A new medical procedure that uses an animal's own stem cells to heal joint disease, ligaments and tendons is starting to catch the attention of Central Florida veterinarians.

Dr. Dan Evers of Val-U-Vet is the first pet physician in Central Florida to offer the innovative stem cell procedure.

"I would call it 'amazing science,'" Evers said.

Evers and his colleagues started offering the procedure in March.

Twenty-five dogs from 15 months to 15 years old have been treated for varying degrees of osteoarthritis, tendon damage or ligament damage.

Stem cells are extracted from the animal's own body fat and then injected into the affected joints.

Medivet America, the company that sells the system to regenerate the stem cells, has documented a 95 percent success rate since the procedure was first offered in the United States three years ago.

Erica Kent, a vet technician with Medivet, says the results speak for themselves.

"It's providing a new life for these pets that otherwise they wouldn't have," Kent said.

Dr. Evers' star patient is an 8-year-old Shi Tzu named Ameye.

Ameye was suffering with severe arthritis in her back legs, ankles and joints.

Lila Najar says her tiny dog struggled to walk just a few feet and she decided it was time to let go.

"I couldn't see her suffering anymore, so I went to go put her to sleep and that's when they told me about the stem cell therapy," she said.

Thirty days later, Ameye was running and playing "like a puppy" again, Najar said.

According to Evers, the procedure costs about $1,800 and there were no side effects.

Medivet and Val-U-Vet are currently conducting clinical tests using MRIs to measure the growth of the cartilage in the treated joints.

Evers says there is a three-tier process used to make sure the pets are eligible for the procedure: Blood work, X-rays and cancer screening.

According to Evers, the pain relief can be seen in a few days. He said the dogs have complete movement, and in many cases are running, in about 30 days.