​​Autologous stem cell therapy (injection of stem cells retrieved from the patient itself) has been shown to allow for improved regeneration of the removed portion of the meniscus and to decrease the amount of arthritis progression in rats, rabbits, goats and horses.^1-3 Unfortunately, this has not been studied in dogs but stem cells have been shown to be beneficial in dogs with osteoarthritis. Based on the available studies, we believe that there is enough evidence to suggest that this treatment would be beneficial for dogs (especially if a meniscal tear is detected at the time of surgery).

This treatment would involve aspiration of bone marrow cells from the shin and thigh bone through a small hole in the bone. Since your dog is undergoing surgery anyway, there is no additional incision needed and the procedure does not alter the rehabilitation regime. The procedure is quick (about 5 minutes) and there are no likely complications associated with the aspiration. This volume of aspirate is known not to be painful in humans.

Derived cells will then be purified and cultured (expanded) in a laboratory. The stem cells will then be injected into the knee joint 2-4 weeks after surgery (with four weeks being ideal but if you live far away we can combine this injection with the suture removal which is generally performed at two weeks). This injection requires sedation but the procedure itself only takes a few minutes. There is no clear downside to performing this treatment besides the financial impact (the cost for this treatment is approximately $1,500 including the injection, sedation, etc.).

There is some concern that stem cell injection may accelerate tumor growth (i.e. if a tumor is present at the time of surgery which we would not expect for a healthy animal).

However, this procedure is considered safe in people and no tumor development was seen in healthy people receiving stem cell injections into their knee.^4-6