Luna’s Story

Luna belonged to Valerie Greenwood, a Senior Product Development Scientist at Arthrex, who had been working on developing biologic therapies to support healing in dogs.

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From Research to Real Life

“As an animal lover, I have a personal attachment to this product,” Valerie said. “I already work on the human side of developing the ACP Max system, and I know how much it helps people. It felt so good to work on the vet side, too.”

As part of her work, Valerie helped develop protocols for the ACP Max™ platelet-rich plasma system, which uses a dog’s own blood to concentrate platelets and growth factors that support healing.

Luna even played a direct role in that work.

Valerie used Luna’s blood during testing, making her an important contributor to the development of the therapy.

An Unexpected CCL Injury

That connection became even more meaningful when Luna experienced an injury of her own.

After tearing her CCL, she required surgery to restore stability in her knee.

“Luna’s injury was repaired with the Arthrex TPLO Locking Plate System, and then the surgeon used ACP Max to help her heal,” Valerie said. “It’s amazing that she was helped with a product that I helped develop, using her own blood for testing.”

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Supporting Healing After Surgery

CCL injuries are one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs. When the ligament tears, the knee becomes unstable and painful.

Surgical repair, such as TPLO, helps restore stability, while biologic therapies like ACP can be used to support the healing process.

ACP therapy works by using the dog’s own blood to deliver concentrated platelets and growth factors directly to the treatment site, helping to manage inflammation and support recovery.

A Full-Circle Moment

For Valerie, Luna’s recovery represented more than just a successful outcome; it brought her work and personal life together in an unexpected way.

“It’s amazing that she was helped with a product that I helped develop, using her own blood for testing,” Valerie said.

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Back to an Active Life

Following surgery and recovery, Luna returned to her normal activity.

For dogs recovering from injuries like a CCL tear, treatment often involves both surgical stabilization and supportive therapies that help promote healing.

Biologic therapies like ACP may help:

• Support healing after surgery
• Reduce inflammation and discomfort
• Improve recovery for joint, tendon, and ligament injuries

“With ACP Max, we’re not just treating symptoms,” said Tony Gawaldo, Vet Systems Product Manager. “It’s an autologous treatment, using the patient’s own blood to decrease inflammation and reverse the effects of osteoarthritis, help heal torn tendons and ligaments, and signal the body to increase its healing potential at an injury site.”

When surgical repair is combined with biologic therapy like the ACP Max system, it can give dogs like Luna the support they need to heal and return to the lives they love.