The result is rousing: since transplantation (2013) Bono has been living without pain, with no medication. It is true that he will never be a frisbee or agility champion, but he feels good and lives a nearly full life.
At the vet's suggestion, we joined the StemCellX (mesenchymal stem cell) transplantation program with great expectations and fear. From the third month following the transplantation, Luna has been the totally symptom-free, smiling doggie she once was. Just like her naughty sister, she has become a happy, extremely playful team member of our family.
Our actively training, reckless 6-year-old miniature spitz had a torn anterior cruciate ligament on his left hind leg, and was treated with stem cells after surgery to accelerate healing and to regenerate damaged tissues. Now we can go to do the usual kilometres again, and continue an active, athletic life.
Sammy received the stem cells in May 2017. Post-transplant he was kept on the lead for 2 weeks, followed by light exercise-only for four weeks. By eight weeks, full functional recovery was evident and was stable long-term, despite intense and vigorous exercise — including up to 4h daily hill walks with up to 1500m altitude climbing. The MSC-treated joints continue to be functional even at this point, long after the transplant, and we are extremely grateful for having been granted access to this life-changing and uncomplicated procedure.
When Ace was six months old, I started noticing him limping. As a first-time dog owner, I assumed it would pass — but it turned out he had a problem with the elbow joint in his left front leg. I weighed it for a long time, but in the end, I knew that if there was any chance Ace could live without a limp, I had to give him that. The result has been remarkable. His daily pain has dropped from a 6 or 7 out of ten before treatment to a 0 or 1 now. Six months on, everyone who's seen him says he's like a completely different dog. I don't usually write about treatments, but I wholeheartedly recommend this program.
If anyone reading this has a dog battling arthritis, I strongly recommend applying to the program. I can only say good things about it. The world has opened up for Odin since the treatment. I'd always believed we had a calm, well-behaved dog — now he's a tornado on four legs, energetic and playful and into everything. The process itself is straightforward: treatment is given under light sedation, and beyond the injection itself, we had no side effects. Odin climbs the stairs he wouldn't go near before. He jumps like a puppy. I can't describe the difference — I've never seen him this carefree. We feel incredibly lucky to have been part of this.