Dogs with Arthritis May Respond to Natural Remedy

There may be a new kind of relief on the horizon for dogs with arthritis, one without side effects, after promising results are reported in a study of a plant- and supplement-based treatment for achy pups.

Professor Éric Troncy, senior author of the study, and co-author Maxim Moreau, from the University of Montreal's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, created a two-stage formula for arthritic dogs. The first stage consisted of curcumin, devil's claw, black current, Indian frankincense (Salai), willow bark, pineapple bromelaine and camomile. The second stage added to that roster supplements such as chondroitin sulfate, omega 3, and glutamine.

The plant-based formula was geared to help treat the inflammation that comes with arthritis in dogs, while the second stage, adding the nutritional supplements, was designed to promote healing of the joints.

The researchers divided in half a group of 32 arthritic dogs, each weighing more than 62 pounds. One group received one month of plant-based treatment followed by a second month with the supplements added into the mix. The other 16 dogs received a placebo.

The team measured the dogs' progress by taking readings of their paw strength as they walked on a special platform that could collect strength data. They also monitored the dogs' activity levels with electronic collars.

As a final method to gauge whether or not the treatment was working on the dogs, the team queried the owners about the behavior of their sore pets.

Just one month in, the researchers saw improvement in the dogs, and after the two-month treatment period the dogs that got the special formulas had on average greater paw strength, with none of them getting any worse in their condition. Dogs who got the treatment also increased their daily activity from 6 to 8 hours. The poor placebo pups, however, became less physically active, and 35.8 percent saw their health decline, according to the researchers.

Reviews from the dogs' owners were a bit more mixed, the researchers said. Their evaluation was "more subjective, and the contrast between the test group and the control group less stark," Troncy said in a press release. "We suspect that the owner may have forgotten what the animal's behavior was like before it developed arthritis."

The formulas used in the trials were built around studies done with rodents, and the team cautions that they are not yet available commercially.

Results of the study were published in the journal Research in Veterinary Science.

From Discovery News