On June 2018 was published a new study that completely changes the canine Osteoarthritis treatment process – mesenchymal stem cell (MCS) therapies have been attributed as being one of the major breakthroughs in treating osteoarthritic conditions in dogs and other animals.
It is safe and effective and employs endogenous repair within the body helping osteoarthritic dogs to improve quality of life significantly.
About Canine Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease in dogs and is a major cause of disability. It is estimated that one in five dogs suffers from this debilitating disease, which significantly reduces their mobility and causes severe pain.
Currently, there is no cure for osteoarthritis and most treatment regimens focus on symptom management and pain reduction through prescription drugs and the use of supplements. Since osteoarthritis is a progressive condition, it is only controlled by these drugs and supplements.
Surgical options such as joint replacement are available for the hips and elbows; however, surgery is often costly.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternative therapy with effective disease-modifying effects.
In this regard, animal stem cell therapy, in the form of mesenchymal stem (or stromal) cells (MSCs), has recently provided a new paradigm for treating chronic arthritic dogs from symptom management to stimulating regeneration of bones and cartilage, resulting in considerable improvements in quality of life.
Study Materials and Methods
This study reports the outcome of the treatment of 203 dogs with allogeneic (donor) adult stem cell therapy in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis and other joint defects.
The donor dogs were selected based on the following criteria:
- less than 5 years of age;
- satisfactory overall health and well-being based on normal clinical chemistry and haematology reports;
- and a minimal level of vaccination against DHP.
Twenty grams of the adipose tissue from the abdominal region was collected from suitable donor dogs. The adipose tissue was transported to the laboratory in a sterile transport buffer at 4 degrees Celsius within four hours of collection. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated, purified, and identified following the specific methods.
Patient Selection
A clinical examination was carried out by the treating veterinarians including a full blood examination. The joint of the dog was assessed using Table 1. The grading osteoarthritis, the age, gender, and breed were recorded.
Overall, no dogs that were treated were grade 1 on the scale; ~14% of dogs were grade 2, 53% were grade 3, and 33% were grade 4.
Table 1: The Kellgren-Lawrence grading of osteoarthritis.
The IA injections were administered by the veterinarians to the dogs under anaesthesia. IV injections were carried out under sedation or if a patient was calm, no sedation was needed.
The dogs receiving IA or IV were placed in two separate categories. Of the 203 dogs, 128 received a single dose of IA injection in the affected joint. 65 dogs received a single IV injection, and 10 dogs received both IA and IV injections.
Treated Dog Population
Various breeds of the dogs were treated with the allogeneic adult stem cells including Staffordshire Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Siberian Huskies, Bullmastiffs, Italian Spinones, Blue Heelers, Labradors, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Cattle Dogs, Maltese Terriers, Jack Russell, and Spoodles. The dogs were presented with osteoarthritis in various joints.
The dogs were of various age groups, from 8 months to 16 years old. These were grouped in 4 different age groups A–D: group A, <5 years; group B, 6–9 years; group C, 10–12 years; and group D, 13+ years.
Table 2: Osteoarthritis grade evaluated by the vets prior to treatment
Results of the dog stem cell treatment
A total of 203 dogs were assessed for the improvement in their pain and mobility and willingness to play voluntarily. The dogs were assessed by veterinarians for the quality of life (QOL) score and the data grouped with respect to the various age groups, as well as whether they received a single dose of IA injection in the affected joint, received a single IV injection, and received both IA and IV injections.
Firstly, of the one hundred and twenty-eight dogs that received IA injection in the affected joint, 79 were reported to have an excellent improvement. The number of dogs demonstrate an excellent improvement and a QOL score of 1 was statistically significant. The QOL score between the groups was also statistically significant.
Majority of the dogs of each age group displayed a Quality of LIfe score of 1 implying excellent improvement in their quality of life when compared to the other scores.
The results from the 65 dogs that received IV injections demonstrated the following: only 6 dogs of age group A were given IV MSCs and of that, 50% demonstrated excellent improvement; only 16.5% exhibited good improvement and 33% showed no change. Dogs belonging to the age group B demonstrated equally distributed score of 1, 2, and 3.
The dogs belonging to age group C had the largest number of dogs in it compared to any other age group. 46% of the dogs showed an excellent response, 36.6% showed good improvement, and 16.6% did not show any improvement. In age group D, 19% scored QOL 1, 56.3% scored QOL2, and 25% scored QOL 3. No death has been reported for any dog undergoing MSC treatment.
Finally, a comparison of the outcomes between all treatment types was summarised in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Treatment type and QOL score.
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A conclusion of the study
Overall, it was observed that the majority of dogs showed excellent to good improvement with a QOL score of 1 or 2. In this report, over 85% of dogs of various breeds and ages recorded combined a QOL score of 1 and 2 when assessed on the parameters of lameness and pain,
suggesting significant improvement in their quality of life.
Similar results have been reported previously elsewhere. MSC therapies have been attributed as being one of the major breakthroughs in treating osteoarthritic conditions in dogs and other animals.
It is safe and effective and employs endogenous repair within the body helping osteoarthritic dogs to improve quality of life significantly.
Animal stem cell treatment is known to differentiate into various tissue types, aid the body’s own regeneration abilities, and also produce several useful bioactive compounds that assist in repairing damaged tissues and are capable of regeneration of degenerated tissues.
Due to the anti-inflammatory properties and immune modulation capabilities, MSCs are safe to use in recipients without causing any immune response and other adverse effects.
With studies like these, it is only a matter of time when allogeneic (donor) stem cell therapy will be available worldwide.
Stem cell treatment’s promising and highly efficient results make this therapy emerging as another weapon in the veterinarian’s arsenal to help our four-legged friends return to full function or significantly improve their quality of life at the very least.
If your four-legged canine friend suffers from Arthritis or Osteoarthritis or other joint defects, consult your veterinarian about the possibility of stem cell treatment appliance.
You can also get in touch with our team on this topic and get a free consultation.
For more information or stem cell treatment order
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