Oral Supplementation with Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide for Joint Disease and Lameness Management in Four Jumping Horses: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Four show jumping horses were evaluated for non-responsive lameness, which caused their withdrawal from show jumping competitions. The clinical evaluation was performed by radiographic examination, flexion tests, diagnostic anesthesia and lameness evaluation using the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) scale. The diagnoses were a case of navicular syndrome, a complicated case of chronic navicular syndrome and arthrosis of the distal interphalangeal joint of the right anterior limb and two cases of distal intertarsal joint arthritis. Nutraceuticals are often an important management strategy or coadjutant of pharmacological therapies in joint disease. Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA-um) is an endogenous fatty acid amide that is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic proprieties widely used in human medicine and small animal veterinary medicine. Although it includes a small number of cases, our study describes for the first time the efficacy of the use of PEA-um in horses. The four horses with non-responsive lameness and significant impairment in athletic performance were daily treated with PEA-um into their normal diet. After four months of PEA-um supplementation, all horses showed remissions of lameness that led to their reintroduction into showjumping competitions without disease recurrence. Therefore, despite the small number of cases included in this study, these observations suggest a good prospective for developing a controlled experiment to test PEA in a larger cohort of horses.

Chronic Pain in Dogs and Cats: Is There Place for Dietary Intervention with Micro-Palmitoylethanolamide?

“…As far as privately owned animals are concerned, two trials have recently dealt with micro-PEA dietary administration for pain relief. The first is a case series in four jumping horses orally supplemented with PEA-um for non-responsive lameness and significant impairment of athletic performance [ 264 ]. In particular, the diagnoses were the following: navicular syndrome of the left forelimb (1 case), complicated case of chronic navicular syndrome and OA of the distal interphalangeal joint of the right forelimb (1 case), and OA of the distal intertarsal joint of the right hindlimb (2 cases).…”

“…At the end of the first month of supplementation, lameness on the AAEP scale (American Association of Equine Practitioners 0–5 scale, with zero indicating no perceptible lameness, and five being most extreme) showed improvement in all horses. Three months later, lameness was graded zero, allowing successful return to showjumping without disease recurrence [ 264 ].…”

An Evaluation of Current Preventative Measures Used in Equine Practice to Maintain Distal Forelimb Functionality: A Mini Review

“…However, no change was observed between groups in serum and plasma biomarkers including a lack of alteration in the concentration of collagen metabolites, and no change in systemic markers of inflammation during the 28-day study period. Further to this, Gugliandolo et al ( 25 ) investigated oral supplementation with ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide for joint disease and lameness management in four jumping horses. Four jumping horses were evaluated for non-responsive lameness, which resulted in them being withdrawn from show jumping competitions.…”