Pocono News Section

Stem Cell Therapy Available for Dogs

Stem Cell Therapy Available for Dogs - Monday, May 4, 2009 at 4:28PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, May 4, 2009 @ 04:28pm EST
SAYLORSBURG, MONROE COUNTY - While stem cell therapy is not yet approved for human medicine, it is now approved to help animals. Vets take the cells from adult animals so no embryos are used.

Sharon Hall says she has two daughters. Two year old Olivia, and six year old Athena. Athena is a dog. Hall said, "She is part of the family - she's not just a dog to us - she's another daughter." So it pains Sharon to see Athena in pain. She said, "She's been battling a bad case of arthritis for a couple of years."

A new procedure may be able to help the dog. Veterinarian Karin Susan-Breitlauch does stem cell therapy. It requires sedation twice. The first time the doctor surgically removes fat from the pet. She sends the fat to a lab that extracts the stem cells. Then, during the second sedation, she injects the stem cells into the dog.

Dr. Karin said, "Adult stem cells are attracted to inflammation and go and become the cells that are right next to them." The doctor injected stem cells into Athena's knee and hips. She also gave her an intravenous dose. The entire process cost about $2,000.

"We could never put a price tag on our family member," said Hall.

The doctor expects to see results within six weeks. So Hall hopes both of her daughters will be able to run around together soon. "She has a lot of years left and we went them to be good quality," said Hall.

The doctor has been performing stem cell therapy since December. She said the results have been amazing. She also does the procedure on cats.