HOLLADAY -- A major milestone in Utah veterinary history was marked Friday morning, when the state's first-ever stem cell procedure on pets was performed on two dogs at Cottonwood Animal Hospital.

Both canines, who were previously in pain and suffered limited motion, are expected to feel better and regain much of their agility in coming weeks.

Unlike the controversial human stem cell research, this animal procedure does not involve young embryos.

"What we're using are adult stem cell regenerative therapy for pets," said Jeremy Delk, chief executive officer of MediVet-America, based in Nicholasville, KY., whose company helped pioneer this major scientific advancement in animal stem cell regenerative therapy for pets.

Animals suffering from osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, ligament and cartilage injuries and many forms of other degenerative diseases are those who will benefit from the breakthrough procedure.

In fact, this procedure could be the biggest boon in veterinary science in the past several decades, with up to 65 percent of animals believed to be able to benefit from this new advancement, Delk said.

Honey, a 9-year-old dog owned by Christine McClory of Draper, suffered from hip dysplasia and was one of the dogs operated on Friday.

The other dog was Kimber, an 8-year-old chow-Chesapeake mix.

"I'm not expecting a puppy," McClory said, after her dog underwent the procedure. "But she could be back out on some reasonable trails. ... Most of the results of this procedure have been phenomenal."

The two hiked to Timpanogos Peak together in 2008, and McClory isn't expecting that, just that her dog will be pain-free, happier and able to enjoy shorter, less-strenuous hikes.

"I'm an outdoorsy person, and she's my soulmate," she stressed.

McClory found references to the new procedure on her veterinarian's Facebook page, and her inquiries led to MediVet organizing Friday's procedure in Utah. Dr. Kimberly Henneman, McClory's veterinarian from Park City, doesn't perform this kind of procedure but agreed it is one of the most exciting and innovative advances in vet science in a long time.

"Horse people led the way in this," she said.

Stem cell therapy benefited horses originally, and it can lengthen and rejuvenate the quality of life for dogs and cats that are experiencing arthritis, lameness, pain or simply a restricted range of motion.

Previously, veterinarians were limited to prescribing anti- inflammatory medicine or performing expensive surgery such as hip replacements and other invasive procedures to help such animals.

Without this treatment, McClory said Honey would only get worse, hobbling around more and more as she aged, perhaps even having $9,000 hip-replacement surgery.

This new treatment is faster and less than half the cost (about $1,800 vs. $4,000) of the first-generation stem cell procedure for animals.

"I think it's a bargain," McClory said of her estimated $2,000 procedure cost.

Stem cells are harvested from the animal's own fatty tissue and are administered to accelerate the healing of muscles and joints damaged by injury, disease or degeneration.

MediVet-America's kit and equipment, now available to veterinarians, means this in-clinic treatment can be completed in the same day -- within hours of fat collection -- instead of using the old method of shipping samples to an outside laboratory for stem cell extraction and waiting days for the cells to be returned to the vet for injection.

Dr. Rob Bagley, a veterinarian at Cottonwood Animal Hospital, performed Friday's procedures, assisted by Dr. Mike Hutchinson of MediVet, who has performed more than 75 such procedures on dogs and cats across the country.

Henneman said pet owners need to know this is a team approach procedure now and is just gaining a foothold.

Delk said it is an easy procedure and safe, with the anesthesia being the most risky factor. He suggested going to a veterinarian, getting the problem properly diagnosed and finding a vet who can perform the procedure.

For more information, go to: www.MediVet-America.com.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com