Green Lipped mussels dog treats relieve dog arthritis – here are the amazing test results.

Very simply put, Green Lipped mussels (GLM) have been purported to be a miracle food for people, fixing all sorts of arthritis issues and even anti-aging properties.  There is one main go to study for dogs tested with this GLM supplement, and it was in 2002.

This is an analysis of the results of that famous experiment and why there is so much excitement about it being used as a dog food supplement. Note this experiment exclusivity used GLM powder extract, where as we sell the WHOLE GLM treat – ensuring your dog doesn’t miss out on anything.

If you want to see what we found out about GLM nutrition, and GLM required doses for dogs, then please read the following two articles on this site.

The 2002 study paper says that for dogs “degenerative and inflammatory arthropathies may occur but the most common form of the joint disease is osteoarthritis (OA4), a complex, progressive disease characterized by the degeneration of particular cartilage and by the formation of new bone (osteophytes) at joint margins. Inflammation of the synovial membrane may also be present in many cases of OA but is a variable feature throughout the course of the disease. Conversely, synovitis is the major pathological feature of the inflammatory joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.” REF 1

DOG PAIN is caused by ” net loss of cartilage matrix components. Joint enlargement may be evident in some affected dogs and is related to osteophyte production, joint effusion resulting from synovial inflammation and thickening of the joint capsule.” ref 1

It is the joint pain (bone on bone grinding) which can lead to restricted movement of the joint, and associated swelling that amplifies the pain, that the GLM supplement is believed to help fix.

The main value of GLM is said to be in reducing pain by reducing inflammation around arthritic joints.  But similar to the great properties in shark cartilage, GLM may also assist in cartilage regeneration.

The Green Lipped Mussel dog experiment:

They used mixed breed/sex dogs (4–13 y old)  that had arthritis

All dogs were given dry, adult maintenance dog food (WALTHAM FORMULA Canine Senior Dry Diet) for at least 6 wk before the start of each study.  This provided a controlled start for the experiment.

The test used  Freeze-dried, stabilized GLM powder was supplied by McFarlane Laboratories, Australia.

Evaluations of arthritic signs were carried out at wk 0 and wk 6 by a veterinarian.

Parameters were scored on a scale of 0 to 4

• 0 = no signs;
• 1 = mild;
• 2 = moderate;
• 3 = marked;
• 4 = severe.

Dogs were scored for mobility (average of individual scores for lameness in walking, trotting, and climbing stairs) and individual joints (carpus, elbow, and shoulder or tarsus, stifle and hip) of each limb were individually scored for degree of pain, swelling, crepitus, and reduction in the range of movement.

Green lipped mussel powder dosage for dogs

The amounts used in this experiment take on very special meaning in the dog nutrition world, as almost universally every dog nutrition supplement company supplying powder forms of GLM refer back to the dose levels provided during this experiment.

It is noted that the reference in the original paper might have been consulted to understand what levels they should have been applying, but it is also noted that different manufacturing levels provide different levels of useable  GLM nutrition.

Thirty-two dogs were randomly assigned to two groups, Control (n = 15) and GLM (n = 17) at baseline.

The dogs that were given Green lipped mussel where given at this rate before feeding

• >34 kg = 1000 mg GLM powder/d;
• 34–25 kg = 750 mg/d;
• <25 kg = 450 mg/d.

 NOTE –  we provide recommended WHOLE green lipped mussel intake for dogs with arthritis in a future blog article ..

Green Lipped mussels test results for dogs

RESULT 1 –  In the first study,  the GLM-supplemented group for a total arthritic score, joint pain and joint swelling at the end of wk 6 showed statistically significant improvement compared to that of the Control group (P < 0.05)

The associated graphs show that for the control group feed regular dry food that the control group had the same pain level at the end of six weeks as expected. HOWEVER, the Green-lipped mussel group GLM had reduced its original average pain and mobility scores from near 19 to about 11.  About a 40% decrease in issues!

RESULT 2

Study 1 scores/GLM Powder. Mean (± SEM)
This test evaluated Separately changes in

• joint pain,
• joint swelling
• crepitus (a grating sound or sensation produced by friction between bone and cartilage )

It shows the difference between baseline and week 6 for dogs fed either a standard diet (Control, n = 15) or a diet supplemented with green-lipped mussel powder (n = 17).

As you can see at the end of six weeks all three parameters had major improvements over the control group of dogs.  Joint pain was the most obvious improvement and with less pain, more chance of movement and dog quality of life can be had.

CONCLUSIONS

You can, of course, view the original paper as shown in the reference below for more technical information and further references.

While there were a limited number of dogs used in this experiment, it seems that limitation is usually attributed to the cost of these trials, and trying to avoid sponsorship complications. More dogs would most likely only prove its effectiveness better, but we would also like to see the trials on whole dried GLM, the most natural form.

As human trials have shown similar improvements, it is very likely that as human pharmaceutical companies are still able to make major claims of improvement in pain management and reduction in swelling, that the miracle of green lipped mussels in use with arthritic dogs is also true.

NOTE, you don’t have to have an old dog or arthritic dog to benefit from using GLM. Over exercise, even jumping off a couch awkwardly or obesity of a dog can affect the quality of its life, and pain. Dogs often avoid showing pain if they can, at any age, so this kind of nutritional supplement is recommended for any age.

And as you will see in the following nutritional analysis, there are MANY more active chemicals assisting dogs, than just the obvious ones of Omega 3 etc.

Reference

REF 1   Improvement of Arthritic Signs in Dogs Fed Green-Lipped Mussel (Perna canaliculus)   Tiffany Linn Bierer and Linh M. Bui  2002