Osteoarthritis in Dogs – a brand new biological treatment approach
Apex Vets in Denny were one of the first vets in the world to roll out a brand new treatment for Arthritis in dogs, in February this year.
Osteoarthritis continues to be a very common disease in dogs, and the associated chronic pain negatively affects a dogs emotional and physical health. It can even affect the precious human-animal bond that a dog has with his or her owner. Traditional pharmaceutical therapies are well established, but there has been a gap of some 20 years since the last significant treatment breakthrough. Whilst pharmaceutical therapies have proven highly effective, many patients cannot receive pharmaceutical therapies, which rely on the kidneys and liver to process the drugs in the body. Others may experience side effects with medication including vomiting and diarrhoea.
Apex Vets in Denny took part in the early roll out of an entirely new class of therapy for arthritis in dogs, never before used in humans or animals. New scientific approaches have been employed to understand gene expression and protein changes associated with osteoarthritis, and has expanded man kinds’ knowledge to include biological processes which impact on the disease. The new therapy is a biological therapy involving the synthesis of antibody molecules (mAbs, or Monoclonal Antibodies) against “Nerve Growth Factor” which has been found to be a key player in pain associated with arthritis, and is a target for both human and veterinary medicine.
Doug, one of the vets at Apex Vets said “This new biological therapy is hugely exciting because it gives us a brand new tool in the box to treat this chronic, debilitating disease, and Apex Vets are proud to be one of the first clinics in the world to be rolling out this revolutionary therapy to patients.”
If you would like to arrange an appointment with one of the vets to discuss any concerns you may have about your dog and arthritis, or to discuss whether the new treatment might be suitable for your dog, please click here: book-an-appointment
