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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Imagine being able to transform your own fat into a therapy that can treat everything from heart failure to rheumatoid arthritis.

It is now being done using stem cell therapy, in both humans and animals. While it remains controversial, many who try it say it works.

A little over a month ago Jane Fornear's German Shepherd was so crippled by arthritis that she could not lift a paw, but a friend told her about a local veterinarian doing stem cell therapy.

It is controversial because there is not enough research yet to know exactly how it works - or how long the effects will last. They only began using stem cell therapy to treat horses a few years ago - but many believe it is capable of producing life changing outcomes.

Sometimes getting up was just too much for 10-year-old Angel, limping toward old age in terrible pain. The German Shepherd was so riddled with arthritis that Fornear could hardly bear to watch.

"Well, everyday we said, 'Are we right or wrong, should we put her out of her misery, this week, or next week or next month,'" said Fornear. 

On an X-ray it was clear that Angel's hip joints were shot. It was then Fornear decided to try stem cell therapy.

Dr. Mike Hutchinson, of Animal General Hospital in Cranberry, is amazed by the results he's getting.

"To see what it does for a last resort animal - an animal that we carry in on a stretcher ... and then 15 days later it's jumping its front feet up on my table when it comes in here," said Dr. Hutchinson.

The therapy begins when Dr. Hutchinson makes an incision in Angel's shoulder extracting several tablespoons of fat containing regenerative stem cells.

The sample is sent overnight to the California-based "Vet-Stem" laboratory.

There technicians isolate the adult regenerative stem cells from the fatty tissue using a centrifuge.

Forty-eight-hours after the fat was removed, Angel's own stem cells are in syringes ready to be injected into her hip joints.

"That's the beauty of it," says Dr. Hutchinson, "we're not taking embryonic cells, we're not using cords - there's no controversy - we're using their adult stem cells - fat - a good use for fat!"

Dr. Hutchinson also gives Angel an IV infusion of stem cells to systemically treat her arthritis.

Clinical trials report an 80 percent success rate in dogs undergoing this procedure. Though it's not the fountain of youth, improvement can be dramatic. Angel's recovery should take 20 to 60 days.

"So what we're expecting is less pain, better range of motion and less lameness and that's a big, big improvement for of these dogs who have trouble getting up," said Dr. Hutchinson. 

The cost of stem cell therapy is not cheap, starting at about $2,400.

"Or more in some cases if we're doing lots of joints - to put your dog through this procedure and try to help them," added Dr. Hutchineon. "And I want you to ask the clients who have that done to their dog and see what they're saying."

Five weeks following Angel's procedure Fornear is thrilled with the results.

"Her eyes, within 48 hours, her eyes were clear. Oh, it's way better. She just enjoys everything, she can't wait, she runs to the door when you come home," she said.

Because stem cell therapy is still in its infancy it is not clear how long the effects will last.

"The evidence is only about a year out in dogs so far," says Dr. Hutchinson, "but if we look at the horses we're hoping we'll get out to three years. Soon we hope to be treating nerves, maybe cardiac injury, heart muscle damage, kidneys, liver. I mean it's endless when you think of the possibilities of cells that regenerate, or renew cells that are diseased."

Fornear says, "It's a God thing - it is just - it's a miracle."

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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