Impact of supplemented undenatured type II collagen on pain and mobility in healthy Labrador Retrievers during an exercise regimen

Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of undenatured type II collagen supplementation on inflammation and pain using gait analysis and industry-accepted pain and mobility questionnaires during an exercise regimen in healthy dogs. Forty healthy Labrador Retrievers (20 male/20 female; Range: 5-12yrs) were sorted into two groups: undenatured type II collagen group receiving 40mg UC-II product (10mg total collagen and ≥3% undenatured type II collagen) and placebo group receiving 40mg maltodextrin daily by capsule. After 2wks loading, all dogs began an 11wk endurance exercise regimen consisting of two weekly runs, starting at 5km and increasingly incrementally to 8km, with one final 16km run. Gait analysis was performed at baseline; before, 24h and 48h after the first 5km run; and before, 24h and 48h after the final 16km run. Gait analysis was calculated to obtain a Four Rivers Kennel (FRK) Inflammation Index score. Dogs were scored according to the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) assessments at baseline, before and after the first 5km run, and before and after the final 16km run. On the LOAD questionnaire, undenatured type II collagen group had improved “how active is the dog” (P=0.03) and less “stiffness after a lie down” (P=0.041) compared with placebo at pre 5km. Undenatured type II collagen appeared to mitigate the development of pain after exercise compared with placebo, as related to the CPBI assessment. Undenatured type II collagen dogs had lower “pain at worst” pre 5km (P=0.021), “pain at least” post 5km (P=0.015), “pain at average” post 5km (P=0.046), and “pain as it is now” post 16km (P=0.006) compared with placebo dogs. Undenatured type II collagen was more effective than placebo at mitigating inflammation on gait analysis per the FRK Inflammation Index. Undenatured type II collagen dogs had a 6.42 lower FRK Inflammation Index score at 24h post 5km (P=0.032) and 6.3 lower score at 24h post 16km (P=0.029), indicating the mitigation of inflammation on gait analysis. When considering the change between timepoints, undenatured type II collagen had a lower increase in FRK Inflammation scores compared with placebo for baseline to pre 5km (p<0.001), pre 16km to 24h post 16km (P=0.028), and pre 16km to 48h post 16km (P=0.027). Undenatured type II collagen supplemented Labrador Retrievers improved pain assessment variables and improved FRK Inflammation Index on gait analysis.

Management of Osteoarthritis and Joint Support Using Feed Supplements: A Scoping Review of Undenatured Type II Collagen and Boswellia serrata

“…Of the two studies evaluating the combination of undenatured type II collagen and Boswellia serrata, only one study was a prospective randomised placebo-controlled trial [37], while the other one was a clinical trial and did not have a control group [36]. Of the total articles reviewed, 21 of the studies used undenatured type II collagen and Boswellia serrata for the management of OA, and 5 of them used this feed supplements for helps support joint health after intensive exercise or in patients with diseases that predispose to OA, such as hip and elbow dysplasia or medial patellar luxation [52,[61][62][63]66].…”

“…The pain assessment questionnaires completed by the owners and veterinarians showed favourable results after the use UC-II ® [60,[65][66][67]. The results obtained using quantitative methods for the gait analysis showed an improvement in step force [57,58,66]. In healthy dogs subjected to intense exercise, supplementation with UC-II ® led to increased speed of movement and activity per kilometre [63].…”

“…The management of OA with UC-II ® was analysed in two studies comparing the use of Robenacoxib and Cimicoxib, and there were no significant differences [60,65]. The pain assessment questionnaires completed by the owners and veterinarians showed favourable results after the use UC-II ® [60,[65][66][67]. The results obtained using quantitative methods for the gait analysis showed an improvement in step force [57,58,66].…”

Current evidence for non‐pharmaceutical, non‐surgical treatments of canine osteoarthritis

“…The undenatured form of type II collagen (UC-II) is a nutraceutical derived from the cartilage of chicken sternum (Bagi et al 2017) and has recently been shown to prevent the increase of pro-inflammatory and cartilage degeneration biomarkers in Labrador retrievers (Varney et al 2022). Previous research has shown that UC-II has greater efficacy compared to other supplements such as glucosamine-hydrochloride and chondroitin-sulphate (Gupta et al 2012).…”

Exploring dog antler chews as a novel source of collagen supplementation: extraction and characterization of collagen from red deer antlers

“…The popularity of collagen supplementation has increased not only for humans but also for animals, particularly dogs. Several recent studies have examined the positive effects of collagen supplementation in dogs, including during the treatment of osteoarthritis (Stabile et al, 2022 ) or joint diseases (Cabezas et al, 2022 ), as well as in healthy dogs during an exercise regimen (Varney et al, 2022 ).…”