Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine which research had been done on dietary supplements for dogs suffering from osteoarthrosis. The main questions the author wanted answers to were “Is there evidence in the research that dietary supplements for dogs with osteoarthritis have effect in such a way that quality of life is increased in these animals?”, ”are there any contraindications regarding dietary supplements”, ”who is responsible for the control of safety on dietary supplements for dogs in Sweden” and “what kind of advice would I give to dogowners about dietary supplements”. To be able to answer these questions the author conducted a literature study of the recent research on dietary supplements for OA in dogs. The results showed that despite the lack of research in this field, some promising research has been done on multiple different supplements. However, difficulties with the quality of the studies are several and in the authors opinion this contributes to the fact that the results seen are difficult to apply to the general population.

More research is needed in this field to determine safety and efficacy of the supplements mentioned in this study. The author also concluded that there is rarely any safety and quality controls done by the Swedish National Food Agency,whom are responsible for the regulation of the supplements available to humans on the Swedish market. The amount of controls and regulations being done on supplements available to animals is unknown to the author. This makes recommending supplements to animal owners a complicated issue, because as a veterinary nurse you are obligated to not only rely on the research that has been done regarding the efficiacy and safety of supplements but to also ensure the animals safety. However, there seems to be a small number of side effects reported for supplements containing omega-3 and supplements containing a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin. With this in mind the author would feel comfortable recommending these supplements out of a safety standpoint.