I know, I know….we’re not very good at updating our blog lately – but better late than never, right?
Nora is doing really well! It’s hard to believe our girl will be 10 years old this summer. She certainly doesn’t act like it.
Last summer we noticed Nora was starting to slow down again – usually a sign that there’s pain or discomfort. We had a full checkup done with our vet, in addition to x-rays. Her arthritis was getting more pronounced.
We took her for a consult with the rehab team at AMC, and decided to try some new therapies to help our sweet girl feel better.
The plan was to do stem cells and also a PRP injection directly to her front leg elbow.
September last year, she went in for the adipose collection to generate the stem cells, and for her PRP injection (done under anesthesia).
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is derived from removing the red blood cells from whole blood and isolating platelets. A sample of blood is taken from a patient and then spun down in a centrifuge. The red blood cells are removed with a pipette and discarded.
The left-over concentrate is called PRP which contains platelets and proteins that can then be used to promote healing and treat areas of inflammation in the body.
Nora was pretty uncomfortable after the procedure – mostly because the adipose collection involves retrieving fatty tissue from her chest which required surgery. It didn’t last long though. The next day she was pretty much back to herself (just some soreness with the incision)
It took a couple of months to see results from the PRP, but it greatly improved her comfort and range of motion in her elbow. Totally worth having to wear an inflatable e collar for a few weeks while the incision healed.
Sadly, shortly after that – our oldest cat, Kai, got sick and was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. We were in shock since it happened so quickly and unexpectedly. He was the picture of health all his life and we were certain he had many more good years ahead of him in spite of being 13 years old.
After the cancer diagnosis he declined rapidly, and we decided it would not be fair to put him through intensive treatment when the prognosis was so poor. Quality of life is more important than quantity. Just because you can prolong life, doesn’t always mean you should… We had to say goodbye to Kai on December 8th. He got to pass peacefully at home, surrounded by love. It literally tore a piece of my heart out, but sometimes letting go is the last act of kindness you can show them. If love could have saved him he’d have lived forever….
Our other cat, George, was struggling without his best friend of 9 years. Those two had been attached at the hip since the day they met.
late January we decided to adopt a new friend for him. Enzo – a rescue cat from Qatar with some injuries that didn’t make him highly adoptable. Just our type 😉 Enzo and George became fast friends, and was joined by another emergency foster cat we took in a few weeks later. Foster turned into foster fail, and then Magnus joined our family as well. What better way to honor Kai than to help other kitties in need. We know he would have approved as he LOVED other cats. Nora loves cats, so she welcomed the new kitties with enthusiasm.
Since the PRP lasts for quite a while, we held off on doing the stem cell injections until February of this year.
Nora had injections to her elbow again, and also around her ruptured disc in her neck. All this was done under anesthesia, and she got a funky haircut to match 😉
The full effect of the stem cells can take up to 90 days. We just had our 60 day checkup yesterday. I can wholeheartedly say we are blown away by what we’ve already seen.
Before treatment, Nora still went on walks but she would only walk for 5 minutes before stopping to rest and sniff around.
Around 30 days after treatment we took her to some hiking trails near our house (her favorite place!) and she walked for almost an hour straight!!! Enthusiastically! She got offended if we tried to pick her up to carry her and give her a few moments rest.
We are so happy we could help Nora feel good again!
We’re still doing hydrotherapy with her, and she loves to swim! Who’d have thought a dog who only begrudgingly takes baths would love swimming??
Here are some video links of Nora on the trails
Much love from Nora and family ❤️