A Royal Oak couple's dog is running again after the first in-clinic stem cell therapy in Michigan.

Aging dog runs again after new stem cell therapy

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) - Reuben is an 8 or 9-year-old springer spaniel rescue who is recovering from a breakthrough stem cell therapy.

The treatment regenerates aging joints.

"I really think it is going to be one of the biggest breakthroughs in veterinary medicine that I've seen in my 40 years of practice," said Dr. John Simon, the veterinarian who conducted the procedure.

Reuben used to have trouble standing up and limped a lot because of arthritis in his hips and elbow.

 "I'm hoping that this will be kind of a youth serum a little bit for Reuben so that we can take him for walks," said Pam Baumann the morning of the January 12th surgery at Woodside Animal Clinic in Royal Oak.

She and her husband Dave Baumann spent $2,000 on the first in-clinic stem cell therapy for a dog conducted in Michigan, developed by MediVet-America.

There's no rehabilitation involved or any downtime.

Dr. John Simon surgically removed some of Reuben's fat near his shoulder then harvested the stem cells from the fat.   That process took a few hours.  When the stem cells were ready, Dr. Simon re-injected them into Reuben's hips and elbow.

Dr. Simon said results usually show within 30 to 60 days.

Just a little over a month after the procedure, Reuben's range of movement has greatly improved.

"I mean it's been a miracle," said Reuben's owner Dave Baumann.

"It's such a gift," he added. "It's given him just a whole lease on life.  Maybe dogs have nine lives, too."