Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Second Edition. Edited by Chris Zink and Janet B. Van Dyke.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Platelet‐rich plasma

Definition

There is no universally accepted definition of
what constitutes a plasma that is “platelet‐rich”
(PRP) but the most lenient definition is that the

platelet concentration need only exceed that

in  the whole blood from which the PRP is

prepared (Arnoczky & Shebani‐Rad, 2013). The

proposed mechanism by which PRP may  be

beneficial is the provision of anabolic growth

factors to injured tissues of the musculoskeletal

system, stored within the platelet alpha‐granules,

Biological Therapies in Canine

Sports Medicine

Samuel P. Franklin, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR,

Antonio Pozzi, DVM, MS, DECVS, DACVS, DACVSMR,

and Frank Steffen, DECVN

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Summary

Orthobiologics have emerged as new treatment options in human and animal athletes.

Musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinopathies, desmopathies, and osteoarthritis are

common in competition and working dogs because of stresses induced by their repetitive

activities. Several therapies, such as anti‐inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, shockwave

therapy, and surgery have been used to treat these disorders, but variable levels of evi-

dence and success have been reported. Tendon and ligament healing potential is limited,

especially in chronic injuries, which are commonly seen in athletes. Therefore, novel

regenerative treatment approaches are of great interest in sports medicine. There are two

goals of this chapter. First, the definitions and proposed mechanisms of action for

different orthobiologics are reviewed; second, the clinical applications and the evidence

for efficacy of these novel treatments are discussed. The chapter focuses on two major

topics. Platelet‐rich plasma is reviewed in detail, as this is the most commonly used

orthobiologic in veterinary medicine. Stem cell applications are also presented, focusing

on musculoskeletal and spinal injuries. The chapter is not intended to provide a thorough

review of the literature on these topics, but aims to introduce the sports medicine and

rehabilitation therapist to the growing area of regenerative medicine.