Duke's Story
| Duke is a 10-year old Redbone Coonhound. He has had shoulder problems since he was a puppy, and hip problems for 3 years. He's a very sweet boy, and he's been taking lots of medications to keep him comfortable and active. He gets injections of joint supplements, synthetic opioids, and anti-inflammatories on a fairly regular basis. Duke's owner is Kelley, who has been a staff member at SMVC for many years. Kelley reports that Duke has a lot of weakness and shaking in his back legs. Duke had a stem-cell procedure on Friday, October 8th, 2010. Kelley was his stem-cell technician, and learned the procedure from beginning to end! We expect Duke to see some initial anti-inflammatory effects within 3-5 days, and full benefit should be realized in 20-60 days. We'll be updating Duke's status, so please stay tuned! And if you have any questions (or think your pet could benefit), please give us a call! |
| Duke |
| Duke & Daisy |
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| October 17, 2010 Kelley has been out of town, but right away when she returned, she noticed Duke moving around better. He normally follows the carpets and couches to navigate through the house, but now he moves around confidently on the tile! |
| Notes from Kelley: Week two -- Duke has been off anti-inflammatories for a week and even with the colder (for AZ) weather and rain, he has been doing great and showing no signs that he is in pain! One unexpected bonus; his appetite is back--he actually begged at the kitchen table this week! :) going to have to (happily) re-train him! Week three -- No pain meds for two weeks and doing great! He has been jumping up to grab bones/treats! Best of all, we moved the dog bowls back into the kitchen-where he stopped eating because of the tile--and is eating just fine with no issues!! :) so happy!!! |
| November 8, 2010 Duke had his 30-day recheck, and seems to be doing great! He walked around the clinic on the tile floors without slipping, and gets up much more easily. |
| November 21, 2010 Kelley came home the other day to find Duke limping on his shoulder again. It turns out that her husband saw Duke initiating play with Daisy and a rope toy, something he hasn't done in a long time! So he has been getting lots more activity, but does limp occasionally, when he plays too much! |
| August 14, 2011 After 10 months, Duke is starting to lose confidence on the tile floors again, and is taking anti-inflammatory medications more often. |