Dr. Whalen treated three canines, Gabby, Buddy, and Inish. All three dogs suffer from osteoarthritis and joint damage. Gabby is an 11 yr old Rottweiler who previously had TPLO knee surgery done on both hind legs several years ago. As she has aged, her arthritis is catching up with her and she has been unable to jump up and down on the bed, use the stairs or take walks outdoors with her owner. Within one week of receiving the stem cell treatment, Charles McCorkle, Gabby’s owner, noticed that Gabby was able to get up easier. “It’s amazing how much better Gabby is in such a short period of time. She’s started to trot on her walks for the first time in years,” said McCorkle. “She’s gradually lengthening her walks and even jumps down from the bed on her own, something she was not able to do previous to the treatment.”
Dr. Whalen extracted a sample of each of the dog’s fat tissue and processed to isolate highly potent regenerative stem cells. The cells were then injected directly into the dog’s diseased and damaged joints. The process only took about 90 minutes for each animal. Dr. Whalen was able to produce the stem cells on-site the same day. Stem cells do not like to be outside of the body and by producing the stem cells on-site the viability of the cells is maintained which will increase the chances of a clinical benefit. The goal of the therapy is to improve the quality of life, provide pain relief and increased mobility of the treated patients. Now at about one month after receiving their treatment, all three dogs are doing much better and have become much more mobile.
Dr. Whalen is pleased with the results and the cost for treatment. “I’m excited to be able to produce regenerative medicine on-site at my clinic and about the clinical improvement we’ve seen in our first three treated dogs. Another great benefit is that the cost of the on-site stem cell preparation is far less than traditional methods so it can be offered to many more clients”.
In the near future, in-house stem cell therapy could be used to treat humans. Stemlogix, the company that markets the stem cell therapy kit, has studies under investigation for human applications through its sister company, the Ageless Regenerative Institute. “It’s really exciting to think about the applications for humans. For folks getting joint replacements or who have severe arthritis, this could really improve their mobility and quality of life. This is the wave of the future,” says Whalen.
