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Platelet-Rich Plasma

A revolutionary new treatment for osteoarthritis

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a revolutionary treatment, which accelerates healing in joints and soft tissue. It is now a recognised way for vets to treat Arthritis and soft tissue issues in our beloved canine and feline friends.

It not only heals, but in many cases, it revolutionises how older dogs and cats live their life. If you’re an advocate for less invasive, safer, often less costly but effective, alternative treatment options to surgery or traditional anti-inflammatory therapy then Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections are a viable option for your pet.

Regenerative therapies are based on harnessing and amplifying the body’s natural ability to heal. There are several types of regenerative therapies being used, one of which is platelet-rich plasma.

What exactly is plate-rich plasma?

Blood is mainly a liquid (called plasma), but it also contains small amounts of solid components (red cells, white cells and platelets). The platelets are mainly known for their role in clotting blood, but platelets also contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors which are very important in the healing of injuries.

PRP is plasma with concentrated amount of platelets, and concentration of growth factors can be 5 to 10 times greater than usual.

How does PRP work?

To develop a PRP preparation, blood must be first drawn from your pet. It’s not a painful procedure and it is like taking blood for tests. The only difference is the amount of blood that has to be taken. Then we concentrate and harvest the platelets from blood by using specially designed kits. The solution we obtain is highly rich in platelets. It has been clinically proven that concentrations of platelets of greater then 3 times normal levels introduced into a joint can stimulate healing.

Injecting PRP into damaged tissues will stimulate your body to grow new, healthy cells and promote healing. As the tissue growth factors are more concentrated in the prepared growth injections, research has shown the body’s tissues heal faster.

What conditions are being treated with PRP?

PRP has been used in veterinary medicine in the last few years in patients with arthritis, especially those having problems with hip dysplasia, those that have had knee surgery and are having complications or poor recovery, and those with joint injuries that may not be surgical candidates for various reasons.

Is PRP Effective?

In human and animal studies it has been shown that PRP injections can make significant improvements in joints with arthritic changes and decrease lameness. In short, they allow us to restore mobility by stimulating healing and we all know mobility is a key part of our pet’s quality of life.

Case Studies

Teddy Makes Remarkable Recovery

Teddy is a gorgeous 6 year old Wheaten Terrier and he’s pretty lively; he loves long walks and hikes with his owner. Poor Teddy started to experience lameness in his left foreleg in early 2017 and X-rays confirmed moderate arthritic change. Initially, Teddy responded well to traditional anti-inflammatory therapy but over time their effect became diminished and Teddy’s lameness became more pronounced.

He lost his desire to go for walks. Different types of anti inflammatory medication were tried including cortisone injections but to no avail. It was decided that Teddy was a good candidate for PRP therapy and underwent the treatment in early October 2018. The procedure is a morning procedure and involves a light anaesthetic.

Teddy was reviewed after 4 weeks and the response was remarkable and we are all extremely pleased with his progress. 

Testimonial

"Four weeks ago, Teddy was treated with platelet enhancement therapy. The difference it has made is remarkable. The improvement became noticeable about ten days after treatment, and he seems to be getting better and better each day. He's also in much better form. He still has a slight limp, but it's barely noticeable, and may disappear altogether as the weeks go by. We are absolutely delighted with the treatment, and it's great to have our old Teddy back."

Sheila, Killiney

Rasco Doing Well After PRP Therapy

“Rasco is our 3 1/2 year old cherished Cockapoo. Unfortunately Rasco was born with under-developed hips and we were told that he would probably need surgery at some point. In the meantime we managed his condition with anti-inflammatory medication over the last 2 years or so and we made sure we never over-walked him. He also then developed Arthritis in one of his knees. A recent blood test showed that he needed to come off his medication and Paul in Ark Vetcare recommended Platelet Enhancement Therapy for Rasco. We liked the idea that it was using the natural healing of Rasco’s own platelets and it would give him relief from the constant medication.

Rasco had the treatment over 6 weeks ago in both hips and knees and after a day or two recovery we noticed a big difference in his movement. He definitely has a new bounce in his step and now jumps with ease whereas before he would go to move but not quite make it up. He also has a swagger back now when out walking and seems to be maintaining this ease of movement as the weeks go by. We are absolutely delighted with the results of the treatment, and would definitely recommend it. A huge thanks to Paul and all the team for looking after Rasco so well.”

Valerie in Dublin

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