Seeing energetic, carefree Macha... you'd never know she couldn't even lift her tail three months ago.

The black Lab was named after the Irish goddess who could run faster than man or beast. Now she's able to live up to her namesake.

Trained by her owner, Tom Bulloch... her joy is tearing across the countryside hunting pheasant. But Tom says at the age of six... severe arthritis in her hip had her walking, not running to retrieve.

He says it was just heartbreaking, so he opted for a $2,000 treatment called stem cell therapy.

Bulloch says, "She's my pal so we would try anything to get her better. She was on three different pain medications."

Dr. Jamie Gaynor demonstrates the difference the therapy has made. He says, "This is one of the hips we injected. She has full range of motion, no pain." Tom credits Dr. Gaynor with Macha's recovery... getting her back to her old self in just four weeks time.

Dr. Gaynor, founder of the Animal Anesthesia and Pain Management Center in Colorado Springs is one of the most experienced vets trained in the cutting edge treatment... using stems cells extracted from a dog's own fat.

First the dog goes under general anesthesia allowing two tablespoons of fat to be extracted behind the shoulder blade. It's put in vials and overnighted to a California company called Vet-Stem which patented the process.

Technicians isolate the stem cells, sending them back in syringes to be injected into targeted joints two days later. They stimulate the growth of healthy cells, reduce inflammation, and help the injury heal. Any leftover cells can be frozen for later use.

Dr. Gaynor says, "The success rate for hip problems is incredibly high. I would say greater than 95 percent."

So far Dr. Gaynor's group has treated 40 dogs without any negative side affects. His first feline treatment is scheduled in the coming weeks.

Vet-Stem says the therapy also has been succesful for treating more than 3,000 horses... leading many to wonder about humans. Could we someday be treated using our own stem cells?

Dr. Gaynor says, "I would predict that this will become a big therapy in humans. There is a lot of research going on relative to humans and adult stem cells. All the controversy is gone with that."

Since the cells aren't changed in any way, the federal government isn't involved, which allows vets to experiment - trying the therapy on dogs with spinal disease and Muscular Dystrophy.

Some call it the new frontier in veterinary medicine.

Learn more about Vet-Stem

Learn more about Dr. Jamie Gaynor: The Animal Anesthesia and Pain Management Center