Max, elbow dysplasia and osteoarthritis

We rescued Maximus ("Max") from North Carolina in 2014. He was an unclaimed stray and totally gorgeous. Max has elbow dysplasia. We were told his joint is more of a jigsaw puzzle shape than a ball and socket. He is currently 9 years old and lives in Rochester, New Y ork with his two fur brothers. He loves everyone and has the most genuinely sweet personality. He's also our biggest snuggler. 

Without a doubt there is benefit to stem cell therapy. At the beginning of our journey, we treated Max with anti-inflammatory and pain medication, but once his dysplasia started to affect his quality of life, we started PRP. PRP was great but it was frequent and similar in cost. As soon as we started to notice a slight limp or becoming more stiff after exercise or sleep, we would head to Cornell. In 2021 or so, we had our first stem cell therapy. Dr. Frye had mentioned it to me in the past but I was nervous and the PRP was doing its job but after a while, it just wasn't as effective as it was in the beginning. Well, wow! I wish I had done it sooner! After the recovery period, it's like Max is brand new again.

Max is a runner and we've always referred to him as a circus dog. He can jump over six feet in the air and after his stem cell therapy, he goes right back to his zoomies, razing, juking, jumping playful self. Max's most favorite thing to do is run on his grandparents land. Sometimes he can't contain himself and will jump right out of my car window (once I'm parked) to go run with his brothers, Lucius and Bo, and cousin, Scooby. This is all due to the stem cell therapy. His quality of life would not be the same without it. 

I never once felt pressured to move forward with stem cells - only informed and confident we were doing what was best for our amazing boy!

— Tiffany Amalfi

Molly, elbow dysplasia and osteoarthritis

Molly was one of the first patients treated at Cornell for stem cell/PRP therapy. I had started her treatments at in Maryland when that was the only place on the East Coast available, but after talking with Dr. Chris Frye, I was able to have their stem cells sent to Cornell and administered. Then when Dr. Frye and Dr. Fortier agreed to a program that would harvest and store cells here, Molly was the second patient to be treated. Since then, we have evolved a plan that is perfect for Molly! She comes every four months for treatment, stays overnight to ensure pain control and goes home the next morning. She then resumes rehab therapy twice a week after a healing period of two weeks.

This protocol has been incredibly effective for Molly. Her therapist says that Molly's mobility and lack of pain without medication is remarkable for a dog her age with her condition. Molly is now eight and a half years old, was diagnosed at 14 months and is still an active, happy golden retriever.  Without Chris Frye and his fantastic team, I'm not sure that Molly would be able to live the normal, comfortable life that she enjoys. She adds so much joy to our family!

Thanks for including us in your project. Everybody should know about this wonderful advance in treatment for dogs with elbow dysplasia!

— Sharon Roehm

Leo, soft tissue injury

Dr. Michelle Delco was the saving grace for Leo, my teenage daughter’s beloved Oldenburg schoolmaster. He sustained a soft tissue injury at the end of the summer of 2019 and, after months of stall rest and then a slow process of hand walking and walking under saddle, his local veterinarian injected the wind puff near the original injury. Leo ended up with an infection in the adjacent joint, had emergency surgery, seemed to be on the mend, but then his recovery stalled, and things spiraled downhill from there. Was it cellulitis? Was the joint not healing? Was it something else entirely?

After every possible diagnostic attempt — radiographs, ultrasounds, bone scans and high level, surgical assessments and reassessments — I sent Leo to Dr. Delco. She was able to put a scope inside the offending joint as well the stubborn wind puff. She found the cartilage in the joint was degraded and at risk of further, rapid decline; the wind puff area had a cluster of damaged cells. Dr. Delco, after a good deal of careful pondering and consultation with high level colleagues, proposed giving Leo a series of injections of a cocktail of stem cells and platelet lysate. The platelet lysate component was still experimental, but Dr. Delco was able to access it for Leo.

After a series of three injections and carefully managed rehab, Leo is again sound and back to work. At some points in this process, the question was simply whether he could be made comfortable enough to be turned out and retired. He was visibly lame at the walk. We consulted with a number of specialists before getting to Dr. Delco. No one else had been able to figure out exactly what was wrong, let alone come up with a plan that returned Leo to soundness and happy work. We will always be endlessly grateful to Dr. Delco!

— Hattie Ruttenberg