PALMYRA -- Gunny, an 8-year-old German shepherd, who has been suffering from painful arthritis in his hips, got a new lease on life Wednesday after receiving an injection of stem cells from his own body.

Gunny was the first of two dogs with degenerative joint disease who were treated with a new, faster and less expensive procedure at the Palmyra Animal Clinic, 920 E. Main St. The new process, which is available for dogs, cats and horses, uses stem cells taken from fatty tissue in the animals to combat osteoarthritis to improve their quality of life.

The process has been around for a decade, but with new technology, the local clinic is able to do the process in-house, in less time and at less cost. The clinic has been offering stem cell therapy since 2008.

While stem cell therapy has been commercially available for about a decade, Dr. Calvin Clements, owner of the clinic, said, "there was a several-day turnaround, multiple anesthesias, and it was considerable expense. With this technique, we have the ability to collect the cells, inject the cells and bank the cells."

The cost of the procedure is about $1,300, compared to $3,000 when sent out of house, Clements said.

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On Wednesday, Clements and his associate, Dr. Richard Hann, used the new process - known as Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Procedure - for the first time in their office with Gunny, and Hudson, an 8-year-old toy fox terrier, who has arthritis in his knees.

Clements said an animal's pain from degenerative disease is similar to humans.

"Like the pain that anyone who has advanced joint degenerative disease experiences, at first, it doesn't hurt too bad but as time progresses some are in considerable pain. It can be very severe," he said.

"We're looking to improve their joint function. Stem cell therapy has really proven itself just by the outcome that we've had in patients when we were shipping it out," Clements said. "This is more convenient. It's a faster process. It's in-house, and we know how the samples are being handled from beginning to end."

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Palmyra Animal Clinic adds new stem cell therapy to improve animals' lives