Two bulldog puppies with spina bifida received a stem cell treatment at UC Davis in California meaning they can now run, walk and play.
The puppy siblings Darla and Spanky were treated with a therapy developed to help preserve lower-limb function in children with spina bifida, according to a UC Davis news release.
The puppies were transported from Southern California Bulldog Rescue to the UC Davis Veterinary hospital when they were 10 weeks old because spina bifida made it impossible for them to control their back-ends.
Puppy siblings Darla and Spanky were treated with a therapy developed to help preserve lower-limb function in children with spina bifida
One of the puppies is pictured during the treatment at UC Davis
They were the first dogs to receive the treatment, this time using canine instead of human placenta-derived cells
Veterinary neurosurgeon Beverly Sturges is pictured holding one of the puppies during their four-month check up following the treatment
Spina bifida occurs when spinal tissue improperly fuses in utero causing cognitive, mobility, urinary and bowel disabilities.
Approximately 1,500 to 2,000 children in the U.S. are born with the condition each year.
Dogs with the birth defect are typically euthanized as puppies because they have little control of their hindquarters.
An adorable video shows Darla and Spanky showing off their ability to walk, run and play after their post-surgery checkup at four months old.
They were the first dogs to receive the treatment, this time using canine instead of human placenta-derived cells.
‘The initial results of the surgery are promising, as far as hind limb control,’ veterinary neurosurgeon Beverly Sturges said in the release.
‘Both dogs seemed to have improved range of motion and control of their limbs.’
Although Darla and Spanky are mobile and doing well, they still require diapers, the news release said. They have been adopted and are living happily in New Mexico.
An adorable video shows Darla (pictured) and Spanky showing off their ability to walk, run and play after their post-surgery checkup at four months old
Although Darla and Spanky are mobile and doing well, they still require diapers because the condition causes incontinence
‘The initial results of the surgery are promising, as far as hind limb control,’ veterinary neurosurgeon Beverly Sturges said in the release
The puppies have been adopted and are now living happily in New Mexico
The procedure involved surgical techniques developed by fetal surgeon Diana Farmer and cellular treatment developed by stem cell scientists Aijun Wang and Dori Borjesson
The procedure involved surgical techniques developed by fetal surgeon Diana Farmer of UC Davis Health.
It also used a cellular treatment developed by Aijun Wang and Dori Borjesson, director of the university’s Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures.
Farmer pioneered the use of surgery prior to birth to improve brain development in children with spina bifida.
She later showed that prenatal surgery combined with cells derived from the human placenta held in place with a cellular scaffold helped research lambs born with the disorder walk without noticeable disability, the news release said.
Sturges wanted to find out whether the surgery-plus-stem-cell approach could give dogs more normal lives, as well as better chances of survival and adoption.
The prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida is not performed on dogs, Sturges said.
The disorder becomes apparent between one and two weeks of ages.
In the early stages puppies show hind-end weakness, poor muscle tone and abnormal use of their tails.
The research team wants dog breeders to send more puppies with spina bifida to UC Davis for treatment and refinements.
Researchers eventually hope to correct another hallmark of spina bifida: incontinence.
Dogs with the birth defect are typically euthanized as puppies because they have little control of their hindquarters
The disorder becomes apparent between one and two weeks of ages. In the early stages puppies show hind-end weakness, poor muscle tone and abnormal use of their tails
The research team wants dog breeders to send more puppies with spina bifida to UC Davis for treatment and refinements