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Treatment eases arthritis pain in dogs

Tsawwassen Animal Hospital offers stem cell therapy

A local veterinary clinic recently added a cuttingedge treatment.

Dr. Tina Gemeinhardt, owner of Tsawwassen Animal Hospital, is excited to be offering stem cell therapy to animals suffering from arthritis and joint issues.

"I'm excited about trying to bring some relief to dogs that are living in pain," she said.

The therapy, which uses stem cells harvested from fat that is surgically removed from the dog, is, in most cases, able to offer relief from the pain and stiffness associated with

Gemeinhardt said once it's determined the therapy is the right course of treatment for an animal, body fat is surgically removed and sent to a lab in California where the stem cells are harvested. The harvested stem cells are then sent back to the vet clinic within 48 hours and injected into the joints in question.

Gemeinhardt, who added the treatment to the clinic's list of services earlier this year, said it's not quite clear exactly how the stem cells work.

"Stem cells seem to inherently know what needs to be done in that area," she said.

The treatment is not a cure-all - the arthritis is still there but the symptoms are lessened - and it does not work instantly. The vet said most animals start to notice a difference in a month or so, and some might require follow up injections.

She said about 85 per cent of animals receiving stem cell therapy have had a beneficial response, while 15 per cent saw no response.

Beatrice, a seven-yearold chow chow, has seen remarkable results. Owner Rose McClelland said Beatrice had been having problems with arthritis in her hips for years and medication wasn't working any more.

"Beatrice had been on drugs for years and did not tolerate it well," she said.

McClelland said she and her husband lead an active lifestyle with Beatrice, but the canine was having an increasingly difficult time maintaining her usual level of activity.

"The quality of life was decreasing too quickly," she said.

The couple maintains an online dog-walk forum (www.pansy-paws.com/ dogwalks) and documents its experiences at dog parks and on walks with Beatrice around the Lower Mainland.

The couple was considering full hip replacements to help alleviate Beatrice's arthritis when Gemeinhardt suggested stem cell therapy. The couple decided to give it a try and about six weeks after the injections, McClelland said, they started to see a marked difference in Beatrice.

Gemeinhardt said the treatment is not for every animal and potential patients must go through a screening process by the lab.

There's also the associated cost - about $3,500 from beginning to end.