Stem Cell Therapy: New Treatment That Can Make a Big Difference
Did you know that stem cell therapy can help alleviate joint pain and improve mobility in dogs and cats? At Auburn Animal Hospital, we offer a same day stem cell therapy procedure, called Actistem Therapy. Actistem Therapy is a cutting-edge regenerative treatment that utilizes the power of your pet’s own stem cells to promote natural healing and regeneration.
What is Actistem?
Actistem works by isolating regenerative stem cells from fat. We remove the sample from your pet in a simple surgical procedure like a spay or neuter. The sample is then processed, and cells are ready to be applied the same day. Stem Cells can rebuild and are great treatment for chronic issues. Equivalent human treatments are tens of thousands of dollars, Actistem makes the technique as affordable as any common veterinary surgery AND covered by major pet insurers.
Common Applications for Actistem Stem Cell Therapy:
- Osteoarthritis
- Hip Dysplasia
- Ligament and Tendon Injuries
- Some internal medicine applications
- And more!
These conditions would be difficult for most pet owners to observe, and they would be impossible to diagnose without clinical evaluation. However, we've listed some signs below that you can identify reliably.
How You Might Observe These Conditions
Symptoms that indicate your pet may need Same-Day Stem Cell Therapy will occur differently in every pet. Only Dr. Carpenter and her team can properly screen your pet to determine whether it's the right treatment for you. However, if you notice that your pet is slow to stand, or struggles to climb stairs, it's time to get an evaluation. Pet's with a wobbly gait, imbalanced posture, or if you notice your pet limping or favoring one side, they need to be evaluated. Incontinence or failure to hold urination should also be evaluated as soon as possible. Pets can't tell us when they hurt, but behavioral changes, decreased appetite, tremors, vocalization, such as whimpering or crying should be examined.
For diagnosis, you can rely on the Auburn Animal Hospital team to perform a complete and accurate evaluation.
What is the process?
- Consultation: Schedule an appointment with our experienced veterinary team. We will assess your pet's condition, answer any questions you may have, and recommend the most suitable treatment plan. We'll explain our realistic expectations for the therapy, and walk you through every step of the way.
- Stem Cell Collection. We utilize state-of-the-art technology to extract stem cells from your pet's own adipose tissue (fat).
- Isolating and Activating the Stem Cells. Once harvested, our trained team will isolate and activate your pet’s stem cells. The cells are then prepped for application.
- Stem Cell Administration. Stem Cells will be applied to the area of injury or disease.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?
Similar to the human body, cats and dogs have within their bodies the ability to repair themselves. This ability arises from repair cells that are found throughout our body. In the case of injury or disease repair cells are mobilized to damaged areas to attempt to fix the problem. Due to injury and/or age sometimes our own repair abilities can use a jump-start. By using the pet’s own repair cells isolated from fat tissue in the body, this repair ability can be applied to areas of need