Gunther before his condition took him from Search and Rescue Dog to couch potato
Hillcrest Animal Hospital in Rockford, Illinois is one of just four veterinary hospitals in the US that offers animal stem cell therapy. On Tuesday they administered this experimental therapy to Gunther the 8 year old Search and Rescue Dog who is part of a team of handlers and dogs that operates out of Illinois and Wisconsin. The 8-year old German Shepard was having trouble doing his job because of a condition in his back-right leg called Fibrotic Myopathy where you develop scar tissue in the tendon on the muscle.
Hillcrest surgeons cut a one-inch piece of scar tissue and injected the area with stem cells from Gunther’s own fat. Other stem cells were injected intravenously. Doctors hope the cells will stimulate new muscle and tendon growth. Hillcrest Animal Hospital has done twelve stem cell procedures since May many of which have shown great results.
Doctors are optimistic Gunther will get better and be able to go back out during Search and Rescue missions. They are also hoping that the procedure can then be used to to improve the lives of other working and service dogs to get them back in the field whose careers get cut short due to injury or genetics. Getting these specially trained dogs back into service would be an amazing benefit as it would increase the working life of these animals who cost tens of thousands of dollars to train.
