Vet Uses Stem Cells To Heal Pets By PAUL CATALA pcatala@mediageneral.com The Tampa Tribune Published: January 30,
2009 Five years ago, when
Pam Lowry brought Lucy in to Dr. Jim Antunano's veterinary clinic, the
dog's joints were riddled with arthritis and the problem was getting
worse and more expensive to treat - she was hardly walking. At first, Antunano, who
owns and practices at the Animal Medical Diagnostic Center, 1102 E.
Bloomingdale Ave., treated the 9-year-old dog with conventional
procedures, using non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drugs. A year ago, he
performed surgery on Lucy's knee, but the problem remained and in March,
Antunano and Lowry decided to try a more
revolutionary approach to fixing Lucy's problems: stem cell
regenerative treatment. With stem cell
regenerative treatment,
stem cells are taken from
fat cells of the animal's body, placed in ice packs, shipped and
processed at a laboratory in California, shipped back and injected into
the site of the problem, the same day. The cells then promote
tissue regeneration and alter the progression of the disease. Antunano, a licensed
veterinarian since 1980, said although the procedure is more practical
than traditional surgery, only about 10 to 15 veterinarians around
central Florida are involved with the treatment. Antunano said he
expects the procedure to grow in popularity as
pet owners see its benefits and value. He said traditional bone and
joint
surgery costs about $2,500 plus possibly thousands more in
after-care treatment, while stem cell treatment runs a flat rate of
$3,000. "I think it benefits
all the dogs that have used the procedure. It eliminates having to use
drugs," said Antunano, who's practiced in Valrico, about five miles
north of FishHawk Ranch, for 12 years. "They don't have to do major
surgery. When you get the process going, it completely regenerates the
joint." In addition to his
degree and
veterinary surgery license, Antunano went through a special
certification course with Vet-Stem, the Poway, Calif.-based laboratory
service that enables veterinarians to utilize Vet-Stem Regenerative
Cells. To do that, the vet
collects a small fat sample (about two tablespoons) from the animal,
ships it overnight to the Vet-Stem laboratory in San Diego, Calif. The
company processes the sample, concentrates the cells and ships them
overnight in ready-to-inject syringes. By the third day, the
veterinarian injects the cells directly into the injured site. "Our success in animals
is directly translatable to humans," said veterinarian Dr. Robert
Harman, chief executive officer of Vet-Stem Inc., on the company's Web
site. Within 30 to 45 days, Antunano said, dogs that used stem cell
regeneration were back to walking, running and jumping like they were
two years old again. Lowry said that's
exactly what happened. "I highly recommend
this. It's like I have a new dog. She likes to jump around; she was
absolutely miserable before this," said Lowry, who's lived in FishHawk
Ranch with her husband, Ross, for five years. "You can tell she feels
good." Antunano said he thinks
stem cell regenerative treatment is the procedure of the future. "The mobility and loss
of pain associated with
tissue regeneration of the arthritic joint is quite convincing," he
said. "The potential benefits of stem cell therapy improving animal
welfare are limitless." Prior to the advent of
stem cell treatment, pets with bone, joint and arthritic problems were
on steroids, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory agents, pain medications,
acupuncture and injections to relieve joint and disease pain.
Stem cells are found in most multi-cellular organisms and are
characterized by the ability to renew themselves through cell division
and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types.
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