'Groundbreaking news - Use of stem cells in surgery on horses proving to be effective'

Groundbreaking news - Use of stem cells in surgery on horses proving to be effective

By Vicki at 02/05/08 08:54

AQHA's World Champion Racer "Be A Bono" received stem cell surgery on his damaged knee. He had bone chips and also damage to the sac that holds the cushioning fluid in the knee joint itself.

Dr. Troy Ford, D.V.M. performed groundbreaking surgery on Be A Bono and used the horse's own body fat to glean his stem cells. The cells were then injected during surgery back into the horse's joint in a concentration more powerful than the body could provide normally. The stem cells regenerated the cartilage and damaged bone in the right knee of the sprinter.

In an interview during ABC's Nightline News, Be A Bono's trainer, Dan Franciso provided his views on the groundbreaking surgery and the use of stem cells. Remember, these stem cells were from the horse's OWN BODY.

After this surgery, Be A Bono went back to racing and has since earned 1.25 million dollars in prize money! Without the surgery, his career would have surely ended as a racehorse, even though it was not life threatening.

Vet-Stem's CEO and founder Robert Harman says that over 3,000 horses, many with joint problems, have been treated with stem cell surgery. Click here to view the clip on ABC News with Martin Bashir talking about Vet-Stem Regenerative Veterinary Medicine.

The stem cell surgery is now also being performed on pets such as dogs and cats with great success. They use the animal's own stem cells in treatments for ailments such as including hip displaysia. The animals are experiencing rapid results which gives hope to owners with beloved pets that previously had no such chance as this.

This is very cool. It is sad though that the same type of science isn't used as widely in humans. People need to realize that not ALL useable stem cells come from embryos. We all make our own, which is why it is such a useful science. Our bodies, like horses bodies, are not near as likely to reject our own tissues compared to a transplant from a foreign donor. This really will be the future of medicine and veterinary medicine because after all, the cells do come from OUR OWN bodies.

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