As they age, dogs often face muscle weakness and loss, which seriously affects their mobility and overall quality of life. To address this problem, a team of Virbac and Emmyon, Inc. scientists, led by Dr. Celine Nicolas, created a new dietary supplement containing a natural compound called ursolic acid. Derived from fruits and herbs, this ingredient is known for its health benefits in other species and shows great promise in improving muscle health in dogs. Their findings, published in the journal Animals, may lead to better care options for older canines.
Dr. Nicholas and her colleagues studied how ursolic acid might help dogs fight muscle loss. After confirming that the supplement was safe and well-tolerated, they tested it on older dogs showing signs of muscle weakness. “Our aim is to provide a new nutritional approach to support muscle health, especially given the challenges faced by many older dogs,” explains Dr. Nicholas.
The team achieved remarkable results. Dogs who took the supplement for two months showed significant improvements in muscle health. The supplement helps reduce the activity of harmful markers in your muscles, which are specific molecules that indicate muscle damage or atrophy. At the same time, it increases levels of markers associated with muscle growth and repair, which help rebuild muscle strength. These improvements were also reflected in the dogs’ increased willingness to exercise and better performance in simple obstacle courses.
Dr. Nicholas shared her excitement about the discovery: “Ursolic acid supplementation not only improves muscle health at a cellular level; it also improves muscle health.” It also makes dogs more active and energetic. These results suggest it has the potential to improve the overall quality of life of older pets.
Scientists also point out that ursolic acid can provide dual benefits. By reducing harmful changes in muscle tissue and encouraging positive changes, it slows muscle loss and helps dogs stay more active. This nutritional solution could be a game-changer for a disease for which there are currently few effective treatments.
Experts highlighted the study’s rigorous design, which included careful testing and the use of a placebo for comparison. A placebo, often called a “dummy treatment,” is a substance that contains no active ingredient and is used to measure the true effectiveness of a product. However, they acknowledge that larger studies involving more diverse groups of dogs are needed to confirm these promising results.
For pet owners, this research offers hope for maintaining muscle strength and activity levels in older dogs. The findings represent an important step forward in managing age-related health challenges in dogs, giving them a better chance of enjoying their golden years actively and healthily.
Journal reference
Ebert, SM, Nicolas, CS, Schreiber, P., Lopez, JG, Taylor, AT, Judge, AR, Judge, SM, Rasmussen, BB, Talley, JJ, Rème, CA, and Adams, CM “Ursolic acid-induced Changes in beneficial skeletal muscle mRNA expression improve exercise participation and performance in dogs with age-related muscle atrophy Animals, 2024, 14, 186.
About the author
Dr. Nicholas Graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Nantes, France (2005) and received his PhD (2007). She subsequently worked as a research assistant at the University of Bristol (UK) and Nice (France) for 8 years before joining VIC in 2016 as Healthcare Manager.
