Regenerative Medicine for Dogs & Cats
At Pennsylvania Veterinary Care, we are dedicated to using the latest advancements in veterinary medicine for your pet’s care. That’s why we’ve invested in platelet rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy for our canine and feline patients. These innovative therapies provide long-lasting healing and pain relief that is extremely safe for your pet and causes little to no side effects
Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs & Cats
Stem cell therapy is the use of your pet’s own stem cells, found in their fat tissue, for healing certain injuries and conditions. Stem cells are a “blank slate” and will take on whatever form they need to when they are activated. In the case of arthritis patients, when we re-inject stem cells into an arthritic joint, the stem cells become new cartilage that helps to heal the joint and provide lasting pain relief.
How Stem Cell Therapy Works:
First, we collect stem cells during a procedure that requires general anesthesia (and for which we take precautions to ensure your pet’s safety). During this procedure, we create a small incision usually in the soft part between your pet’s shoulder blades, and remove a small amount of fat cells. Then, we separate the stem cells out and send them to our partner lab to be activated. When we receive the activated cells, we’ll schedule another appointment to inject the cells into your pet’s affected area.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) uses your pet’s own blood to stimulate healing in damaged tissue. Two of the blood components, platelets (clotting cells) and white blood cells, play a particularly important role in healing, and the body naturally redirects them to damaged tissue. With PRP therapy, this healing response is boosted as we are able to collect a greater number of these components and then re-inject them into the damaged area.
How Platelet Rich Plasma Works The process involves drawing your pet’s blood and then separating out the platelets, white blood cells and serum from the red blood cells. Then, we combine the platelets and white blood cells, and re-inject these into your pet’s problem area. Depending on your pet’s injury or condition, one, two, or three PRP injections may be necessary.
What Conditions Can Be Treated with Regenerative Medicine?
Many different conditions can be helped and even healed with regenerative medicine. Your veterinarian will work with you and your pet to determine which therapy is the right one for your pet. Both stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma therapy can help treat many of the same conditions including
- Ligament injuries such as sprains and tears
- Tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Injuries to the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and spinal cord
- And more