What are stem cells and what is stem cell therapy?
Stem cells are powerful healing cells in the body that can become other types of cells. They are the building blocks of the body tissues.
Stem cells are actually cells that haven’t yet changed into a particular type of cell. These stem cells are known as undifferentiated cells for this reason. Once they become a particular type of cell (for example, bone or cartilage), they are known as differentiated cells.
Stem cell therapy allows us to isolate stem cells from an animal’s own fat tissue, activate them and re-inject them directly into damaged areas.
For example, in the case of a dog who has arthritis, a degenerative condition of the joints, stem cells can become new cartilage cells. This can thus reduce pain and increase mobility.
How does stem cell therapy actually treat arthritis in dogs?
Stem Cell therapy helps to repair and regenerate damaged tissue inside the joints.
Stem cells also:
- Contribute to generating new tissue
- Act as a magnet for stem cells circulating in the body
- Supplement growth factors
- Make extracellular matrix which supports the joint
- Contribute to angiogenesis (new blood vessels)
- Have anti-apoptosis (cell death) properties
- Are anti-inflammatory
- Are anti-fibrotic (preventing fibrous deposits in the joints)
- Participate in the regeneration of injured/diseased tissue via cell differentiation, and in the modulation of signalling pathways via cytokines and resident stem cell activation.
What if I live far away from you?
We understand you may need to travel a distance to have treatment with us. Don’t worry because we cater to pet owners just like you.
We offer evening appointments which gives you ample time to travel to us at your leisure on the day of your dog’s treatment.
As part of the treatment process, we put you up in a lovely hotel with your dog for the evening. Your dog has treatment while you have a good meal. After a relaxing dinner, you pick your dog up from us and head back to your hotel for a good night’s sleep.
What is the stem cell therapy process for dogs?
The treatment is a simple minimally invasive 2-stage process. The procedure is carried out in one day as an outpatient. Patients do not need an overnight stay with us.
Stage 1 – stem cell retrieval
We start by taking some blood tests for anaesthetic safety. Once we are happy with these, we administer a short general anaesthetic. Typically this lasts 30 to 60 minutes.
We then harvest 10 grams of fat from a site just inside the tummy.
Your dog is then woken from the anaesthetic. All stitches are dissolvable and do not need to be removed.
Stage 2 – stem cell implantation
The fat that we have retrieved from your dog’s tummy is then processed in our lab to isolate, concentrate, grow and activate the stem cells. This takes 14-30 days.
Once we have the healthy stem cells we organise a second appointment. During this appointment a short anaesthetic is given and we inject the cells directly into the affected joints.
We then have a strict follow up policy so we keep in constant communication with you about your dog’s progress, mobility and happiness.
Initially we may also need to take x-rays of the affected joints and also a chest x-ray. Where recent, good diagnostic quality x-rays are available from your own vet, we will not need to repeat these.
To learn more please visit our treatments page.
How quickly does stem cell therapy work?
Stem cells start to work in the body immediately and we expect to see an improvement within 3 to 12 weeks.
What if I do nothing?
Possible severe outcomes
Sadly arthritis can get to a point where the joints stop working even with effective pain management.
When a dog is at stage five or end stage arthritis it can stop a dog from being able to walk.
That’s exactly what we are trying to avoid – to treat our dogs before they get to this end stage. Our mission at Stem Cell Vet is to help give every dog the best quality of life possible.
The good news is that each dog is individual and the course of arthritis varies depending on what treatment and pain management regime we advise and whether or not they have stem cell therapy.
Ongoing costs
It has been calculated by pet insurance companies that the average pet owner who has a dog with arthritis will spend £7,000 over a 3 year period on solutions to manage their dog’s condition.
Most of these solutions require ongoing daily, weekly or monthly administration. Stem cell therapy on the other hand may only require one treatment. The benefits of pain reduction and improved mobility can often last the dog’s lifetime.
How long does stem cell therapy last?
The vast majority of dogs we see will only ever need one treatment at Stem Cell Vet.
If a top up is needed, we store your dog’s own cells at a storage bank which means we have the stem cells available and the process is straightforward.
How long does platelet rich plasma therapy last?
PRP treatment generally lasts for 18 months. Some dogs then will benefit from a repeat treatment, while others only ever need one treatment. Usually we perform this treatment alongside or in addition to joint fluid replacement and stem cell therapy.
Will stem cell therapy stop the progression of arthritis?
Stem cell therapy slows the progression of arthritis to a level that significantly improves comfort, reduces pain and improves the quality of life for the patient. The inflammatory process in the joint that causes arthritis, is also significantly improved. Once arthritis in the joint has started, it is very difficult to stop completely which is why we encourage early treatment with stem cell therapy.
What is the cost of stem cell therapy for dogs?
The cost of regenerative treatments such as stem cell therapy, platelet rich plasma and joint fluid replacement therapy, varies for each patient depending on what the dog needs.
Some dogs need treatments given into multiple joints and some dogs need more than one treatment type in each joint. For this reason the treatment cost may vary. All treatment and cost considerations are discussed thoroughly at the vet consultation.
The average cost of full treatment is £6950. This is covered by most pet insurance companies. For those without pet insurance we have finance packages available.
We have protocols and a candidacy check process that ensures we will only ever give treatment when we are confident treating the dog will achieve positive results. This means we may not recommend regenerative therapy for all dogs.
Please also note that the initial telephone consult is free. The vet consultation fee is £250. This will be fully refunded for clients who proceed with treatment.
Is stem cell therapy covered by pet insurance?
Both PRP and stem cell treatments are covered by most insurance policies. However please do get in contact with your insurance company to find out if this treatment is covered under your specific policy.
What are my payment options?
- Insurance: most insurance companies will cover the costs of stem cell therapy.
- Finance: we offer interest free and low interest payment options. Learn more here.
- Debit/credit cards: we accept Visa and Mastercard debit/credit cards and cash.
How successful is stem cell therapy for dogs?
To date we have not treated a dog that has not responded extremely well in terms of increased mobility, pain reduction and increased quality of life.
In the United States the published success rates are that 85% of dogs respond very well to Stem cell therapy.
At Stem Cell Vet, with our clinical protocols and ensuring the treatment is tailored for each individual dog, our results are much higher than this.
Is stem cell therapy for dogs safe?
Yes, all our treatments are minimally invasive and very safe. Treatments are low risk because they use the animal’s own stem cells.
Your dog will be required to undergo a general anaesthetic to remove fat tissue (from which we isolate the stem cells).
We always carry out a full pre-anesthetic blood test and use the safest available anaesthetics.
We have never had an anaesthetic issue at our clinic.
Does my dog need to undergo anaesthesia for stem cell therapy?
Yes, your dog will need to undergo anaesthesia. Some people often worry that their dog may be too old for an anaesthetic. This isn’t true, anaesthesia is safe for older dogs.
- Physiology and health status are more important than chronological age.
- We carry out extensive monitoring before, during and after anaesthesia.
- Anaesthesia dosing is carefully selected.
- We monitor your dog’s anaesthetic constantly.
- We have never experienced any anaesthetic issue at our clinic
Please see our article on anaesthesia for older dogs here.
What treatments do you offer?
- Stem cell therapy
- Platelet rich plasma
- Joint fluid replacement therapy
We take a multi-modal approach to each individual patient in order to achieve the best possible outcome. Our single goal is to significantly improve the lives of the patients under our care. This may mean we advise additional treatments to complement stem cell therapy, including but not limited to:
- Non steroidals
- Nutritional supplements
- Dietary change
- Laser therapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Acupuncture
- Physiotherapy
- Librela
To learn more please visit our treatments page.
Which conditions do you treat?
For Dogs
For Cats
When is the best time to start stem cell treatment?
Ideally we would treat all our patients as soon as they are diagnosed, rather than waiting for the arthritis to progress.
Stem cell therapy slows the progression of arthritis to a level that significantly improves comfort, reduces pain and improves the quality of life for the patient.
The inflammatory process in the joint that causes arthritis is also significantly improved. Once arthritis in the joint has started it is very difficult to stop completely which is why we encourage early treatment with stem cell therapy.
What is the difference between Librela and stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy harnesses the body’s own ability to self repair. Stem cells treat the source of the problem by generating new healthy tissue to heal the joint from within. This has a long term regenerative effect.
Librela is a monthly injection given to dogs to help with pain. Librela temporarily reduces pain but it doesn’t treat the source of the problem, it manages symptoms and requires ongoing administration.
Some dogs can experience side effects and Librela can also stop working for some dogs over time.
Will stem cell therapy help treat Spondylosis?
Spondylosis is a radiographic change where bone spurs or bridges are seen on a spinal x-ray. They are rarely a source of pain but do indicate micro-instability between the vertebrae of the spine.
Stem cell therapy will not treat spondylosis directly, but because it is not considered to be the source of discomfort we usually find that a good orthopaedic exam reveals the source of pain or poor mobility is coming from joints such as the hips. Generally treatment of these joints alleviates pain, improves mobility and greatly improves quality of life.
What is the oldest dog you have treated?
17 years old.
How does stem cell therapy work with cats with gingivitis/stomatitis?
Feline chronic gingivostomatitis is an immune-mediated oral mucosal disease potentially triggered by virus such as feline calicivirus.
Stem cells work in this condition by modulating or dampening down the body’s immune response to the gums, thereby reducing inflammation and promoting oral comfort.