Stratum Nutrition and joint-venture partner, ESM Technologies, the manufacturers of commercialized eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, have presented a new canine study published in the journal, Veterinary Medicine: Research & Reports, evaluating the joint health ingredient, NEM brand eggshell membrane.
 
This 6 week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at eight different veterinary clinics to evaluate NEM’s efficacy, safety and tolerability in the treatment of sub-optimal joint function in dogs. Fifty-one privately-owned dogs having mild to moderate persistent sub-optimal joint function (e.g. difficulty in getting up from a laying position, a noticeable limp, impaired gait, difficulty in climbing stairs, etc.) received either oral NEM, 6 mg/lb. (~13.5 mg/kg) or placebo once daily for 6 weeks.
 
Changes in joint function, joint pain, and quality of life in the NEM group versus the placebo group were evaluated by both dog owners and veterinarians via either the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) (owner assessment, 1 week & 6 weeks) or Veterinary Canine Scoring Assessments (VCSA) (veterinarian assessments, 6 weeks). Additionally, changes in serum levels of the cartilage degradation biomarker, CTX-II, were also evaluated at 6 weeks. 
 
Results showed that supplementation with NEM significantly reduced joint pain and improved joint function rapidly (CBPI 1-week) and demonstrated a lasting improvement in joint pain (VCSA 6-week) leading to an improved quality of life (CBPI 6-week). Moreover, a profound chondroprotective effect was demonstrated following 6 weeks of supplementation with NEM (CTX-II). There were also clinically meaningful results from a brief responder analysis, demonstrating that a significant proportion of treated dogs will benefit substantially from NEM supplementation. The results of this peer-reviewed study were recently published online.
 
“This canine study on NEM provides further evidence supporting NEM’s ability to modify symptoms of pain, and it provides an alternative to the use of pharmaceuticals which have known detrimental side effects,” mentioned Kenneth J. Kopp, DVM, the lead veterinarian for the trial. 
 
Kevin J. Ruff Ph.D., MBA, CCRP – senior director of scientific & regulatory affairs for Stratum Nutrition – also commented on the study, “With so many dogs suffering from sub-optimal joint function, it’s important for dog-owners to have safe and effective treatment options like NEM. It was particularly gratifying to learn of the chondroprotective effect in this study, as we believe this to be the first of its kind in naturally-occurring joint disease in dogs.”
 
For more information: StratumNutrition.com