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Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs and Cats in Winter Haven, FL

Stem cell therapy is still a new form of treatment, but it shows promise. Veterinary Healthcare Associates in Winter Haven, FL can offer this therapy as an option for dogs and cats with certain degenerative conditions, such as arthritis, but there is hope that in the not-so-distant future, it can be used to treat many more conditions.

Want to find out more, or see if your pet is a candidate for stem cell therapy?

Give us a call today at (863) 324-3340.

What are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are harvested from your pet’s very own fatty tissue. They can also be found in the bone marrow and blood plasma. They are unspecialized cells, or “blank slates” that are able to divide and develop into all manner of specific types of cells, including blood, organ, bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle tissue cells. Their job is to replace dead or damaged tissue by becoming the cells needed to repair the affected area. Stem cell therapy is considered a regenerative medicine, which gives the body what it needs to regenerate tissue that has been damaged beyond repair.

How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?

The primary use of stem cells is to treat sickness and heal injuries. The entire procedure can be broken into 3 stages:

First, the stem cells are extracted via a small incision while your pet is under anesthesia

Second, we need to send these fat cells to a specialized lab so the stem cells can be extracted and concentrated

Finally, we inject these concentrated stem cells into affected area

What is Most Commonly Treated with Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy is currently used most often for treating osteoarthritis in dogs and cats. Other possible uses can include repairing bone, ligament, and spinal cord injuries, and treating liver and kidney disease. We cannot recommend stem cell therapy for the treatment of cancer, because it could have the opposite effect and cause the cancer to spread more quickly.

How Effective is the Procedure?

There are currently no major studies available proving that stem cell therapy is 100% effective 100% of the time. Right now, anecdotal evidence from veterinarians and pet parents is the best we have to go on. That being said, there are studies in progress at the urging of the American Veterinary Hospital Association which we hope will shed more light on this treatment and what it can do for our four-legged family members.