Feb 2, 2018

Pit Bull with a Chronic Wound Treated with Platelet Therapy

Pearl is a pit bull who is missing about one quarter of her right front leg.  She was found as a stray and veterinarians were unable to determine why part of her leg was missing.  Pearl’s owner Julia had a prosthetic leg made for Pearl when she was young.  It helped her to run, swim, fetch balls, jump and play with other dogs.

After a while however, Pearl began to develop a wound at the end of her stump that made wearing her prosthetic uncomfortable.  Julia sought treatment for the wound, however nothing seemed to help and she was faced with the possibility of amputating the remainder of Pearl’s right front leg.

Julia had a surgical consult with Dr. Holly Mullen of VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego, California to discuss amputation and also address a partially torn cruciate ligament in Pearl’s right rear knee.  While surgery could fix both issues, Dr. Mullen suggested trying platelet therapy first.

Utilizing the Pall Veterinary Platelet Enhancement Therapy system (V-PET™), Dr. Mullen treated Pearl’s chronic, non-healing wound and also her partially torn cruciate ligament.  Julia stated, “Within two weeks of the platelet therapy treatment you could see a tremendous increase with the weight she was putting on her right rear leg and by four weeks her stump had completely healed.”  Julia was very grateful for Dr. Mullen’s recommendation to try platelet therapy before jumping into a big surgery.  It was this treatment that saved Pearl’s right front limb from being completely amputated.

To read the rest of Pearl’s story, click here.

Platelet therapy can be a less expensive and less invasive alternative to surgery.  It promotes healing when the body requires help to kick start its natural internal repair processes. Platelets contain a variety of growth factors that, once released, attract progenitor cells, enhance wound healing and stimulate tissue repair.  The most common uses of platelet therapy are for indications such as hard to heal wounds, tendon and ligament injuries, as well as joint disease (osteoarthritis).  VetStem Biopharma has the distribution right to the Pall V-PET™ for the United States and Canada.

If you have an animal who is suffering from a chronic, non-healing wound, or an animal that you think may benefit from platelet therapy, make sure to discuss all of your options with your veterinarian.  VetStem can help you locate a veterinarian who is currently offering the Pall V-PET™.  Simply contact us to locate a veterinary platelet therapy provider in your area.

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