How long have you been using VetStem with your patients?
- I did my first case in June of 2007.
Approximately how many patients have you treated? (all dogs, or horses too?)
- All dogs, and there have been about 25 cases.
What are your ideal patients for VetStem therapy? (clinical signs, age, etc.
- The typical cases for stem cell therapy are dogs with lameness from joint diseases. The most common cases are dog with medial coronoid process pathology (commonly called fragmented coronoid process) with significant secondary joint damage. I have also used stem cells in dogs with shoulder injuries, stifles with significant degenerative joint disease secondary to cranial cruciate ligament injuries, and in dogs with hip dysplasia. All ages of dogs have been treated.
How soon do you see results, and what approximately is your success rate using VetStem therapy?
- I have seen results as early as two weeks but typically improvement is seen within eight weeks. I had one patient that was no better at the eight week recheck examination and improved dramatically by the 12 week examination. Most of the patients are better with stem cell therapy. There has been only one that we reinjected because it was not doing as well as we wanted. Some of the patients are still lame but they have a completely different attitude about life and are much happier dogs.
Thank you, Dr. McCarthy, for your time and for sharing your experience with Vet-Stem.