Stem Cell Replacement Therapy
Higgins was a few months old when we noticed his gait was funny. He would also pull himself up from his front, not push from his rear to stand. When he ran, his back end was like a rabbit, both back legs together. I called my vets office and they said they could not do anything until he was two years old. That is when OFA will give a certification. As I trusted my vet, I didn't push.
Higgins has been in training and going to classes since he was two months old. Yes, we got him too early and from , well never mind, we love him.
One night our trainer said he was really off. He would lie down and not want to do things, or not want to walk up two steps to our front door. I took him to a different vet the next day and he did x rays. They were not pretty. His hips are like dinner plates.
At that time he went on pain meds until we decided what course of treatment or just as a plan. It was NEVER MY long term plan.
We did forward the x rays to OFA even though he was only 1 year at this time. They sent back SEVERE HIP DYSPLASIA at that time.
I called a friend with whom we had shared litter mate Irish Wolfhounds. She mentioned Stem Cell Replacement.
I looked all over the Internet. All the research I could on it and all my options, including total hip replacement. It was scary. All I did was thank God that we were the ones to get him and could help him. I talked with UF in Gainesville, as we had gone there with our Wolfhound for some diagnostics.
There were a lot of different stories about shaving the hip ball and total replacement. If you do a shaving (TPO) and it doesn't work, then what? Total hip replacement was 6-12 months recovery per hip. Ugly thought.
We decided to look into Stem Cell as it was least invasive and the only risk was at incision site. VERY MINOR!!!! If it didn't work, we could go to other options.
There was never a question of letting him go. We would and will do all for this dog!!!!
I think I was numb through some of this. Devastated that he had such ortho issues. My " breeder" when told, was only concerned about how much it would cost to find out if the parents had it.
I felt guilt for not insisting on checking him sooner. In felt guilty for his pain. I felt like the worst mom in the world. But I see now that some of his behavior was pain related. He was always stealing and destroying things. Chewed everything.
I researched stem cell on the Internet, I made calls to the companies who made the equipment to spin out the juicy cells. I was all over YouTube. I found a vet that was only two hours away in Atlanta. I called him. We had a few conversations, I sent him the x rays and of course a picture of Higgins. He said he looked like a good candidate for the procedure. So I took him up to see the doctors. They did more x rays and blood works.
All looked like a go. But he had to be off his pain meds for 10-14 days. They wanted his hips and knee to be inflamed and angry. That was very difficult. He had some relief and then I was going to let him be in pain for two weeks. That hurt me.
From the time of diagnosis to procedure was about a month.
The night before surgery, Higgins and I made the drive to Atlanta and spent the night in a hotel. He had to be in at 7am.
The morning of the procedure, we went to the office. In the morning, they would make an incision in his belly and extract some fat cells. Those cells would be spun to get the stem cells. All this was done at the doctors office. In the afternoon, they would inject both his hips and knee with the cells.
We chose to bank the cells in case we would need more down the line.
I picked up him late that afternoon and took him home. I was dealing with a very large, very dopey dog. That was fun getting him from the car to the house. He got out of the car, walked a couple of steps and would plop down. This continued for about half an hour.
He came home with the cone of shame to keep him from biting at his belly stitches. He also had pain meds and antibiotics. He was on walk only for a couple of weeks, then mild exercise until his one month check up.
The first day he showed improvement. At least when he was awake. Those pain meds knocked him out! After day four, we cut back.
I was told to expect improvement for 30 days, plateau from 30-45 days, and more improvement after that. He followed it.
We are about 18 months post procedure. He has done very well. He loves his walks, runs, and swims. Loves to play with other dogs. He loves kids reading to him, going to dinner with us. I constantly watch him. I look for signs of discomfort or pain. His hips are not fixed. Stem cell replacement helps to rebuild the cartilage in the joints. With that, you can develop muscle tone which helps with joint stability.
There is a very good probability we will have to repeat the injections. That is the easy part. That is why we banked the cells.
One day we may be faced with needed to do a surgery. But I pray that never happens. He lives a good life and is pain free now.
Writing this brings back some memories and the pain of knowing my guy suffered. Every day with him is a gift. Could we have avoided this by going to a reputable breeder? Most likely. Did we know better than to buy a cute puppy. Yep. All my life I have been around show dogs and breeders (various breeds). Not for one second do I regret getting him. I have always felt he came into our lives for a reason. Aside from the comic relief. He is famous in this town. He goes to the school. He goes to church for Childrens Minutes. He does NoseWork.
His story may help someone else.
I will always be available to answer any questions you may have.
Written by Carole Crawford
member of TRUE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG LOVERS
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