February’s article in JAVMA, the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, focuses on the wonderful possibilities of stem cell therapy, sometimes called regenerative therapy, for arthritis in dogs. This is such a common health issue for our dogs; not a week goes by that I am not asked by dog owners if there is anything new or better to help their pet suffering with arthritis. There seems to be, expensive though it is.
Here’s the bottom line:
There is powerful anecdotal evidence for stem cells as a therapy. Many vets around the country are trying adult stem cells taken from bone marrow and/or fat as a treatment for various orthopedic conditions in dogs, horses, and even cats. These cells are injected into the animal in a treatment called autologous stem cell therapy.
How much is it? Clients pay somewhere between $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 for this treatment.
Does it work? Well, although there are many reports of success, adequate research is not yet there to back it up. We don’t even know exactly how or why it works, if it does. But based on all the work being done into stem cell therapy, it could be that this treatment actually rebuilds tissue. It is very exciting!
What are Stem Cells? Stem cells, as defined by Wikipedia: “Stem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells.â€[i][i]
Where do they come from? Stem cells come from two main sources, embryos and adult tissue. Both are able to differentiate into different cell types (such as skin, muscle, bone, etc.). Adult stem cells do not seem to offer the same potential as embryonic stem cells, as the latter, at least in theory, can become all types of tissue.
Unfortunately, with regard to embryonic stem cells, there has been a great deal of political controversy surrounding research and the use of embryonic stem cells. President George Bush refused to allow federal funding for any research into human embryonic stem cell use. But scientists have welcomed President Barack Obama’s recent decision to allow research on human embryonic stem cells. Perhaps the harnessing of powerful new breakthroughs will mean reduced inflammation and even cures for arthritis in our dogs. And for us too!
Examples and Research: JAVMA’s recent article on their website gives several dramatic examples of vets using stem cell therapy with horses and dogs. Click here to read it.
A pioneer of stem cell therapy with animals is Dr. Douglas J. Herthel, from Los Olivos, California. He tried using stem cells from bone marrow to treat ligament and tendon injuries in horses, in 1995. To his amazement, healing seemed to have been induced by the stem cell treatment, and he continued to employ it for other conditions. More recently, he used this therapy on a donkey rendered quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury. This donkey recovered after the treatment. Dr. Herthel has been quoted as saying, “It’s certainly an exciting time to be in the veterinary field. You’re talking about potential cures for things, rather than just palliation. And you’re also talking about maybe less pharmacological use.â€
One of the companies leading in this field is Vet-Stem, Inc. They are the first company in the USA to offer vets the service of adipose-derived stem cells for their patients – about 8,000-strong so far!  Vet-Stem has sponsored some clinical trials with stem cell therapy; one study found improvements in clinical signs of arthritis in those dogs injected with stem cells, compared with dogs that just received a placebo.[ii][ii]
Is there any risk? Some veterinarians are calling for caution with regard to stem cell therapy. Since there is so little research yet in, these vets would like to wait till the science catches up, in case there is a downside risk not yet presenting. Also, the high expense of such treatment is not justifiable, in these vets’ eyes, at least until there is scientific proof.
What is the possible future for stem cell treatment? It looks very promising and a great deal of research is underway. As for our own cases of inflammation/arthritis we must wait on results of these clinical scientific studies. But in the in the meantime, we are free to try this treatment for our pets, at our and our veterinarian’s discretion.
MORE INFO:
The first peer reviewed double-blinded multicenter study [iii][iii]for adipose-derived stem cell therapy use in canine osteoarthritis of the hip showed significant improvement in all post treatment evaluation times for lameness, pain, and range of motion. Similar results have been obtained for canine elbows and stifles. Read more
Also, check out an interesting video from ABC news on stem cell treatment for search and rescue dogs that helped in 9/11, Katrina, etc… Watch here
Also see: Journal of the American veterinary Association
Also check out Vet-Stem; Vet-Stem.com
Science Daily: Human research: Stem Cells Offer Cartilage Repair Hope For Arthritis Sufferers
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