Canine Bone Marrow Transplant

Cody a Golden Retriever is the fourth dog to receive the treatment

Canine lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer in dogs. While the survival rate with current treatments is extremely low (about 0 to 2 percent) the cure rate for dogs that have received a bone marrow transplant is at least 30 percent.  

The relatively new procedure involves the use of leukaphoresis machines that are designed to harvest healthy stem cells from the peripheral blood. The machines are used in conjunction with drug therapy to harvest stem cells that have left the patient’s bone marrow and entered the bloodstream. The harvested cancer-free cells are then reintroduced into the patient after total body radiation is used to kill residual cancer cells left in the body. This treatment is called peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

The harvesting procedure itself takes six hours and the patient remains in the hospital for two weeks following the procedure. The bone marrow transplant process is completely painless for dogs, although the dogs do experience some GI distress, manifested mainly as diarrhea, from the total body radiation.

Dogs suffering from lymphoma are now able to receive the same medical treatment as their human counterparts through a new bone marrow transplant procedure offered by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

NC State’s CVM is the first veterinary program in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting.

The relatively new procedure involves the use of Leukophoresis machines—the same equipment used in human medicine—that are designed to harvest healthy stem cells from the peripheral blood. The machines are used in conjunction with drug therapy to harvest stem cells that have left the patient’s bone marrow and entered the bloodstream. click here to read more

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Contact Info:

Phone: 919.513.6690
Fax:     919.513.6669
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM
Regular appointments:
                    9:30AM-1:00PM
Drop-offs:     7:30AM-8:30AM
Discharges:   4PM-6PM

The Oncology service is a referral-only service. Once the primary veterinarian calls and sets up the referral, the owner may call and arrange an appointment. If the patient has been seen by our service recently, owners may call Oncology directly to set up an appointment.