Providing Joint Support for Man’s Best Friend

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Veterinarian Holly Knor remembers when her beloved Alaskan Malamute, Keista, tore a critical ligament in her left rear leg. The injury, which occurred in 1995, required surgery. But surgical and postsurgical treatment options were far less advanced for pets then than they are today.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070112/NYFNSK02 )

Among the surgical, therapeutic and nutritional options Knor now recommends when treating animals with joint and hip problems is Glyco-Flex ( http://www.glyco-flex.com/ ), a canine joint support product produced by Vetri-Science Laboratories of Vermont ( http://www.vetriscience.com/ ).

“It was a given that Keista would develop arthritis,” recalled Knor, a featured star of Animal Planet TV’s “Emergency Vets,” a reality-based show that follows her and her colleagues as they treat animals at Denver’s Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. “She loved to go on walks and run, but as the arthritis progressed, she couldn’t do that anymore.

“Knowing what I know now about nutritional supplements, I would have started Keista on them immediately after her injury. They could have helped improve her quality of life and allowed her to maintain her mobility longer.”

Researchers with Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will release Vetri-Science-sponsored research during the 2007 North American Veterinary Conference (Jan. 14-17), being held near Orlando. The NAVC is one of the profession’s largest annual conferences for vets and veterinary health care professionals. The research explores Glyco-Flex’s benefits as a joint support product for dogs.

Knor will open the conference’s Vetri-Science session talking about “Arthritis and the Human-Animal Bond: Our New Responsibilities.”

An estimated 14 million dogs suffer from joint problems, and arthritis is the sixth leading cause for which dog owners seek veterinary treatment for their pets.

As is the case with humans battling joint problems, traditional treatment for dogs frequently has involved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. However, such medications can cause side effects that can be even more dangerous in the older dogs most likely to develop joint problems.

As medical doctors expanded nonpharmaceutical treatment of joint conditions in human patients, veterinarians began applying some of those lessons in treating joint conditions in animals. In 1981, Vetri-Science, a leader in research and product development of high-quality supplements for large and small animals, developed Glyco-Flex. Glyco-Flex is a proprietary health product for dogs, cats and horses containing ingredients clinically proven to promote joint and connective tissue health. The product is given to dogs in tablet or soft-chew form and is available from veterinarians.

WSU studies are latest of 14 exploring Glyco-Flex’s benefits and safety

The WSU studies bring to 14 the number of research studies that have been conducted at leading universities and by independent researchers exploring the safety or benefits of Glyco-Flex. The studies have been conducted both in vivo (within a live animal) and in vitro (in a test tube or outside of a living organism). They measured everything from veterinarians’ satisfaction with Glyco-Flex as a treatment for joint conditions to the documented presence of anti-inflammatory agents in the supplement.

Glyco-Flex’s superior and proprietary ingredients

Some of Glyco-Flex’s active ingredients are widely recognized immunomodulators (agents that stop immune attacks) and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agents that have been recommended for the treatment and prevention of joint problems. These include many ingredients frequently recommended to combat joint problems, including arthritis, in humans. Glyco- Flex’s ingredients are high-quality and meet the same standards as those used in products created for humans.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070112/NYFNSK02AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Vetri-Science

CONTACT: Rebecca Theim for Vetri-Science, +1-630-605-3712 (cell),rebecca@rebeccatheim.com ; or, Molly Van Pelt, of Vetri-Science,+1-800-451-5190

Web site: http://www.glyco-flex.com/http://www.vetriscience.com/