Therapy Dog Training

Therapy Dog Training

Would you believe that you can now use your dogs fat as a treatment for arthritis? Sounds crazy but it is true. New technology in veterinary medicine exists that is bringing stem cell therapy using fat to dogs as a way to treat arthritis.

Stem cells are primitive, undifferentiated cells within the body. They have the ability to change into any type of tissue within the body such as bone, tendon, cartilage, muscle, nerve, etc. When we talk about stem cells, we group them into two types, embryonic and adult. Embryonic stem cells are the controversial ones since they come from fetal tissue and they have the ability to create an entire person or animal. Adult stem cells are cells that are found in almost every type of tissue in the body and have the capability to differentiate into any type of tissue but not an entire person or animal.

Although embryonic stem cells are extremely powerful, they do have some disadvantages associated with trying to use them. One is trying to get them since they come from fetal tissue and their use is highly controversial. The second problem with using them is that because they are from another person or animal, they are considered foreign material and the body may reject them. Adult stem cells, although not as powerful, have the advantages that they are easy to obtain, and because they come from the same person that is receiving them, there is no chance of rejection by the body.

In dogs, we are using technology to obtain adult stem cells from fat tissue and then use these cells as a treatment for osteoarthritis. In studies, with a single injection, some dogs are showing dramatic improvement in lameness for several months to over a year.

The stem cells being used for this are obtained from fat within the body. Fat, or adipose as it is medically termed, is a great source of adult stem cells, having a 500 greater yield of stem cells than bone marrow for the same amount. The nice part about this is that by using fat, the stem cells do not need to be cultured which usually takes a week or longer. This means that once the fat is harvested, the turnaround time to being able to treat the patient with the adult cells is as quick as 48 hours.

Stem cells work in a number of ways to help with osteoarthritis and other conditions. The main way is that they release substances called trophic factors which stimulate the other cells around the area to do things. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and can differentiate into any cell to stimulate repair of damaged tissues.

The process that is involved with using these cells to treat arthritis in dogs is relatively simple. The first step is harvesting the fat. This procedure does require the dog to be anesthetized and is a sterile surgical procedure so that the fat does not become infected. Fat is obtained from one of three locations in the body where there is always an abundance of fat, the inguinal region, the thoracic region, or the falciform fat which is in the abdomen. Only 15 grams of fat are necessary which is about the size of a large test tube.

Once the fat is harvested, it is sent overnight to a company that processes the fat and extracts the stem cells from it. The company can do this within 12 hours and ships it back overnight so it is back at your doctors hospital within 48 hours from the time it was harvested. The cells are packed in a sterile syringe, ready to be injected into the affected, arthritic joints.

Injecting of the cells can usually be done with just sedation. Although the cells can be injected into the bloodstream and will have an effect at the arthritic joints, it has been found to be more effective if it is injected directly into the affected joints. With a good sample of fat submitted for processing, up to 4 joints can easily be injected with the quantity of cells that are returned.

Results from the stem cells being injected usually take about a month to fully manifest and can last for several months to over a year in some patients. Complications from the procedure are minimal with irritation and swelling at the injection sites and fluid pocket formation where the fat was harvested as the most common problems seen.

Robert Vonau is a board certified veterinary surgeon with a mobile practice in Denver, CO. If you would like to learn more about this technology in dogs or other topics in veterinary surgery, you can visit my site at http://www.petsurgerytopics.com.