Greg McGarrell BSc, MBA
Founder of Nupsala implementing regenerative medicine programs within equine and canine veterinary medicine clinics. Greg is renowned for his knowledge of regenerative medicine and lecturing skills on this exciting new area of veterinary medicine. Nupsala specialise in the use of stem cells, bone marrow concentrate, PRP and ACS-IRAP.
Greg kindly agreed to answer the following questions:
Where do you think we are with current management of arthritis in dogs?
General practice tends to approach arthritis with a palliative approach until surgical intervention is required. With a dependence on NSAIDs and nutraceuticals there is little consideration towards disease modification. Unfortunately this approach leads to disease progression.
Where do you think the future lies with improving management of arthritis in dogs?
The future needs to start with an understanding that treatment and management are two different issues. We need to treat the symptoms of the disease, stabilise the patient and then look to disease modification in the management phase. True disease management is a stabilised patient with a better quality of life.
We are in exciting times with medical advances happening daily. Our understanding of the inflammatory process and how cell communicate has enabled us to look at other ways of modify the disease. Becoming more targeted and enabling a more controlled modification of the disease.
If you could give a dog owner one tip when dealing with this disease process what would it be?
Don’t become complacent or accepting of the disease. The disease is progressive, is life long and affects all aspects of the dog’s life style. Management is key to a good quality of life and slowing the progression of the disease. Seek professional advice early and try to find a management solution which will work best between the dog owner and the dog. It has to be a tailored solution and one they can keep to.