Stem Cell Therapy

Dr. Joe Whalen, DVM, became the first Veterinarian in Illinois to extract process and treat patients with stem cells, all in the same day, using in-house equipment. Dr. Whalen treated three canines, Gabby, Buddy, and Inish.  All three dogs suffer from osteoarthritis and substantial joint damage.  Dr. Whalen extracted a sample of each of the dog’s fat tissue and processed to isolate highly potent regenerative stem cells.  The cells were then injected directly into the canine’s diseased and damaged joints.  The process only took about 90 minutes for each animal.  This approach is revolutionary because Dr. Whalen was able to produce the stem cells on-site as opposed to the current most widely used method of shipping tissue to a remote laboratory, a process that takes about 48 hours and requires two separate hospitalizations.  Stem cells do not like to be outside of the body and by producing the stem cells on-site the viability of the cells is maintained which will increase the chances of a clinical benefit.  The goal of the therapy is to improve the quality of life, provide pain relief and increased mobility of the treated patients.  Now at about one month after receiving their treatment, all three dogs are doing much better and have become more mobile.

Dr. Whalen’s patient, Gabby, is an 11 year-old Rottweiler who previously had cruciate knee surgery done on both hind legs several years ago. As she has aged, her arthritis has worsened and she has been unable to jump up and down on the bed, use the stairs or take long walks outdoors with her owner, Charles McCorkle. Within one week of receiving the stem cell treatment, McCorkle noticed that Gabby was able to get up easier. “It’s amazing how much better Gabby is in such a short period of time and much more active since the stem-cell procedure. She’s gradually lengthening her walks and actually trotted for the first time in years. She jumps down from the bed on her own and gets up without us having to help her up.  She’s a great dog and we wanted to improve her quality of life. She’s a much happier dog, now. We feel that the stem-cell therapy has helped her a lot”, said McCorkle.

“I’m excited to be able to produce stem-cells on-site at my clinic and about the clinical improvement we’ve seen in our first three treated dogs,” said Dr. Whalen.  “Another great benefit is that the cost of the on-site stem cell preparation is far less than traditional methods so it can be offered to many more clients.

Dr. Whalen and stem cell therapy is featured in the Southtown Star:

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/2825315-522/stem-whalen-cell-therapy-animal.html