Stem cell treatment for pets

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Millions of dog owners face the prospect that their pet will sooner or later come down with hip dysplasia or painful arthritis.

Up to now the only alternative has been anti-inflammatories, and in some cases, euthansia.  But there is new hope for these animals, using their own stem cells.

Simon is a 10-year-old Alaskan Malmute, and though he has a noticable limp, he is moving. That's something that his owner, Leslie Galbreath, hasn't seen in years. "It was pitiful," says owner Leslie Galbraith, "he wanted to get up and move around he was just not able to."

Like a lot of pet owners, seeing Simon in pain, was difficult.  And her vet, Dr. Ben Ealing, confirmed her fears. "He had gone through the traditional treatments of anti-inflammatories and he just wasn't responding as well as he needed to."

Dr. Ealing offered Leslie another alternative: stem cell therapy. It entailed removing a small amount of fat from Simon's abdomen, sending it off to Vet Stem in San Diego. They isolated Simon's stem cells, and sent those cells back to Dr. Ealing, where he injected them into Simon's hips.

"The primary benefit is their anti-flammatory properties," says Dr. Ealy. "They do a great job at reducing inflammation in the infected joints. They also recruit healing cells to that area."

It isn't a cure. And it is expensive: 2,500 dollars. And there's a good chance, Simon will get another injection from stored cells.

Dr. Ealing has used stem cell therapy on twenty animals over the last year. And he says, about 80 percent of his patients have seen an improvement.