NATURAL JOINT CARE
Joint and mobility care for companion animals is an integral part of Veterinary care which allows us to restore your pets' comfort levels in their everyday life. Chronic discomfort and pain is a commonly seen presenting problem for many cats and dogs, for many different reasons, and this can then cause pets to become painful and unable to fulfil their optimal quality of life.
Inflammation of the joints, known as Arthritis, is a common condition which affects the mobility and comfort levels of our cats and dogs. Many older animals suffer from the condition but arthritis and mobility impairments are also seen in middle aged and younger pets for different reasons.
Hip Dysplasia, Cruciate Ligament injuries, Luxating Patellas, Spinal disorders, Elbow dysplasia and forelimb conformational problems are to name a few of the mobility disorders that our pets can suffer from which require medical attention and support.
Other patients may have suffered traumas in the past which means that they need support and restoration of their bones, joints, muscles and ligaments after injury or disease. Perhaps you just notice that your animal is stiff in the morning getting up or reluctant to exercise for long lengths of time anymore, these subtle hints can be an indication that your pet is in pain and requires support.
When it comes to joint and mobility care for our cats and dogs there are many modalities within conventional medicine which are offered at Veterinary Clinics. These mainly consist of anti-inflammatories in the form of tablets or injections which work in different ways to relieve joint and muscle pain. Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs are often reached for in Veterinary Clinics for the treatment of inflammation causing the discomfort. This drug is the equivalent of us taking Ibuprofen.
As a practising Vet, I tend to use this medication as a short term means to alleviate inflammation when appropriate. The goal is then to provide a natural means to support, restore and strengthen the animal’s mobility and ultimately optimise their quality of life long term without putting pressure on other systems in the same treatment plan.
Ongoing assessment is sometimes required to assess a patient’s comfort levels and their response to different therapies.
By combining years of Veterinary clinical practice and observations with recent research Natural Vet Co. has set out to create a food supplement which naturally helps to mend, repair and support your pets mobility. The goal is to reduce inflammation, strengthen, restore and support.
The most striking difference I have come across whilst working in different parts of the world was during my time working as a vet in New Zealand. I observed a different Veterinary approach taken to care for pets with mobility issues. Instead of reaching for the NSAID drug (Meloxican, Carprofen) as a first line option, Green Lipped Mussel was reached for in the treatment plan used for pets with discomfort of their joints and muscles. This caught my attention.
Green Lipped Mussel is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory found in the shell of a large type of mussel found natively along the shores of New Zealand. It is a widely recognised anti-inflammatory used for human arthritis care. There are many clinical studies which prove its anti-inflammatory properties as a COX-2 inhibitor(pain pathway inhibitor). When I practised in New Zealand as a small animal vet,
What I observed was that Green Lipped Mussel was often the primary component for many care plans of pets suffering from ongoing joint and mobility issues. Instead of 8/10 pa tients being prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug a reverse of 8/10 of these patients were instead managed primarily by supplementing them with a high quality, high dosage Green Lipped Mussel. This lowered the amount of drugs they needed and when appropriate was used as a sole treatment for these animals.
I was watching and learning the responses the animals had to the Mussel supplement. For many dogs I saw no difference between prescribing a course of NSAID for two weeks or a course of accurately dosed and high grade Green Lipped Mussel for 2 weeks. As I researched further I learned that Green Lipped Mussel is a highly esteemed anti-inflammatory with much evidence based research backing it not only in human medicine but also in Veterinary medicine research papers alike. Returning to Ireland I found
Green Lipped Mussel products for cats and dogs very difficult to source and the products were lower quality than those in New Zealand.
Natural Vet Co. has now sourced a high grade, sustainable and potent Green Lipped Mussel which is the primary component to the Mobility Care Supplement.
I hope this will allow our vets here access to this high grade naturally occurring supplement for pets with mobility issues and provide an alternative option for the care of these animals.
Giving pet owners this option is a means to allow nature to heal nature itself and optimises our Veterinary Care.
What is Green Lipped Mussel and How does it work?
Perna canaliculus, the green-lipped mussel, is a type of mussel native to New Zealand. It is grown for aquaculture in New Zealand, where it is trademarked as the greenshell mussel. It is a large sized mussel with a green colouring to the edges of its shells as they come together.
The medicinal properties of Green Lipped Mussel are widely recognised for their benefits in the treatment of chronic pain in both human and Veterinary Medicine.
Similar to how Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatories such as Meloxicam and Carprofen work, Green Lipped Mussel also acts on a specific enzyme receptor called cyclooxygenase. This enzyme causes inflammation. By blocking this enzyme, Green Lipped Mussel causes the same end effect of anti-inflammatory pain relief as do the main conventional drugs used in the treatment of arthritis.
Eicosatetraenoic acid, or ETA is the active component in Green Lipped Mussel which enables the medicinal benefits of the Mussel. As well as this amazing naturally occurring medicinal property of the Mussel, they also contain glucosamine, chondroitin, zinc and magnesium.
These four ingredients are commonly seen in dried form joint health supplements on the shelves of many clinics and shops. With Green Lipped mussel, nature has designed the most natural Joint Care Supplement for us. A naturally occurring source of mobility support from nature which is sustainably available to us with minimal preservation to allow us to tap into nature’s own source of healing.
GLM Research In Dogs
One study showed GLM powder significantly improved dogs’ joint pain, swelling and crepitus (creaky joints). GLM was shown to manage inflammation as well as NSAIDs without harmful side effects of NSAIDs. (1) The study concluded that whole freeze-dried GLM powder “may act synergistically to reduce inflammation and pain, to limit further cartilage degeneration.” The researchers also suggest GLM may help regenerate damaged cartilage and synovial fluid.
This study also suggested that GLM can reduce gastrointestinal irritation from long term use of NSAIDs. A Finnish study at University of Helsinki compared GLM to carprofen for dogs (2). The researchers found it was an effective alternative to manage arthritis, without undesirexd side effects.
Understanding Green Lipped Mussel and incorporating it into Veterinary Care for pets suffering with mobility problems is a means of allowing Nature work with Nature. It has been the work of Natural Vet Co. to source the best quality Green Lipped Mussel as possible and to combine this with other synergistically beneficial herbs that will support our pet’s optimal comfort levels.
Please reach out if you have any questions!
With Care, Sinéad
References ;
1)Tiffany Linn Bierer, Linh M. Bui, Improvement of Arthritic Signs in Dogs Fed Green-Lipped Mussel (Perna
canaliculus), The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 132, Issue 6, June 2002, Pages 1634S–1636S.
2) Hielm-Björkman A, Tulamo RM, Salonen H, Raekallio M. Evaluating Complementary Therapies for
Canine Osteoarthritis Part I: Green-lipped Mussel (Perna canaliculus). Evid Based Complement Alternat
Med. 2009;6(3):365-373. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem136