis and unfortunately, treatment options are somewhat limited. For these patients, VetStem Cell Therapy may be an option. According to owners and veterinarians, greater than 80% of dogs showed an improved quality of life after receiving VetStem Cell Therapy for orthopedic conditions. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types, reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues. In a peer-reviewed study of dogs with chronic osteoarthritis of the hip, it was found that stem cells reduced lameness and pain.
About Holly Mullen, DVM, DACVS
Dr. Mullen received her DVM from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. She completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship as well as a residency in small animal surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. In 1990, she became a board-certified veterinary surgeon. Dr. Mullen has been providing VetStem Cell Therapy for over a decade.
About VetStem Biopharma, Inc.
VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-led 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 15 years and 17,000 treatments by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality. 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. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a large portfolio of issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.