Anti-inflammatories and dietary supplements have been the mainstay for treating the pain associated with dog arthritis. Another novel option you can now consider for your arthritic pet is stem cell therapy. A San Diego based company called Vet-Stem is using stem cells to help treat arthritis, tendon and ligament injuries. These cells are taken from a pet’s own abdominal fat and then injected into the ailing joint or tissue. Essentially, this allows the tissue to help heal itself.

So far, Vet-Stem reports 3,249 dog and horse owners have performed stem cell transplants with 80% of these patients showing some sign of improvement. The price tag is not cheap at $2,000 but rivals some surgical procedures that are required for arthritis and certain joint injuries. More than 1,000 veterinarians have been trained to perform this procedure by Vet-Stem…ask your veterinarian if this might be an option for your pet’s arthritis.