Authors: Dobenecker B, Reese S, Jahn W, Schunck M, Hugenberg J, Louton H, Oesser S
Journal: Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Oral Bioactive Collagen Peptides for Equine Osteoarthritis Researchers from two centres evaluated whether orally administered bioactive collagen peptides (PETAGILE®) could improve clinical signs in horses with naturally occurring mild to moderate osteoarthritis, a question of considerable relevance given the prevalence of degenerative joint disease in working and leisure horses. Thirty-eight privately owned horses received either placebo or one of two BCP dosages (25 g or 50 g daily) for 12 weeks, with objective assessment by veterinarians (lameness grading, flexion tests, gait parameters) complemented by subjective owner observations recorded weekly. The higher 50 g daily dose produced strong effect sizes (Cohen's r > 0.5) across six of eight parameters measured, with lameness and flexion pain showing statistically significant improvement by week 6; the 25 g dose yielded moderate effects (Cohen's r = 0.3–0.5) across similar parameters, whilst owners reported particularly pronounced improvements in mobility and willingness to move with both active treatment groups compared to placebo. For practitioners, these findings suggest that oral BCP supplementation offers a non-invasive option for managing osteoarthritis symptoms, though the superior performance of the 50 g dosage warrants consideration during clinical decision-making, and the authors appropriately call for larger, longer-term blinded trials before definitive clinical recommendations can be established.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Oral BCP supplementation (especially 50g/day) may offer a safe, non-invasive option to improve lameness, mobility and willingness to work in horses with mild-to-moderate OA within 3 months
- •Owner perception of improvement (mobility, willingness to run) was strong and clinically meaningful, making this a candidate management tool for cases where other interventions are insufficient or refused
- •Further blinded, placebo-controlled long-term studies are needed before this can be recommended as a primary treatment; results are promising but preliminary
Key Findings
- •The 50g BCP/day dose showed strong effects (Cohen's r > 0.5) in six of eight orthopaedic parameters, with lameness and flexion pain significantly improved by week 6
- •The 25g BCP/day dose demonstrated moderate effects (Cohen's r = 0.3–0.5) in six parameters, with three parameters improved by week 6
- •Horse owners reported strong effects for mobility (r = 0.69) and willingness to run (r = 0.62) in the 50g group compared to placebo
- •Oral bioactive collagen peptide supplementation was safe and showed promising symptomatic improvement in equine osteoarthritis within 12 weeks