Regenerative Medicine

Scott Equine ServicesRegenerative medicine harnesses the natural healing process of the body to help heal damaged tissues. At Scott Equine Services, our regenerative medicine therapies include Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy or PRP and bone marrow derived Stem Cell Therapy. Each of these procedures and their benefits will be explained in detail by your veterinarian, should we feel they will benefit your horse.

Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cell therapy uses stem cells from your horse's bone marrow to facilitate the healing of damaged tissues. Stem cell therapy is most commonly used to treat soft tissue injuries in the horse. Clinical research continues to explore other uses for stem cells, including repairing bone, ligament, and spinal cord injuries and treating kidney and liver disease.

How is stem cell therapy performed?

After a definitive diagnosis of the condition has been determined and your horse has been selected as a suitable candidate, there are essentially three steps in stem cell therapy:

  1. The first involves the collection of bone marrow from your horse. This procedure is performed while the patient is under sedation. Bone marrow cells are most often taken from the sternum.
  2. The bone marrow cells are then transferred to a specialized laboratory, where stem cells are isolated and cultured.
  3. The final stage of treatment is injection of stem cells into the affected area, with ultrasound guidance. This step also requires sedation for your horse.

Platelet Enriched Plasma (PRP)

Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is created by drawing your horse’s blood and processing the blood with a specialized filtration centrifugation system to create the Platelet Enriched Plasma. PRP is then used to treat soft tissue injuries or in some cases as a joint injection in place of traditional joint medications.

After treatment with PRP or Stem Cells, a specific physical therapy program for your horse will be developed by you veterinarian and follow up examinations scheduled.