Stem cell transplants to treat arthritis and other joint problems are still a way off for humans. But here in Central Florida, dogs are already benefitting from the medical breakthrough. What we learn from those procedures may one day help their owners and the rest of us too.

10-year-old Maggie Mae has had breakthrough stem cell transplants to treat three of her arthritic and damaged joints. She's a rescue-dog that owner Terry Hays has had for about a year.

The day Maggie Mae found her new owner turned out to be the best day of her life. Maggie had a hard life before she found Terry.

"She has some really bad hips and one elbow is really bad. I think the elbow causes her more discomfort than her hips do," said Terry.

Terry tried drugs, acupuncture and massage to relieve the dog's pain, but nothing brought lasting relief.

"She was pretty depressed and she was able to walk, but her gait was stiff, like a person that would require crutches," said Dr. Jacek de Haan. The veterinary surgeon who is treating Maggie Mae.

Maggie's owner ruled out hip replacement surgery. Three joints would have been too much of an ordeal for the dog. Dr. de Haan offered a far less invasive alternative. He injected Maggie's own stem cells directly into her ailing joints.

Prior to the procedure Maggie was sedated and given full anesthesia. Her stem cells came from fat removed from her stomach days earlier.

The fat was shipped to a lab; the stem cells were extracted, and sent back in concentrated form.

Dr. de Haan injected one syringe of stem cells into each of her damaged joints.

"The stem cells are preprogrammed to heal and what we do is we inject them at higher concentrations into the joint to increase their effect," said Dr. de Haan.

The three injections took a total of about 15 minutes. Maggie is the 7th dog to be treated here for arthritis, leg and tendon problems but already 3 thousand procedures have been done on horses. One, a polo pony is already back in competition.

A few weeks after the surgery Maggie Mae still favors one of her front legs. Terry says Maggie had been doing fine but she slipped and reinjured that leg.

Maggie may need another stem cell transplant for that joint but her back hips are doing fine.

"She seems to be having more fun. She just seems to enjoy herself more," said Terry.

Dr. de Haan is following all of the stem cell cases treated at Affiliated Veterinary Specialists in Maitland. The dogs come back for 30, 60 and 90 day check-ups. All the results from here as well as from other vets around the country are being kept at a data bank at the Laboratory in California where the stem cells are processed.

Eventually what we learn from dogs like Maggie, will hopefully lead to effective stem cell transplants in humans.