Efficacy and safety of a diet enriched with EPA and DHA, turmeric extract and hydrolysed collagen in management of naturally occurring osteoarthritis in cats: a prospective, randomised, blinded, placebo- and time-controlled study

Feline osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful degenerative musculoskeletal disease characterised by functional alterations and degraded animal welfare. As OA cannot be cured, veterinarians’ therapeutic goal is to reduce pain symptoms to better the animal’s quality of life. The pharmacological arsenal is reduced in cats because of the specific therapeutic margin and the occurrence of side effects. Non-pharmacological avenues such as nutraceuticals are promising. However, there is a need for strong, evidence-based research on the effects of nutraceuticals in feline OA. The present study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a therapeutic diet containing omega-3s, hydrolysed collagen and turmeric extract with a clinical metrology instrument and three objective outcomes that were all previously validated as specific, sensitive and reliable. The diet was proven to provide a clear treatment effect in all cats, including those who were moderately and severely affected, to yield a high rate of compliance to administration and to be devoid of any side effect, which is of fundamental importance when treating chronic illnesses like OA.