Poppy is a 9-year-old cheeky, energetic and adventurous Labrador. She has always been at her happiest charging around on outdoor adventures, including big mountain climbs. However, her owners noticed that while she was still keen to run like crazy, she was suffering afterwards because she had been overdoing it, with noticeable limping. Her ability to cope with her usual exercise was thus starting to reduce.
On examination we localised pain to her elbows and on radiographs we could see changes consistent with the beginnings of elbow arthritis. As a result, we started to look into a number of different ways to try and manage Poppy’s ongoing condition so that she could still enjoy life to the full.
Poppy began a course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to alleviate her discomfort (these are also proven to protect the cartilage within the joint from further degeneration) alongside a programme of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to maintain her muscle fitness.
Although there was some improvement on this regime she was still lame when exercised hard. To try and preserve her active lifestyle as far as possible we wanted to more specifically target the inflammation within her elbows. Thus, we decided to look into the new, exciting option of regenerative medicine. This is thought to offer the ability to repair and potentially regenerate cartilage with a reduction in inflammation.
As a result, Poppy underwent a short procedure, in which sterile samples of fat and blood were taken. The samples were then passed to the laboratory to grow the stem cells (which takes about 2 weeks). She then returned to have a combination of her PrP (platelet rich plasma) and specific stem cells injected into both her elbows under a light anaesthetic.
Following her injections, Poppy was as expected a little lame for a day or two, but 10 days later she was completely sound. Her owners’ parents came to see her 3 weeks after the procedure and noticed that she had no limp at all.
Regenerative medicine is a rapidly developing field in the veterinary sector and as more studies are done we gain further information about the best techniques to use. Poppy has shown promising early signs following stem cell / PrP therapy at St Boniface and we will be following her progress closely over the coming months / years. This is just one part of a global management plan for arthritis that involves some combination of pain relief, joint support, home and lifestyle modifications, weight control, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and acupuncture.
Please talk to us about the most appropriate options for your pet – 01363 772860
