This is a diary I've been wanting to post for quite a while. I think it's time, now that Bebe's record has rocketed up the charts.
"Bark Park" on Amazon
Bebe is our little wonder dog, and she’s also a pioneer in stem cell treatments too.
We found Bebe when she was a little puppy living under our renter’s house next door to us. I think I had an idea that she was there one day when I came home for lunch, and she was grubbing in our front yard. When I appeared, she bolted back to her hiding place so fast I really wasn’t sure I’d seen anything. About a week later, we were driving away, and mrsgreggp said to me, "I just saw something under Gary’s house. It looks like a little triangle of black dots." Eventually, we figured out that there was a little white dog under there.
For a number of reasons, we didn’t want her staying there, so I devised a plan for getting her out (it wasn’t all that complicated; I got a bag of Cheetos and lured her – works every time). Mrsgreggp would call her Bebe as a term of affection and the name stuck.
The vets we took her to all agreed Bebe was probably a Jack Russell / Bull Terrrier mix. It wasn’t surprising; Bebe turned out to be a rocket of a dog, in spite of her short legs, and she would often launch into her version of a "bully run." She likes to run in figure eights between two people. For a childless (by choice) couple, Bebe turned out to be the perfect addition to the family. Here’s a video of Bebe doing one of her rocket-dog runs that mrsgreggp took in 2005. I love this video because it reminds me of a Road Runner cartoon (all you see is a cloud of dust).
Over the last ten years, we’ve taken in other dogs, but Bebe is, and always will be our little princess. She doesn’t let it go to her head, and loves all people and doggies. She provides us with a never ending supply of joy.
That’s why it was so heartbreaking for us last year when we realized Bebe was beginning to limp regularly when she ran even just a little. It turned out she had developed some arthritis in her left elbow, and there wasn’t much we could do about it except give her carprofen, an anti-inflamatory drug that can cause liver damage.
I knew, though, that there was a potential treatment out there for her, based on some legal work I had done for Tulip Biomed, a company that makes cannulas (the big needles that are used for liposuction). Besides sucking fat out of rich people’s asses, cannulas can be used to extract stem cells for bone marrow. One of the most promising treatments for human arthritis involves injecting them into people’s knees to regenerate the cartilage. I’ve been looking forward to that myself.
And then, a serendipitous confluence of events gave us hope for Bebe. First, we came into some extra money (that’s always a good step one in a situation like this). Then, I saw a news segment on a company that has been treating arthritis in horses and dogs – using their stem cells. And, even better, the company was just up the road from us in Poway, California. We decided to contact Vet-Stem.
Now for humans, the process is likely going to be pretty simple. As I mentioned above, adult human stem cells are generally harvested from bone marrow, using a cannula and local anesthetic (the canula is sharp and smooth enough to go through bone). The stem cells are refined and cultured, and then injected using another cannula. The process is in clincial trial for use on knees. I can hardly wait for the day when it's ready for prime time.
In dogs, though, the stem cells are taken from fat, specifically fat located in the abdomen at a site called the falciform ligament under general anesthesia, and the dog has to stay in the hospital overnight. There’s always risk involved with surgery, and it was a tough decision as to whether to put Bebe through it, but each day she got a little worse. She'd hobble and look at me, and in my own self-fulfilling way, I would interpret the look to mean "What’s wrong? Why can’t I run? Help me daddy." We decided to go ahead.
The Vet-Stem treatment is done by specially trained veterinary surgeons, and we found a wonderful vet to do it for us. After the cells are harvested, they are sent to Vet-Stem to be refined, and then pre-loaded syringes are sent to the vet for injection, assuming there is enough fat available (it doesn’t matter whether the dog is thin or fat – the falciform ligament is made of fat, and the amount there varies from dog to dog). The syringes are packed in a cold storage case and normally sent by express shipping back to the vet. In our case, though, I picked up the case myself and drove it right over to the hospital as soon as it was ready. I have to say, Bebe wasn’t too thrilled about the whole thing, but she sure was glad to leave the hospital.
Over the next few weeks, an absolutely amazing thing happened. Bebe began to run again, and after she did, she didn’t end up hobbling. Here’s a video from a few months ago. I apologize for the loud whistle; I didn’t expect my phone to pick it up so well.
Anyway, it’s been just about a year, and Bebe is soooo much better. Before the surgery, she needed one half of a carprofen tab morning and night. Now, we give her a half a tab every four or five days, usually after she "overdoes it" on the running. It's no big deal, we all ovedo it, and I hope I'm in as good a shape as Bebe when I'm as old as she is. I consider the treatment a big success.
So where does the hit record come into this story? Well, I have to say I was inspired by Stephanie Miller, who often talks about the leash-free park in Palm Springs called the Bark Park. I like the name, and so does Bebe. When I ask her if she wants to go to the Bark Park, the answer is always the same: an emphatic "yes" (well, "yes" in the sense that she runs around, yelps, barks, and heads for the front door). I wrote a song, and Bebe and I recorded it last year. It is a tribute to Bebe's generosity that she would work with me, since she's a much better vocalist than I.
Our song, "Bark Park," is available on Amazon, iTunes, Napster, etc., for MP3 download. It’s moved up several hundred thousand positions on the charts in just a couple of weeks. You can check out a sample here:
"Bark Park" on Amazon
A portion of the royalties will be donated to the ASPCA. The rest will be spent on dog treats.