Stemcellvet Reviews 26

The most AMAZING, COMPASSIONATE TEAM of people you would ever wish to meet @stemcellvet
My 8 year old COCKAPOO has a new lease of life, I have never been so grateful. She is like a puppy again.
STEWART & STEVE, ASHLEY & BETH thank you thank you with all my heart ❤️

We have had an excellent experience. Our Labrador was really struggling to get up on the sofa and go for a walk that was any longer than 5-10 minutes. We visited stem cell vets a couple of times and each time the whole team were so welcoming and caring. 7 months on from the stem cell treatment and he's a totally different dog, walking for over an 45 minutes each day and the sofa and stairs are so much easier for him! Thank you stem cell team!

This treatment did not work on my 5 year old lab. Only 5 days after the treatment, he started having problems with his back right leg. 4 weeks after treatment, he couldn’t walk. Every movement caused him pain. He went back to the stem cell vet to be reassessed. They did some tests and ruled themselves out that it was anything they had done. They then diagnosed him with immune mediated poly arthritis - a condition that stem cell treatment is not considered a suitable treatment option for.

But they didn’t test him for this prior to the treatment. Apparently a joint fluid test isn’t part of their “rigorous candidacy check”

Their website boasts that every dog they have treated has had an excellent response to treatment. Reading other reviews, I am unsure how true this statement really is.

If you are considering this treatment PLEASE do your research. Ask questions. What happens if it goes wrong? We were told there were NO RISKS but it made my dog worse and the problems started just FIVE days after having the stem cells.

You would expect their strict follow up policy and detailed communication would be even more strict if a problem arose, this wasn’t the case.

Plus your dog is on a lot of medications and the 7k price tag that they quote - that they tell you is the MOST the treatment will cost, only covers you up to the stem cell treatment. Any medications after this costs more. And at £3 per tablet, it can cost quite a bit more.

Unfortunately this treatment did not work for my dog. I paid out over £6,000 and can honestly say it was a total waste of money.
The vet I saw was excellent but the receptionist was unhelpful and could not even open when I was attempting to leave carrying the dog and her papers. Very very poor service. The same from Ashley, the follow up was poor and did not give me the feeling of any sort of empathy whatsoever. In fact, on there was only 2 follow up calls.

In April 2023, my HWV, Freya, began showing discomfort. Companion Vet Care in Eastbourne did X-rays, confirming pain in her spine, specifically areas of bridging spondylosis, with a more active region in the thoracolumbar area. Based on this diagnosis, I contacted Stemcell Vet (SCV), which I discovered while researching arthritis treatments for dogs. SCV’s website promised an exceptional success rate, claiming they had never treated a dog that did not show significant improvement in mobility, pain reduction, and overall quality of life. This was reinforced by positive posts on their social media: "We perform the treatment every day and have an exceptional success rate. To date, we have not treated a dog that has not responded extremely well in terms of increased mobility, pain reduction, and increased quality of life."

In the initial consultation, Stewart Halperin from SCV assured me that their treatment would help Freya, who was only 3.5 years old, and I decided to proceed with the procedure which started in August 2023.

In March and April 2024, I emailed videos of Freyas’ movements, but SCV referred me back to my primary vet. From there, Freya was referred to Fitzpatrick Referrals in May 2024. Fitzpatrick’s team conducted their own X-rays and MRI scans, diagnosing Freya with arthritis, spondylosis in her spine, arthritis in her hips, elbows, and one of her knees, along with an issue with one of her cruciate ligaments. The comprehensive diagnosis devastated me.

In June 2024, after receiving the diagnosis, managing Freya’s pain and seeing her decline, we made the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep. We regretted proceeding with the treatment, particularly since SCV failed to assess or communicate the potential limitations of stem cell therapy for spinal pain, which had been Freya’s primary issue from the start.

I became increasingly frustrated with SCV’s handling of feedback. When I shared my honest experience in SCV’s Facebook group “Dogs with Arthritis,” my comment was removed, and I was blocked from making further posts. This also happened on Instagram. These actions made me question SCV’s commitment to transparency. According to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), veterinary professionals must be open and honest with their clients, and I felt SCV’s actions contradicted this standard.

On September 20, 2024, I posted a review detailing my experience with SCV. They did not respond until November 26, 2024, coincidentally the same day they received five new 5-star reviews. SCV claimed Freya had been thoroughly assessed. However, if they had conducted a thorough assessment, they would have recognized the spinal pain documented by Companion Vets. SCV also accused me of harassment, being abusive, and providing inaccurate information.

Furthermore, I was uncomfortable with SCV publishing details about Freya’s treatment without my consent. I had requested that all communication be via email to maintain a record, given the lack of transparency on social media. SCV claimed to have communicated with me via SMS, but I never received any messages through that channel, and the only communication I had with them via WhatsApp occurred during the treatment period.

Throughout this process, I repeatedly asked SCV for answers to several questions: Please provide data showing your 100% improvement rate, Why have you modified your success claims on your website?, Why did you block me on social media?, Why were my comments removed from Instagram and Facebook?, and Have you removed other clients’ negative feedback from your platforms? None of these questions were answered.

This experience has been incredibly stressful and upsetting. Not only did I watch my dog suffer, but I also feel misled by SCV’s failure to provide honest information about their treatment and its limitations. The lack of transparency, removal of critical feedback, and their refusal to engage with my concerns is simply wrong. I hope that sharing my experience will help others make more informed decisions and encourage SCV to be more open, honest, and transparent with their clients in the future.