306 Oral therapy with specific bioactive collagen peptide (BCP) improves gait and quality of life in canine osteoarthritis patients

Abstract Conservative therapy options in canine osteoarthritis (OA) are largely limited to pain relief, which can be associated with undesirable effects. Beneficial effects of a specific BCP have been demonstrated in equine OA patients and in in-vitro studies with canine chondrocytes based on an increase in cartilage matrix molecules and downregulating of inflammatory cytokines and degenerative matrix metalloproteases1,2. A positive impact of specific BCP on joint cartilage was also detected by magnetic resonance imaging3. In a double blinded, placebo-controlled field study, effects of a 12 wk supplementation with this specific BCP vs. n3-fatty acids plus vitamin E (n3FA) on the gait were investigated in dogs with OA. The assessment of pet owners on the quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory4 Score. Privately owned adult dogs (n = 31) previously diagnosed with OA were randomly allocated to group BCP (PETAGILE, GELITA, Germany), n3FA, or placebo (PLA). The supplements were dosed according to body weight (BW; ≥ 200 mg BCP or PLA/kg BW; ≥ 550mg n3FA + 2mg vitamin E/kg BW). Inclusion criteria were a BW between 10 and 60 kg and restricted use of anti-inflammatory medication or nutraceuticals. Initially and after 12 wk, the dogs were examined on a custom-made treadmill equipped with 4 modified Kistler pressure plates. Differences between the groups, time points as well as the affected and contralateral limbs were evaluated using a generalized linear model. The improvement in QoL was greater in BCP than n3FA and PLA. The treadmill, as more objective method5, showed a significant difference of vertical force (PVF), vertical impact and standing phase between affected and contralateral limbs in group BCP. The improvement of the applied pressure, measured as relative difference of PVF, was significantly better in BCP as in PLA. In the placebo group, all measured parameters tended to worsen whereas in group n3FA no systematic differences between both time points were detected. The results of this study demonstrate that oral administration of a specific BCP can slow down the progression and improve clinical signs after only 12 wk in canine OA patients. Therefore, this safe nutritional therapy option should be considered in dogs with OA. References:[1] Dobenecker, B., Reese, S., Jahn, W. et al. (2018). J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr, 102, 16-23. [2] Schunck, M., Louton, H., & Oesser, S. (2017). J Anim Sci, 7, 254 [3] McAlindon, T. E., Nuite, M., Krishnan, N. et al. (2011). 19(4), 399-405. [4] Brown et al. (2008). J Am Vet Med Assoc, 233(8), 1278-1283. [5] Brown et al. (2013) J Vet Int Med, 27(1), 22-30.