Regenerative Medicine Services are available at all three of our hospitals: Lexington, Saratoga & Wellington.

Rood & Riddle’s Regenerative Medicine Service offers a variety of regenerative therapies that harness the power of the body’s cells and proteins to promote healing by regenerating tissue after trauma. These therapies often treat the underlying causes of lameness and other conditions that affect equine athletic performance and quality of life. Tissues that can benefit from regenerative therapies include tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Therapies such as IRAP and PRP have revolutionized equine sports medicine, allowing the successful treatment of previously life-threatening or career-ending injuries.

IRAP (Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein) is an anti-inflammatory protein that counteracts the destructive effects of inflammatory proteins such as Interleukin-1 (IL-1) within the inflamed joint. The process involves collecting a horse’s blood to filter out the most useful proteins for healing, multiplying them in a laboratory setting and then re-administering them into the affected area. This treatment is especially useful for preventing lameness in the long run.

PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma) delivers a high concentration of platelets in the form of blood plasma to a lesion, increasing the number of growth factors at the site to help the injury heal. The plasma is created by spinning whole blood down in a centrifuge, eliminating the red and white blood cells and leaving behind a high concentration of platelets. The veterinarian injects the plasma directly into the lesion or multiple areas immediately surrounding the lesion to aid healing. As part of our regenerative medicine treatments, we provide the owner with a detailed rehabilitation program uniquely designed for your horse and its specific injury.