Platelet Rich Plasma treatment for pets, in the simplest of terms is described this way: your pet’s blood is broken down into smaller portions to extract healthy proteins that can be put back into your pet to help him or her regenerate healthy cells and develop or restore muscle movement.
When your pet is experiencing pain or has suffered severe muscle or tendon injury, your first instinct is usually to try some antibiotics, rest, and elevation for the affected area.
Unfortunately, not all injuries or tendon, muscle, or wound disposition are fixable by these methods. Further, invasive surgery can be more traumatizing for pet owners than for pets themselves.
In circumstances where regenerative medicine is the penultimate or final resort, your veterinarian relies on Platelet-rich plasma to accelerate healing of tendon, muscle, ligament, joint or other tissue injuries and wounds. It is formally described as an autogeneous concentrated fluid that consists of platelets.
How does PRP work?
Practiced widely in humans, PRP is now creating a new way of groundbreaking results in animals. While the process is complex in the biological breakdown, it is relatively simple to understand:
- A blood sample is drawn from the pet patient needing treatment.
- Using special equipment, the blood is spun until the liquid part of the blood (also known as the plasma) and the platelets can be divided from the red and white blood cells. In doing so, the plasma consists of the greater concentration of platelets.
- These platelets are then activated using a series of substances and procedures that will stimulate the release of their growth factors
- The liquid is then injected into the affected area to initiate healing
*This Breakdown for the procedure credit: PedMD
The process ranges between 30 to 40 minutes depending on the expertise of the clinician and the frequency with which he has performed PRP therapy.
Your pet is usually sedated during this process and often will not feel a thing. However, following the procedure, your pet may experience a little discomfort about 20 minutes post surgery. The recovery process is quite mild and pet owners have reported seeing results as early as a few days.
In a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of PRP, 60 dogs were treated with PRP and the results revealed that there were no adverse reactions. This study revealed the low-risk, reliable, and effective nature of the process.
Benefits of PRP
Platelet-Rich-Plasma is beneficial for treating and healing injuries as well as tackling chronic conditions. The therapy can help your pet’s development towards a pain-free joint, muscle, or tendon and can enhance the following areas in a regenerative manner:
- Tenosynovitis
- Wound Care
- Post Surgical Healing
- Osteoarthritis
- General Inflammation
PRP can provide enhance your pet’s living significantly, so he is able to have memorable experiences with you. For more detailed information, we encourage you to read what is Platelet-Rich Plasma treatment.
We also utilize laser therapy as a method of regenerative medicine.