Brando, a paralyzed 9-year-old German shepherd, underwent stem cell surgery on Wednesday, thanks to an innovative treatment developed by Stemlogix, a Weston-based company launched in 2010 that develops and sells stem cell therapies for animals.
Brando, paralyzed from the back down since January, received the first of a two-part stem cell surgery performed Wednesday at Paradise Animal Clinic in Hialeah. In about three to four weeks, the dog named after Marlon Brando will get another injection of high-octane stem cells, and that process will continue until Brando is healed, said stem cell scientist Julieta Radiche, who works for Stemlogix.
Stemlogix pioneered the landmark stem cell therapy treatment regimen and this is the first time this combination stem cell therapy treatment has been performed in Florida to treat paralysis. Stemlogix treatments have been used successfully on dogs, cats. race horses, chimps and other animals.
After the surgery that took several hours Wednesday, Brando responded to pain tests to his legs -- a great sign -- giving the doctors and the dog's owners hope that he will benefit greatly from the treatment.
Read more about the procedure and see a photo gallery in a Miami Herald article here. The photos taken at the surgery on Wednesday are by Miami Herald photographer Walter Michot.