Helping Your Animal Heal: A Simple Guide to PRP and Pro-Stride
When our pets or horses get hurt, we want to help them feel better as fast as possible. In the past, doctors usually gave animals pills to hide the pain. Today, there is a new and exciting way to help called regenerative medicine.
Regenerative medicine is like giving your animal a "fix-it" button. Instead of just hiding the pain, it uses the animal’s own blood to help the body actually repair itself. Two of the most popular ways to do this are called PRP and Pro-Stride. While they both come from blood, they work in different ways. This guide will help you understand how they work and which one might be right for your furry friend.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Think about when you get a small cut on your finger. You don't usually need a doctor to sew it up; your body just knows how to fix it. That is your body’s natural "repair crew" at work.
Regenerative medicine takes that repair crew and makes it much stronger. Veterinarians take a little bit of blood from the animal, put it in a special machine to find the best "healing parts," and then put those parts right where the animal is hurting. Because the medicine comes from the animal’s own body, it is very safe. There is almost no chance of the animal having a bad reaction to it.
PRP: The "Construction Crew"
PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma. To understand PRP, you have to know about platelets. Platelets are tiny cells in the blood. Most people know them because they help stop bleeding if you get a scrape. But platelets are also like tiny lunchboxes full of tools called "growth factors."
How PRP Works
When an animal has a torn muscle or a hurt leg, the vet takes some blood and spins it very fast in a machine called a centrifuge. This machine separates the platelets from the rest of the blood. The vet ends up with a thick liquid that has way more platelets than normal blood.
When this liquid is injected into a hurt area, the platelets "pop open" and release their growth factors. These growth factors act like a construction crew. They:
- Call for help: They send signals to other healing cells to come to the injury.
- Build new parts: They help the body make new blood vessels and skin.
- Fix the damage: They help repair tendons and ligaments (the "strings" that hold bones and muscles together).
When to use PRP
PRP is best for new injuries. If a horse tears a tendon while running or a dog hurts a biceps tendon or gets a bad cut that won't heal, PRP provides the "building blocks" needed to fix the problem.
Pro-Stride APS: The "Firefighter and Builder"
Pro-Stride APS is like a more advanced version of PRP. While PRP is a great builder, Pro-Stride is a firefighter AND a builder.
What makes it different?
Inside an animal’s joint (like a knee or an ankle), there can be a lot of "fire." Doctors call this fire inflammation. Inflammation is what makes a joint red, swollen, and very painful. In animals with arthritis (old, stiff joints), the body produces a "bad" protein that acts like a tiny hammer, constantly hitting and breaking down the joint.
Pro-Stride is specially made to stop those "hammers." It has a special protein called IRAP. You can think of IRAP as a shield. It blocks the bad proteins from hitting the joint.
How Pro-Stride Works
Just like PRP, the vet takes the animal's blood and spins it. But they use a special process that finds even more "good" proteins. When Pro-Stride is injected into a joint, it does two things:
- It puts out the fire: It stops the swelling and pain immediately by using the "shield" proteins.
- It cleans up: It neutralizes the bad stuff that is trying to eat away at the animal's cartilage (the smooth cushion in the joints).
When to use Pro-Stride
Pro-Stride is the best choice for arthritis and long-term joint pain. If your dog is having a hard time getting up the stairs because of old age, or if a horse has a swollen knee that stays "hot" and painful, Pro-Stride is usually the better choice.
How the Veterinarian Does It
- The Blood Draw: The vet takes a small amount of blood from the animal.
- The Spin: The blood goes into the centrifuge machine. It separates into layers.
- The Injection: The vet puts the healing liquid exactly where the animal is hurting.
- The Rest: The animal usually needs to take it easy for a few days.
Comparing the Two: Which one is better?
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Feature
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PRP
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Pro-Stride
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Main Job
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Building and Repairing
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Fighting Fire and Protecting
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Best For
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Tendons and Wounds
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Arthritis and Stiff Joints
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Is it safe?
Since the liquid is made from the animal’s own blood, it is incredibly safe. Most common side effects are mild swelling that goes away quickly.
The Success Stories
Research shows that 8 out of 10 dogs with joint pain felt better after these treatments. Many horses stay pain-free for a whole year after just one treatment!
Conclusion
Regenerative medicine like PRP and Pro-Stride gives us a way to help our animals heal using the power already inside their own bodies. Ask your veterinarian if your animal needs a "construction crew" (PRP) or a "firefighter shield" (Pro-Stride).
Advanced Care Veterinary Services
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