The impact of Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy has been huge in Human Medicine, and has proven to have rapid and amazing results on plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, cardiovascular surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology and chronic degenerative diseases that cause pain, inflammation or loss of tissue.
Logically, PRP is gaining more and more importance in Veterinary Medicine as well. It first started in equine sports medicine, but has already shown its affordability and wide-ranged utility in the small animal practice too.
The PRP Therapy consists in obtaining platelet concentrates from the same individual to treat, so that allergic reaction risks are reduced, and these platelets can release their growth factors in the injured area and regenerate the tissue.
Lucky for us Veterinarians, this procedure can be performed easily, since it does not require highly specialized instrumental or equipment, making it very affordable for pet owners. In fact, what we will be charging is the knowledge itself, like we do in surgical procedures, but with much less material and supplies.
The benefits for your veterinary practice, if you decide to start using PRP are undeniable. You will be offering a service that most of your colleagues won’t, your patients’ outcome and prognosis will be better, and since the foundations and arguments of PRP therapy are so easy to explain, you will be able to achieve a few basics in terms of customer service: pet owners will understand the procedure you’re performing, they will feel part of the therapeutics of their pet, they will see with their own eyes the results, and they will recommend your service.
So, how can you get started? Here’s a list of the basics you need in order to perform PRP:
- Blood from the individual to treat
- Acid Citrate Dextrose-A anticoagulant or Sodium Citrate Tubes 3.2% (blue)
- Needles (18 gauge or less for smaller animals)
- Centrifuge
- Platelet activator (calcium chloride, calcium gluconate)
- Application materials (syringes, hypodermic needles, eyedropper, etc.)
It is important to highlight that there are several commercial kits available in the market, which are amazingly easy to use, and contain everything you might need for a PRP preparation, aside from the centrifuge.
These kits come with an operator’s manual and instruction must be followed as indicated, since the mechanisms of these kits work different from each other, and also different from the manual preparation.
In order for you to start performing PRP therapy, please go through the Step by Step links below. These will guide you through each step of the procedure, from Blood Extraction, Separation, Activation and Application.
Do not wait any longer, start offering PRP services today!
