PHILADELPHIA – Stem cell research is a topic that just won’t go a way and for good reason, depending on who your talk to.
Now, some local veterinarians are reportedly using stem cell therapy to treat arthritic dogs, and doing so is turning into a rather profitable business, according to the editor of the Philadelphia Business Journal, Bernie Dagenais.
The procedure involves veterinarians taking fat tissue from an animal — usually disabled dogs — and sending it to a California-based company called Vet-Stem. In a laboratory, the company extracts cells and sends them back in a syringe. That shot is then given to the animal in the area where it has arthritis.
The cutting-edge procedure typically costs $2,500 to $3,500, but the results are said to be dramatic, especially for dogs with arthritis, Dagenais said.
About 1,500 dogs in the country have received this, and a few local centers are doing them. They must be specially certified by Vet-Stem to do the procedure.
“These are the types of procedures that a lot of people will not normally do on a pet. But if you want to go the extra distance, this is a new option that is available and it’s making a big difference,” Dagenais said.
We know all about the controversy surrounding stem cell research and humans. Is the company or local vets doing this kind of therapy, receiving any flack for their actions?
“People get it confused, but this is very different because you’re extracting something from the adult animals themselves. This has nothing to do with the stem-cell controversy that we hear about. … It’s really not dealing with embryos,” Dagenais said.
As people find out about this option, he expects it to be used more often, and the bigger question is whether this will some day be happening for humans, as well.
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