The Effectiveness of Marine-Based Fatty Acid Compound (PCSO-524) Alone and Combined with Previcox in the Treatment of Canine Osteoarthritis

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a marine-based fatty acid compound alone and in combination with firocoxib (a NSAID) for treatment of osteoarthritis-associated pain in dogs using objective measures of limb use and validated subjective assessments.

Materials and Methods: A randomized prospective clinical trial was performed with 31 dogs. Dogs were randomly allocated to a PCSO-524 group (PCSO) or a Firocoxib + PCSO-524 (FCX-PCSO) group. Owners were masked to the presence of firocoxib by using identical placebo tablets in the PCSO-524 group. Force plate gait analysis and the owner-completed Canine Brief Pain Inventory tool were used to evaluate patients at 0, 2 and 4 weeks. Data were analyzed using repeated measurement analysis with significant level set a 5% (α = 0.05).

Results: Peak vertical force (PVF) values were significantly increased over baseline at week 2 and week 4 in both groups (p < 0.05). A significant decrease in the CBPI scores (improvement) was seen in both groups at week 2 and week 4 (p < 0.05) compared with the pre-treatment values. No differences were seen between the groups.

Discussion/Conclusion: These data suggest that marine-based PCSO-524 alone, and the combination of firocoxib and PCSO-524 are equally beneficial in treating dogs with osteoarthritis. Further investigation is warranted to determine the beneficial effects of PCSO-524 alone.

Acknowledgement: Funding for this project was provided by Vetz Petz USA.