Study Finds Many Pet Joint Pain Supplements Skimp on Ingredients
The Seattle Timesreports that ConsumerLab.com recently ran a study of pet and horse joint pain supplements and found many of them do not contain the drugs the promised amounts of chondroitin and/or glucosamine. Even worse of the samples were found to contain lead. Testing to see whether pet supplements work is more complicated than testing humans because dogs and cats are less able to communicate they they are feeling better. We have to judge their improvement on their behavior.
Four of the six joint supplements for animals tested by ConsumerLab.com lacked the amounts of glucosamine or chondroitin promised on their labels or had other flaws, such as lead. Wider testing by a trade group of 87 brands found that one-quarter fell short.
Over-the-counter dietary supplements for humans do not have to be proven safe or effective before they are sold, and pills for pets get even less scrutiny.
"There is and there always has been" a quality problem, although many companies do a good job, said Mark Blumenthal of the American Botanical Council, which tracks research on herbal products.
Even when these supplements contain what they claim, there is little evidence that they work, veterinary experts say. A large government study of people with arthritis found that glucosamine and chondroitin did no better than dummy pills in easing mild pain. Testing these supplements on pets is more difficult.
It's not a real surprising find because pet owners are used to flawed products just two years after the horrifying melamine in pet food scandal from 2007. It shouldn't be this way. It is a real shame because pet owners want to believe they can do something to relieve their pets' joint pain as they get older.
The full report can be purchased here from ConsumerLab.com.
