Homemade Gelatin for Dog Joint Health – Collagen for Dog Joint Health

Last Updated on 2022-07-10 by Admin

Research shows that Type II Collagen can be very effective for joint issues in dogs. Based on the latest science type II Collagen can reduce joint pain dramatically.

I like to cite a study (3.) Stabile M, Samarelli R, Trerotoli P, Fracassi L, Lacitignola L, Crovace A, Staffieri F. Evaluation of the Effects of Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) as Compared to Robenacoxib on the Mobility Impairment Induced by Osteoarthritis in Dogs. Vet Sci. 2019 Sep 4;6(3):72. doi: 10.3390/vetsci6030072. PMID: 31487772; PMCID: PMC6789547.

In a previous study in arthritic dogs, Gupta et al. [3] evaluated the efficacy and safety of UC-II alone or in combination with glucosamine and chondroitin in terms of the reduction of pain by ground force plate. They demonstrated how dogs in the UC-II group showed significant reduction of pain by day 60, with a maximum reduction observed on day 150 and the peak vertical force were significantly increased, since the 90th day of treatment, compared with the others groups, indicating a decrease in arthritic-associated pain. In our study the clinical assessment was performed at 30 days and it showed a significative improvement in both the CLINICAL and MOBILITY (LOAD) scores, proving that this treatment can be effective already after one month of administration. Nevertheless, the oral tolerance is a mechanism that need at least 2–3 weeks to start to be effective but can take up to three months to be fully activated [32,33]. Thus, we can suppose that the effects of UC-II could have been even more important after a prolonged time of administration.

Type II Collagen – You know it as Cartilage

Based on my research, there are many types of collagen. Type II collagen is the basis for building joint cartilage. Cartilage is roughly 80 to 90 % type II collagen. And various studies have shown the consuming type II collagen can reduce arthritis-related pain and improve general joint health in animals and humans.

A recent study from April 2020(1.) (Gencoglu H, Orhan C, Sahin E, Sahin K. Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) in Joint Health and Disease: A Review on the Current Knowledge of Companion Animals. Animals (Basel). 2020 Apr 17;10(4):697. doi: 10.3390/ani10040697. PMID: 32316397; PMCID: PMC7222752.

Showed that type II collagen reduces pain by 62 % and is more effective than glucosamine and chondroitin. Another benefit to using type II collagen is that it has no adverse side effects. Overall mobility for the dogs showed dramatic improvement. Even after physical activity was the pain reduced.

However, when treatment stops, the pain and restricted mobility returned. My own experience is that is has positive effect on Annie’s osteoarthritis. So she gets gelatin daily as part of her treatment.

Homemade Gelatin is full of Type II Collagen

You can make Your own Type II Collagen at home by cooking bones from animals. Veal bones, for example, will provide excellent Gelatin when cooked long enough. But chicken, duck or other types of bones work too. Beef bones have only a little cartilage, as those animals are fully grown. For that reason, I don’t use Beef bones.

For Annie, I buy utility ducks when I see them on sale. I debone the duck and keep the bones to make a thick Gelatin. Sometimes I see Veal bones for sale. Veal bones make an excellent Gelatin when simmered for many hours.

One difference with homemade collagen is that it is not as concentrated as medical collagen. So consistency will be a bit of an issue. But based on my experience, it is still worth giving a dog homemade Gelatin.

Veal bones make an excellent solid Gelatin. It is my preferred bone for making type II collagen. There is another benefit to using Veal bones> With Veal bones, there is a lot of cartilage that can be pulled from the bones when cooked. Those junks for cartilage I then cut up and goes in the dog food.

How to make Gelatin

Making Gelatin is pretty simple. All that is needed is a stockpot, lots of bones and water. The bones should be placed in cold water and then brought to a boil. Once at boiling temperature, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 to 6 hours. Occasionally scoop of the foam that builds up on top of the pot.

Once cooked, set aside and let cool. Strain off the juice in a suitable container and refrigerate overnight. Discard the fat layer on top of the gel. When feeding the dog, add a nice junk of Gelatin to the food. If you provide raw meat, you might want to warm up a portion of the Gelatin and then pour it over the food.

Conclusion

Homemade Gelatin is an excellent way to make use of chicken, duck carcasses or veal bones. The best thing of all is dog owners can make something to support joint issues. For homemade collagen to be effective provide it regularly. The reason for that is that collagen needs to be built up in the dogs’ system before it becomes effective.

Based on my experience, there will be times when it is impossible to make homemade Gelatin. For that reason, I make a sufficient amount when I make it. Freezing the Gelatin is not a good option as it becomes watery when defrosted unless it’s very dense and made with Veal bones.

Health food stores sell hydrolyzed collagen. But most brands contain other ingredients as well. Those other ingredients can become a problem if a dog is on some other joint supplements or medication. As always, read the labels of all the supplements a dog receives.

References:

(1.) Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) in Joint Health and Disease: A Review on the Current Knowledge of Companion Animals

Gencoglu H, Orhan C, Sahin E, Sahin K. Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) in Joint Health and Disease: A Review on the Current Knowledge of Companion Animals. Animals (Basel). 2020 Apr 17;10(4):697. doi: 10.3390/ani10040697. PMID: 32316397; PMCID: PMC7222752. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7222752/

An overview of a novel, water-soluble undenatured type II collagen (NEXT-II) Yoshinari O, Moriyama H, Shiojima Y. An overview of a novel, water-soluble undenatured type II collagen (NEXT-II). J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(3):255-62. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2014.919541. Epub 2015 Mar 9. PMID: 25751538. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25751538/

(3.) Evaluation of the Effects of Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) as Compared to Robenacoxib on the Mobility Impairment Induced by Osteoarthritis in Dogs

Stabile M, Samarelli R, Trerotoli P, Fracassi L, Lacitignola L, Crovace A, Staffieri F. Evaluation of the Effects of Undenatured Type II Collagen (UC-II) as Compared to Robenacoxib on the Mobility Impairment Induced by Osteoarthritis in Dogs. Vet Sci. 2019 Sep 4;6(3):72. doi: 10.3390/vetsci6030072. PMID: 31487772; PMCID: PMC6789547. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6789547/

Collagen Type information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collagen

Type II Collagen details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_II_collagen