Veterinarian offers stem cell transplants

The Seattle Times reports that, in summer 2004, a purebred dog had a stem cell transplant for lymphoma at the Fred Hutchinson Center in Seattle, WA. The owners of golden retriever Comet spent $45,000 on expenses. The donor dog was a perfect match selected after testing 40 related purebreds. The doctor, veterinarian Dr. Edmund Sullivan of Bellingham, WA, now plans to offer SCT as part of his regular services, for approx. $25,000. Meanwhile, in Washington state, 167,000 children are uninsured and over 60,000 children were dropped from the Medicaid rolls in 2004.