What's up with my supp? Part III (Overwhelmed)

Thanks for hanging in there through parts I and II.

At Rolex this year I bought a joint supplement for Riley -- but it totally underwhelmed. A little research into the product revealed that Texas A&M did a study on that supplement that yielded lukewarm results. While they had a ton of press releases about this study before it actually occurred, the product name was nowhere to be found on the published report and there were no press releases about the unimpressive results. Shocker.

So... I started looking for new a new joint supplement. I decided to consider only those ingredients that have actual double blind clinical studies supporting their effectiveness. Guess what, that whittles down the choices quite a bit.

Now ask me what supplements I ended up selecting?  Well, not the ones below, although the ingredients are similar.  I've come to have some distinct preferences in supplements -- no powder, no liquid, for example. I'm trying Flex-Max from Absorbine and SmartSenior for Harv, along with a collagen supplement I've blogged about.

My vet told me that horses' response to a joint supplement is highly individual -- what works for one may not work for another, and I don't think science has unravelled the mystery. Till then, we experiment till we find the elixir of equine soft tissue support!


MSM

• Oke, S. MSM Shows Protective Effect in First Equine Study from The Horse,  November 25 2008.

CORTA-FLX

• Clayton, H. Double Blind Study of the Effects of in Horses  with Degenerative Joint Disease, Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the AAEP 2002, Vol. 48.
  

COSEQUIN

• Rodgers  MR.  Effects of Oral Glucosamine and  Chondroitin Sulfates  Supplementation on Frequency of  Intra-articular Therapy of the  Horse Tarsus. Intern J Appl Res Vet Med  4(2), 2006.
• Fortier L. Systemic Therapies for Joint Disease in Horses Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice, Volume 21, Issue 3, Pages 547-557 "It is probably wise to recommend to clients that they begin therapy with Cosequin."
• Oke S. Evaluation of glucosamine levels in commercial equine oral supplements for joints. Equine Veterinary Journal 2006 38(1):93-95
• Hanson, RR, et.al. Oral treatment with a nutraceutical (Cosequin) for ameliorating signs of navicular syndrome in horses.  Vet Ther. 2001 Spring 2(2):148-59. 
• Study Shows Cosequin Helps Navicular Horses,  The Horse 
• Fortier, L.  Systemic therapies for joint disease in horses. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice, 21(3), December 2005, Pages 547-557

Sashas EQ

• Pearson, W. Evaluation of inflammatory responses induced via intra-articular injection of interleukin-1 in horses receiving a dietary nutraceutical and assessment of the clinical effects of long-term nutraceutical administration. American Journal of Veterinary Research July 2009, Vol. 70, No. 7, Pages 848-861 
• Pearson, W., Orth, M. and Lindinger, M.I. (2009) Response to intra-articular IL-1 by
  horses receiving an anti-inflammatory dietary nutraceutical and safety of the
  
  
  product over 12-weeks. Am. J. Vet. Res. In Press.

CONQUER Liquid/gel

• Bergin B. et.al. Oral hyaluronan gel reduces post operative tarsocrural effusion in the yearling Thoroughbred, Equine Veterinary Journal,  (2006) 38 (4) 375-378
• Pierce, S. Efficacy of orally administered sodium hyaluronate gel in the racing thoroughbred. Rood and Riddle Hospital study. 
• Kellon, E.  Conquer is impressive from  Horse Journal Guide to Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals

GLC 5500

• Effects of oral glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates supplementation on frequency of intra-articular therapy of the horse tarsus. MR Rodgers, International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, 4(2), 2006.

PROBLEMS WITH QUALITY OF RESEARCH

• Pearson, W. Low quality of evidence for glucosamine-based nutraceuticals in equine joint disease: Review of in vivo studies, Equine Veterinary Journal, 41(7), 706-712. Maintains only 3 of 15 studies were of sufficient quality to prove the benefits of joint supplements. Sasha's EQ and a human product called Dona were the two supplements used in the studies that passed muster with this researcher.
•  Robinson, N.E.  Sprayberry K. A. Nutraceutical licensing and proof of efficacy in Current therapy in equine medicine. 2003. Elseveier Publications.
•  Richardson DW. An evidence-based approach to selected joint therapies in horses. Loinaz R. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2007 Aug;23(2):443-60.

PROBLEMS WITH QUALITY OF JOINT SUPPS

Quality counts with joint supplements. Veterinary Practice News by Lynn Tiffany. "Only GLC 5500 and Cosequin Optimized have received Consumer Labs approval in the equine category to meet both label claim and test free of lead contaminates.”
 
Equine Oral joint health supplements, The Horse, Acclaim method of evaluating supplements:  

• A name you recognize Do you recognize the manufacturer's name as an established company?
• Clinical experience Have the products been tested in clinical trials with reports in peer-reviewed journals?
• Contents Are the contents clearly indicated on the product label?
• Label claims Are the product label claims based on scientific study results?
• Administration directions Are administration recommendations clear and easy to follow?
• Identification of lot Is there an identification of lot number, tracking system, and quality control? 
• Manufacturer information Is manufacturer and contact information included on the label?