Pet food developed to relieve dog arthritis

Expert: Fifty percent of dogs over the age of 8 start to develop arthritis

LEICESTER, England (Reuters) -- Veterinarians have harnessed the power of New Zealand green lip mussels to produce a dog food that helps to relieve arthritis pain suffered by ageing canines around the globe.

An many as one fifth of the 4.8 million dogs in Britain alone experience the painful inflammation of the joints, which is particularly prevalent in large breeds and older dogs.

But veterinarians and scientists at Waltham, the pet care side of U.S. candy and food maker Mars Inc, said on Monday they had produced a food using New Zealand green lip mussels to ease the suffering of man's best friend.

It includes an extract from the flesh of the mussels that has been processed in a special way. It has been used for several years to alleviate the pain of arthritis in humans.

"We know that over 50 percent of dogs over the age of eight start to develop arthritis in various joints. It is usually their hips, knees and elbows," said Dr Karyl Hurley, who presented her research to a British science conference.

The veterinarian at Waltham's research centre in Leicestershire, England said that until now treatment has consisted of daily anti-inflammatory drugs.

"However, there is evidence to suggest that the use of these drugs may have adverse and distressing side effects including

irritation, anorexia, vomiting and ulcers," she told the British Association for the Advancement of Science conference.

In a U.S. trial, four out of five canines given a supplement of the extract in the dog food showed an improvement in arthritic symptoms after six weeks.

Independent veterinarians assessed the flexibility and mobility of dogs before the trial and six weeks afterwards. All of the dogs were on the same diet but half received a supplement of the extract.

"The vets were not aware which dogs were on which diet. They were blinded to what the results might be and had to re-score

them. The results were significant and showed a drastic improvement in the majority of dogs after six weeks," Hurley explained.

The dog food, which can be used as a supplement or fed to dogs for life, will be available through veterinarians in Europe, Australia, Japan and the United States.

Raw green mussels have been a part of the diet of the native Maori population in New Zealand for years. The mussels are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Hurley advised pet owners to make sure their dogs are not overweight because obesity contributes to painful joints. Moderate, low-intensity routine exercise, particularly swimming are also helpful to prevent the disease.