ISTANBUL: A cat named Lokum who was diagnosed with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), a gradual progressive degeneration of the photoreceptor cells in the retina, causing gradual vision loss, began to show improvement after receiving two doses of stem cell therapy administered two weeks apart.
Ayse Alkan, who adopted the 5-year-old cat from the street, noticed a focus issue with Lokum and took the cat to the veterinarian.
During examinations, Lokum was diagnosed with PRA.
Alkan was informed that there was no cure for the disease and that her cat would eventually go blind.
In search of a solution, Alkan discovered that stem cell therapy, which is commonly used to treat humans, had recently been applied to animals as well.
After her research, she consulted Veterinary Surgeon Cem Perk.
Perk administered two doses of stem cell therapy to Lokum at a two-week interval.
Following the treatment, it was observed that Lokum’s ability to recognize objects improved and there was noticeable progress in her vision.