Pet owners hail stem therapy
Source: Agencies |
August 11, 2009, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LUCY the Labradoodle pulls herself along the ground to grab a bone.
At only five years old, she's unable to walk, crippled by rheumatoid arthritis that has rendered her back limbs unusable.
However, her owners say she has improved. She no longer yelps or whimpers in pain, and she needs far less medicine than before.
Lucy's owners credit a costly stem-cell treatment, despite what experts say is a lack of evidence such treatments work.
"We didn't think she'd live anywhere near this long, and I know it's because of the stem cells," says owner Carol Fischman, 57, of US state of Florida.
Thousands of dogs and horses with degenerative arthritis have had stem-cell treatments, costing about US$2,500 to US$3,000 per procedure. There are no independent studies verifying their effectiveness, and some experts say such studies are needed to assess their potential.
Positive feedback
University of Florida veterinarian Kristin Kirkby, who performed Lucy's procedure, said that the outcomes on five similar treatments have all been positive. That's from owner-reported results, not scientific scrutiny.
Owners tell her their dogs have an easier time getting around the house and getting into position to urinate. Mostly, they just report their dogs appear to be more comfortable overall.
To get hard results, Kirkby says the university plans to start taking a pain inventory of each animal at the beginning of the process, followed by an evaluation and checkups afterward to measure changes.
"Undoubtedly the future of scientific research is going this way," Kirkby said. "It's early on, especially in the small animal side, to know what the results can be."
At only five years old, she's unable to walk, crippled by rheumatoid arthritis that has rendered her back limbs unusable.
However, her owners say she has improved. She no longer yelps or whimpers in pain, and she needs far less medicine than before.
Lucy's owners credit a costly stem-cell treatment, despite what experts say is a lack of evidence such treatments work.
"We didn't think she'd live anywhere near this long, and I know it's because of the stem cells," says owner Carol Fischman, 57, of US state of Florida.
Thousands of dogs and horses with degenerative arthritis have had stem-cell treatments, costing about US$2,500 to US$3,000 per procedure. There are no independent studies verifying their effectiveness, and some experts say such studies are needed to assess their potential.
Positive feedback
University of Florida veterinarian Kristin Kirkby, who performed Lucy's procedure, said that the outcomes on five similar treatments have all been positive. That's from owner-reported results, not scientific scrutiny.
Owners tell her their dogs have an easier time getting around the house and getting into position to urinate. Mostly, they just report their dogs appear to be more comfortable overall.
To get hard results, Kirkby says the university plans to start taking a pain inventory of each animal at the beginning of the process, followed by an evaluation and checkups afterward to measure changes.
"Undoubtedly the future of scientific research is going this way," Kirkby said. "It's early on, especially in the small animal side, to know what the results can be."
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