thesamsclinic.com

The Sams Clinic is a Bay Area veterinary specialty practice focused on orthopedics, arthroscopy, sports medicine, orthobiologic and regenerative therapy, and rehabilitation. Its services are aimed at pets with joint, tendon, ligament, muscle, or mobility problems, as well as athletic and working dogs that need performance care. If you are looking for a specialist rather than a general practice for a lameness, injury, or post-surgical recovery issue, this is the type of clinic to consider.

Orthopedic Surgery & Arthroscopy

This is the clinic's core surgical service. Based on the site, it covers:

• TPLO surgery — a procedure commonly used for cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries in dogs.
• Arthroscopy — minimally invasive joint examination and treatment, including canine-specific arthroscopy and needle-scope systems.
• Fracture fixation and reconstruction — repair of broken bones and structural reconstruction.
• Joint preservation and resurfacing — biological approaches intended to maintain joint function.
• Hip and elbow reconstruction — surgical management of these joints.
• Implant-based stabilization — TPLO plates, locking fixation systems, tendon-repair constructs, and prosthetic-ligament stabilization.

The clinic describes itself as a pioneer in minimally invasive care, meaning arthroscopy and image-guided techniques are central to how it approaches joint problems rather than open surgery being the only option.

Sports & Performance Medicine

This service line targets companion, athletic, and working dogs whose conditions limit performance. The site lists focus areas including:

• Shoulder, tendon, ligament, muscle, and carpal injuries.
• Lameness localization — identifying exactly where a problem originates.
• Musculoskeletal imaging and diagnosis, using ultrasound, MRI, arthroscopy, and needle-scope evaluation.
• Gait and loading assessment to understand how a dog moves and bears weight.

This is relevant if your dog competes in a sport, works (for example, herding or detection), or simply has a performance-limiting issue that hasn't been clearly diagnosed.

Orthobiologic & Regenerative Therapy

The clinic offers biologic treatments intended to support joint, tendon, and ligament healing. According to the site, these include:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
• Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC)
• Cellular therapies
• Bioscaffolds and injectable joint materials
• Biological joint resurfacing

These approaches are typically considered for osteoarthritis, joint preservation, and tendon or ligament injuries. They are described as regenerative or orthobiologic, meaning they use the body's own biology or biologic materials rather than relying solely on conventional surgery or medication.

Rehabilitation & Return to Activity

Recovery and return to function are treated as a distinct service, not an afterthought. The site lists:

• Muscle physiology and conditioning.
• Gait and loading assessment.
• Pain and mobility management.
• Post-surgical recovery programs.
• Return to daily activity, sport, and work.

This matters because surgery or injury treatment alone often isn't enough — a structured rehab plan helps a dog get back to normal movement and, for athletic dogs, back to competition or work.

Research and Technology Development

The clinic states that its specialists have conducted sponsored research with academic, clinical, nonprofit, and industry partners, and have helped design, co-develop, validate, and clinically evaluate veterinary technologies. Areas include cartilage repair, osteoarthritis, joint preservation, regenerative treatments, sports medicine, orthopedic implants, musculoskeletal imaging, and rehabilitation outcomes.

For a pet owner, this is context rather than a direct service: it suggests the practice is involved in advancing the techniques it uses, not only applying existing ones.

Who This Clinic Is For

Practical Notes

• The site provides options to Schedule a Consultation and Refer a Patient, so both owners and referring veterinarians can initiate contact.
• The clinic serves the San Francisco Bay Area but states it works with performance dogs "around the world," suggesting some cases travel in for specialized care.
• The site does not list pricing, payment platforms, or insurance details, so cost and payment questions would need to be directed to the clinic directly.

If you're deciding whether to pursue a consultation, the clearest next step is to identify which of the four service areas matches your pet's problem — surgical, sports medicine, regenerative, or rehabilitation — and use the clinic's consultation or referral pathway accordingly.

The Sams Clinic accepts two main paths of contact: pet owners can Schedule a Consultation, and veterinarians can Refer a Patient. Both actions are offered as primary calls to action on the clinic's site, which serves Bay Area families and performance dogs from around the world. The site does not publish a phone number, email address, or street address in the available page content, so the reliable route is to use the scheduling and referral options provided on the clinic's own pages rather than a third-party listing.

Scheduling a Consultation as a Pet Owner

The clinic's homepage presents "Schedule a Consultation" as a direct action alongside "Refer a Patient." Use the scheduling option when you are the owner or handler and want your dog evaluated by a specialist.

Before you start, have these ready:

• A short description of the problem — lameness, a specific joint, a performance or working issue, or a post-surgical concern.
• Any prior diagnostics you already hold, such as X-rays, ultrasound or MRI reports, or arthroscopy notes.
• Your dog's activity context: companion, athletic, or working dog, since the clinic separates sports and performance medicine from general orthopedic care.

The expected result of completing the scheduling step is an appointment request routed to the clinic's team, who then confirm the consultation. The page content does not state response times, so treat the initial submission as a request rather than a confirmed slot.

Which service line fits your case

The clinic organizes its work into four areas, and knowing which one applies helps you describe the problem accurately when you schedule:

Referring a Patient as a Veterinarian

The "Refer a Patient" option is the intended path for referring veterinarians. Use it when you want a case seen by a specialist in orthopedics, arthroscopy, sports medicine, or orthobiologics.

A useful referral gives the specialist what they need to plan care:

• Signalment and the primary complaint, with duration and progression.
• Lameness localization if you have performed one, plus gait observations.
• Imaging and lab results already in hand.
• Relevant history: prior surgery, implants, injections, or rehabilitation.
• Your specific question — surgical candidacy, diagnostic confirmation, a second opinion, or a treatment plan.

The clinic's stated research and technology work spans cartilage repair and joint preservation, regenerative treatments for joints, tendons and ligaments, soft-tissue injury, TPLO and implant biomechanics, musculoskeletal imaging, and rehabilitation and return to activity. Framing your referral question within one of these areas helps route the case appropriately.

What to Expect From the Clinic's Scope

The Sams Clinic describes itself as Bay Area veterinary orthopedic and sports medicine specialists and states that its specialists have, for decades, advanced techniques and technologies in veterinary orthopedics, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and orthobiologic therapies. Two areas of activity are documented on the page:

• Clinical research with academic, clinical, nonprofit, and industry partners, covering cartilage repair and osteoarthritis, regenerative treatments, sports medicine and soft-tissue injury, orthopedic surgery and TPLO, musculoskeletal imaging and diagnosis, and rehabilitation and return to activity.
• Technology development, where specialists have helped design, co-develop, validate, and clinically evaluate tools including canine-specific arthroscopy and needle-scope systems, musculoskeletal ultrasound, TPLO plates, locking fixation systems, tendon-repair constructs, prosthetic-ligament stabilization, and hip and elbow reconstruction technologies.

This matters for scheduling and referrals because it indicates the clinic handles both routine orthopedic cases and complex or performance-related ones, and that imaging and minimally invasive evaluation are part of its toolkit.

Practical Notes and Common Sticking Points

• No published contact details in the available content. The page shows the scheduling and referral actions but not a phone number, email, or address. Do not rely on an unverified address or number from a directory; use the clinic's own scheduling and referral routes.
• Owner versus referrer. Choose the path that matches you. Owners scheduling directly and veterinarians referring a case are separate actions on the site.
• Distance is not a barrier by design. The clinic states it serves Bay Area families and performance dogs around the world, so out-of-area cases are contemplated. If you are traveling in, ask about what records to send ahead when you make contact.
• Pricing and payment are not stated. The available content includes no pricing signals, so do not assume costs or payment options; ask when your consultation is confirmed.
• Bring your imaging. Given the clinic's emphasis on ultrasound, MRI, arthroscopy, and needle-scope evaluation, prior imaging and reports are likely to be central to the visit.

Quick Decision Guide

• You are an owner with a lame or post-surgical dog → Schedule a Consultation, and describe the joint, the duration, and any prior imaging.
• You are an owner of an athletic or working dog with a performance-limiting issue → Schedule a Consultation and note the sport or work the dog does, since sports and performance medicine is a distinct service line.
• You are a veterinarian wanting specialist input → Refer a Patient, and include signalment, lameness localization, imaging, history, and your specific clinical question.
• You are outside the Bay Area → The clinic states it serves performance dogs worldwide, so proceed with scheduling or referral and confirm logistics when the clinic responds.

The Sams Clinic conducts sponsored clinical research and co-develops technology in veterinary orthopedics, arthroscopy, sports medicine, orthobiologics, and rehabilitation. Its work spans two tracks: research partnerships with academic, clinical, nonprofit, and industry collaborators, and hands-on development of surgical, imaging, and regenerative tools. If you are evaluating the clinic for a pet's orthopedic care, this background indicates the specialists work at the intersection of clinical practice and product development rather than only performing standard procedures.

Clinical research areas

The clinic's stated research spans six areas, each tied to conditions seen in companion, athletic, and working dogs:

• Cartilage repair, osteoarthritis, and joint preservation — biological joint resurfacing, tissue engineering, joint biology, biomarker research, and therapies aimed at preserving joint function.
• Regenerative treatments for joints, tendons, and ligaments — platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, cellular therapies, bioscaffolds, injectable joint materials, and other biologic approaches.
• Sports medicine and soft-tissue injury — shoulder, tendon, ligament, muscle, and carpal conditions that limit performance.
• Orthopedic surgery, implants, and TPLO — biomechanics, fracture fixation, reconstruction, bone healing, surgical planning, implant performance, and clinical outcomes.
• Musculoskeletal imaging and diagnosis — ultrasound, MRI, arthroscopy, needle-scope evaluation, diagnostic comparison, and lameness localization.
• Rehabilitation, recovery, and return to activity — muscle physiology, gait and loading assessment, pain and mobility, post-surgical recovery, conditioning, and return to daily activity, sport, and work.

The through-line is outcome measurement: several areas (biomarkers, gait and loading, implant performance) exist to compare treatments objectively rather than rely on subjective impressions alone.

Technology development

Beyond research, the specialists have helped design, co-develop, validate, and clinically evaluate technologies used across veterinary orthopedics and rehabilitation. Documented examples include:

This matters for a pet owner because it means some techniques offered in the clinic were tested or refined by the same specialists using them — a different situation from a practice that adopts equipment only after others validate it.

How the research connects to clinical services

The clinic's service lines map directly onto its research and development work:

• Orthopedic surgery and arthroscopy — supported by implant and minimally invasive system development.
• Sports and performance medicine — supported by soft-tissue and lameness-localization research.
• Orthobiologic and regenerative therapy — supported by PRP, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, and cellular therapy work.
• Rehabilitation and return to activity — supported by gait, loading, and recovery research.

For Bay Area families and performance dogs, the practical implication is that consultation may involve diagnostic or treatment options still being evaluated in clinical studies, not only established protocols. Ask during a consultation which specific techniques are standard care versus part of an active research or development program, and what evidence exists for each in your dog's condition.

What this means for your decision

• If you want a specialist experienced with newer minimally invasive and regenerative approaches, the research and development record is relevant.
• If you prefer only long-established, widely adopted treatments, confirm which options fall into that category before committing.
• If your dog is an athlete or working dog, the sports medicine and return-to-activity research focus is directly applicable.

The clinic describes itself as serving Bay Area families and performance dogs internationally, and offers consultation scheduling and patient referral pathways. Pricing, insurance, and payment details are not specified in the available information, so confirm costs and payment options directly with the clinic.

The Sams Clinic is a veterinary specialty practice in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on orthopedics, sports medicine, and rehabilitation for dogs. It is aimed at pet owners and handlers who need advanced musculoskeletal care — from orthopedic surgery and arthroscopy to orthobiologic therapies and structured return-to-activity programs — rather than general veterinary services.

What the clinic does

The practice describes itself as specializing in minimally invasive and modern orthopedic medicine. Its work spans four main service areas:

• Orthopedic surgery and arthroscopy — surgical treatment of joint, bone, and soft-tissue conditions, including TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) procedures and arthroscopic evaluation.
• Sports and performance medicine — care for performance-limiting conditions in athletic and working dogs, including shoulder, tendon, ligament, muscle, and carpal injuries.
• Orthobiologic and regenerative therapy — biologic approaches such as platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, cellular therapies, and bioscaffolds.
• Rehabilitation and return to activity — post-surgical recovery, conditioning, gait and loading assessment, and guided return to daily activity, sport, or work.

Who it serves

The clinic treats companion dogs as well as athletic and working dogs. Its stated reach is Bay Area families plus performance dogs from around the world, so it is not limited to local pet owners seeking routine care.

Why it positions itself as a specialist resource

Beyond clinical services, the clinic states that its specialists have conducted sponsored research with academic, clinical, nonprofit, and industry partners, and have helped design, co-develop, validate, and clinically evaluate technologies used in veterinary orthopedics. Reported research and development areas include:

• Cartilage repair, osteoarthritis, and joint preservation
• Regenerative treatments for joints, tendons, and ligaments
• Sports medicine and soft-tissue injury
• Orthopedic surgery, implants, and TPLO
• Musculoskeletal imaging and diagnosis
• Rehabilitation, recovery, and return to activity

This research and technology-development background is part of how the clinic presents its expertise, and it may matter to owners deciding where to seek advanced or minimally invasive treatment.

When this clinic is likely the right fit

Consider The Sams Clinic if a dog needs:

• Evaluation or surgery for a joint, ligament, or orthopedic condition
• Arthroscopic or other minimally invasive assessment
• Regenerative or orthobiologic treatment for joints, tendons, or ligaments
• A structured rehabilitation and return-to-sport plan after injury or surgery

For general wellness exams, vaccinations, or non-orthopedic concerns, a primary care veterinarian is typically the first point of contact. The clinic's own site directs prospective clients to schedule a consultation or have a veterinarian refer a patient, which suggests referral or consultation is the normal entry path for specialty care.

Practical next step

The site offers two entry actions: Schedule a Consultation and Refer a Patient. If you are an owner, start with a consultation request; if you are a veterinarian, use the referral route. Because the clinic does not publish pricing or insurance details on the page reviewed here, confirm costs, appointment availability, and whether a referral is required directly with the clinic before planning a visit.