Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Stem cell treatment for cats with long-term diarrhea
By Webb, Tracy L & Webb, Craig B·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2015·Clinical Sciences Department, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Stem cell therapy in cats with chronic enteropathy: a proof-of-concept study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with chronic diarrhea lasting at least three months received stem cell therapy to see if it could help their condition. The treatment involved using stem cells derived from fat tissue, and the owners reported that five out of seven cats showed significant improvement or complete resolution of their symptoms, while the other two had some improvement. In contrast, the cats that received a placebo showed no change or worsening of their diarrhea. Overall, the stem cell therapy was found to be safe and showed promise as a treatment option for cats with chronic enteropathy, but more research is needed to confirm these results.
People also search for: cat chronic diarrhea treatment · stem cell therapy for cats · feline enteropathy diet
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The current treatment of cats with chronic enteropathy frequently includes use of a prescription diet and daily medication administration, with the potential for side effects or problems with owner compliance, and may still result in treatment failure in some cases. The objective of this study was to determine if stem cell therapy was a safe and viable treatment in cases of feline chronic enteropathy. METHODS: Allogeneic adipose-derived feline mesenchymal stem cells (fMSC) were used to treat seven cats with diarrhea of no less than 3 months' duration, while four cats with a similar clinical condition received placebo, in a blinded manner. Three additional cats were treated with an identical fMSC protocol, but owners were not blinded to the treatment. Owners completed a questionnaire characterizing clinical signs both before entering the study and 2 weeks following the second of two fMSC or placebo treatments. Owners were also surveyed for similar input by email 1-2 months later before being unblinded to their cat's study group. Besides the fMSC or placebo treatment, no other changes were made in diet, supplement or medication administration during the study. RESULTS: No adverse reactions or side effects were attributed to the fMSC therapy in any of the cats. Owners of 5/7 fMSC-treated cats reported significant improvement or complete resolution of clinical signs, while the owner of the remaining two cats reported modest but persistent improvement. Owners of placebo-treated cats reported no change or worsening of clinical signs. Of the owners not blinded to the treatment, one reported marked improvement, one reported no change and one was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Although allogeneic adipose-derived fMSC therapy appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for cats suffering from chronic enteropathy, these preliminary results require significant follow-up study.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25480816/