Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs and Cats in Peoria, IL

Has your pet gone through one unsuccessful treatment after another for their arthritis? Are you worried that your pet will have to live in discomfort for the rest of their life? At Whitney Veterinary Hospital in Peoria, we’re happy to offer stem cell therapy for dogs and cats for our ailing patients. This treatment is still quite new, but it poses little to no risk to patients, and utilizes the body’s own stem cells to treat arthritis, tendon injuries, and other chronic and/or orthopedic conditions.

Stem Cells

Stem cells are remarkable in that they can divide themselves an unlimited number of times to replace damaged cells, and can develop into different cell types. Stem cells have an anti-inflammatory effect on joints, but cannot regenerate cartilage. These cells are essentially ‘blank slates’ because they have the potential to become another cell with a more specialized function. The cells we use for stem cell therapy are somatic, or adult, cells, which can be extracted from adipose tissue (fat) or bone marrow.

How Pet Stem Cell Therapy Works

We use the Companion Regenerative Therapy bone marrow-based system of stem cell therapy, in which your pet’s bone marrow can be used to collect stem cells for transplantation. Stem cells are processed and concentrated so they can be injected into arthritic joints or other damaged tissues. Laser therapy can also be used in conjunction with pet stem cell therapy to increase stem cell production and circulation within the body. Conditions in pets that are most commonly treated with stem cell therapy include:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Degenerative joint disease
  • Wounds
  • Ligament or tendon injuries
  • Bone fractures
  • Certain spinal conditions

Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy

Compared to surgery, pet stem cell therapy is a minimally-invasive approach that can yield many benefits to the patient, including:

  • Greater mobility
  • Improved quality of life
  • Decrease in lameness
  • Decrease in pain
  • Decrease in inflammation
Dog at his stem cell therapy appointment

Stem Cell Therapy Candidates

We encourage you to contact us to schedule a consultation if you are interested in our pet stem cell services. We would be happy to discuss all of the pertinent details and evaluate your pet’s condition and medical history to determine whether stem cell therapy will be right for them. Results can take months, and depend on how well your pet responds to treatment. We do not offer this service to patients with cancer or other infections, because stem cell therapy can exacerbate their condition. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our pet stem cell services, call us today at (309) 685-4707.