Regenerative stem cell therapy is an exciting new treatment that is now available at VCA Chatoak Animal Hospital for pets with pain and degeneration of joints because of arthritis. This is a natural approach that uses your pet’s own natural healing cells to regenerate cartilage and other tissues and that can provide significant relief of pain. The goal is to help the body to heal itself.
VCA Chatoak Animal Hospital is pleased to have two veterinarians, Dr. Morshead and Dr. Florio, who are certified in using Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy. This therapy is an important tool in the practice of regenerative medicine and can have profound effects on dogs and cats suffering with the pain and degeneration of joints because of arthritis.
The process requires a minor surgical procedure to harvest a small amount of fat from underneath the skin. This is done during a short period of general anesthesia. The fat is then processed in a lab to extract and concentrate your pet’s own stem cells that are present in that tissue. Stem cells are immature cells that are naturally present in the body. They can differentiate, or mature, into many different kinds of cells to help with the healing process. Once extracted, the cells are then injected into the problem joint, where they change into the correct type of cell, usually cartilage cells or joint lining cells, which help heal the specific area. This can provide a tremendous amount of pain relief, making your pet much more comfortable.
