Assessment of the effects of diet and physical rehabilitation on radiographic findings and markers of synovial inflammation in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy

Published: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. March 15, 2018, Vol. 252, No. 6, Pages 701-709.

Author(s): "Valentine D. Verpaalen DVM; Wendy I. Baltzer DVM, PhD; Sarah Smith-Ostrin; Jennifer J. Warnock DVM, PhD; Bernadette Stand MS; Craig G. Ruaux DVSc, PhD"

Forty-eight dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease received tibial plateau leveling osteotomies as treatment.  After surgery, the dogs were randomly assigned to four groups:  1) Test food only group (TF) that received dry omega-3 fatty acids and protein-enriched dog food formulated to support joint health; 2) Control food only group (CF) that received dry food formulated for adult canine maintenance; 3) TF plus physical rehabilitation (TF-R); or 4) CF plus physical rehabilitation (CF-R).  Radiographs and inflammatory markers of synovial fluid, prostaglandin (PG) E2 and interleuking-1β, were assessed up to 6 months post-operatively.

• PGE2 concentration in the CF only group was higher than in the TF only group
• Interleukin-1β did not change amongst any group
• Osteoarthritis scores were decreased among the TF only group and both groups that received rehabilitation
• Radiographic evidence of complete healing at 8 and 24 weeks post-operatively was lower in the TF only group

The results showed that feeding a TF diet helps lower PGE2 concentrations while a TF diet and/or rehabilitation aids in slowing the progression of osteoarthritis.