|
Dogs undergo stem cell therapy
May 26,
2011
Christie
Carlo checks on Brutus as he is wheeled
out of a surgical room at Avondale
Veterinary Healthcare Complex in Des
Moines on Wednesday. Brutus's owner is
hopeful stem cell therapy will bring
relief for the dog's severe elbow and
hip dysplasia.
Mike
Hutchinson holds a specimen container as
Christie Carlo removes fat tissue from
Brutus. Dennis Woodruff, in the red cap,
does the same to Dusty in an adjoining
operating room in Des Moines.
Photograph
by John Gaps III, The Des Moines
Register
How it works:
• The
veterinarian cuts an incision in the
animal and removes a small amount of
fatty tissue.
• The stem cells are separated from the
fatty tissue.
• LED light activates the stem cells.
• Finally, the newly activated cells are
injected into the animal's damaged
joints, including areas affected by
osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia and by
tendon, ligament and cartilage injuries.
Written
by
KATHRYN STINSON
About “Brutus”
Natalie
Parks has never seen her dog run, walk
or play as a normal pet would. She
adopted Brutus, now 8 years old, in 2004
and said he's had a laundry list of
health problems. Parks, 29, of Ankeny,
said Brutus struggles with severe elbow
and hip dysplasia, which means some
joints are deformed and moving is
difficult and painful.
"I didn't have him as a puppy, and I
never got to see him run," she said.
"He has a day-to-day struggle, and it
makes me want to cry." On
Wednesday, Brutus was one of two dogs to
undergo Iowa's first in-clinic stem cell
therapy procedures, operations that
should help them move freely and without
pain. Doing the operations in one place
is simpler and saves time and money.
Parks chose stem cell therapy after
other therapies and medications didn't
work. Stem cells have special
regenerative abilities. They are taken
from the sick animal and used to repair
damage from degenerative diseases.
Veterinarians Dennis Woodruff and
Christie Carlo did the therapy on the
dogs Wednesday morning at Avondale
Veterinary Healthcare Complex in Des
Moines. They were guided by Mike
Hutchinson, a veterinarian and spokesman
for MediVet-America, a Kentucky company
that developed in-house kits that he
said allow for a simpler, quicker and
more efficient stem cell therapy
procedure.
First, a small incision is made on the
abdomen or shoulder and fat is removed.
Then, during an hour-long process, the
stem cells are separated from the
animal's fatty tissue. The cells are
activated using a special light that
jump-starts millions of dormant stem
cells, Hutchinson said. Finally, the
activated cells are injected back into
the animal's damaged joints, where they
zero in on inflamed areas.
If successful, the procedure increases
range of motion and flexibility and
decreases pain. Hutchinson said he has
experienced a 95 percent success rate
through more than 240 procedures.
"This is the single biggest
breakthrough I've seen in my career, and
it isn't going away," Hutchinson
said. "To me it's like 'Star Trek.' I
couldn't ever dream of something like
this in the past."
Forms of stem cell therapy have been
done in Iowa before, but this was the
first completely in-house procedure.
The old procedure, Hutchinson said,
required the fatty tissue to be
separated and activated at another
facility, which took more time and a lot
more money. Also, many cells died while
being transported, he said.
The
technology costs about $2,000 for dogs,
half the cost of the old procedure,
according to a news release.
Carlo and Woodruff, who work at
Avondale, said stem cell therapy
provides another option for pet owners
with animals for which medication is not
preferred or is not working.
"Medications reach a ceiling,"
Carlo said. "Then it's time to try
something else." "The procedure
can be useful for many animals",
Woodruff said. "It's easy on
the pet, too," he said. "It's a
real opportunity for dogs in the area,
especially because you come in for a day
and go back (home)." It will
take about four weeks for the two owners
to see a change in their dog's mobility.
For Kathie Ellis, 61, owner of Dusty, an
11-year-old yellow Lab that also
underwent the procedure, that moment
can't come soon enough. "We are
cautiously optimistic." Ellis said.
"She's a triathlete in her mind, just
not her body."
|
