This is becoming a common question that we get asked here at Vetpost. “My dog is on 4CYTE, should I add something else to it, or should I change to something different?”. If your dog is moving well on the gel, there may be no reason to change. If you’re looking for a supplement that also provides substantial omega-3s for skin and coat health, I’d consider trying Nuvetra instead of routinely using both. Nuvetra is Vetpost’s own product, which I developed as a veterinarian.
Before you change anything
If your dog is limping or won’t put weight on a leg, please get your vet to look at them before you start changing supplements around. That’s especially true if they’ve had cruciate surgery like a TTA or TPLO, because a later meniscal injury is one of the more common things we see in the months and years afterwards and it isn’t something a supplement is going to help with. If you’re not sure whether what you’re seeing is arthritis, have a read of Signs Your Pet May Have Arthritis first.
What’s actually going on in an arthritic joint
Arthritis isn’t just wear and tear on a joint, there’s a whole inflammatory process going on in there as well. The cartilage that caps the ends of the bones gets damaged, the joint reacts to that by pumping out inflammatory chemicals, and those chemicals both hurt and cause more damage to the cartilage, which sets off more inflammation again, so it becomes a cycle that feeds itself and that’s why an arthritic joint gets worse over the months and years rather than sitting still. There’s more going on than just the cartilage too, the lining of the joint thickens up, the capsule around the outside gets tight, and the muscle in that leg wastes away because your poor dog is using it less and less, which is why they go stiff as well as sore and why they’re so often at their worst first thing in the morning or after a big sleep. Joint supplements may provide nutritional support, but they are only one part of a dog’s overall care. Keeping your dog lean, providing suitable regular exercise and following your vet’s advice on pain management remain important.
What is 4CYTE?
4CYTE’s active ingredient is a seed oil called Epiitalis, which comes from a conifer called Biota orientalis. It works by competing with arachidonic acid, which is what the body uses to make its inflammatory prostaglandins. If there’s less arachidonic acid sitting in the cell membranes then there’s less of the inflammatory chemistry that makes a sore joint sore. This is the same mechanism that fish oil works by, and green-lipped mussel as well. It also comes in two different forms for dogs and they’re not the same thing at all, which catches a lot of people out. The Epiitalis Forte gel is the seed oil on its own that you syringe onto the food and that’s the one most of our customers are on, whereas the granules are that same seed oil plus green-lipped mussel, abalone and marine cartilage, and they need a loading dose for the first couple of weeks before you drop back to a maintenance scoop, so it’s worth having a look at which one you’ve actually got in the cupboard before you compare it against anything else 🙂
What is in Nuvetra?
Nuvetra Advanced Joint Support was a passion project of mine 🙂 I really wanted to develop a joint product that was backed by science and had informed levels of active ingredients, something that i could truly believe in! Each capsule has:
- Omega 3 oils, 490mg of EPA and 367mg of DHA. Same pathway as Epiitalis, competing with the arachidonic acid, just a lot more of it.
- Green-Lipped Mussel Extract, a 125:1 oil, which works out at 5000mg of fresh mussel. Also a marine lipid so also that pathway.
- PEA, 100mg, which is a different thing altogether. It works through a receptor called PPAR-alpha and by calming down mast cells.
- Curcumin, 100mg. Different again, it works on NF-kB which sits higher up the inflammatory chain. We use HydroCurc because ordinary curcumin barely absorbs.
The reason I brought these four ingredients together is that they each contribute something different to the formula. The omega-3 fish oil and green-lipped mussel oil provide marine lipids, alongside PEA and HydroCurc. I particularly like that the omega-3s can support skin and coat health as well as joint mobility, which is a lovely bonus in an older dog 🙂 Compared with 4CYTE Epiitalis Forte gel, which lists Epiitalis as its active ingredient, Nuvetra offers a combination of four listed ingredients, including a substantial amount of EPA and DHA.
What do the studies say?
Omega 3 has the best evidence to date to help dogs with joint disease. There’s a 131 dog study in JAVMA where the dogs on fish oil were able to come down on their carprofen dose. Green-Lipped Mussel has a reasonable amount behind it too, the effect is modest but it’s there. PEA and Curcumin are newer in dogs. The mechanisms are well described and the early work is encouraging, there just isn’t as much of it yet. 4CYTE has one trial where it held up against carprofen and another where it didn’t separate from placebo, so it’s a mixed picture.
For 4CYTE Epiitalis Forte gel, an early pilot study reported improvements in movement and owner-reported quality of life, although it had no control group. In a later placebo-controlled study, the gel did not differ significantly from placebo on the main force-plate measure after six weeks.
Do you need both?
Usually, I’d choose one joint supplement at a time. If your dog is doing well on 4CYTE, there’s no need to switch just because another option exists. If you’re considering Nuvetra for its combination of omega-3s, green-lipped mussel oil, PEA and curcumin, I’d suggest trying it instead of routinely adding it to 4CYTE. That gives you a clearer idea of how your dog responds and avoids paying for two supplements without knowing whether the combination adds a benefit.
If your dog is becoming more stiff, sore or reluctant to exercise, please speak with your vet as well. A supplement change alone may not address what’s happening.
How to switch from 4CYTE to Nuvetra
Nuvetra is one capsule per 10kg of body weight once a day with food, and there’s no loading dose. If your dog is on more than one capsule, I’d split them morning and night. You can finish the 4CYTE gel you’ve already got before starting Nuvetra. Give Nuvetra six to eight weeks of consistent use before you decide how it suits your dog. It does have marine ingredients in it, so it’s not one for a dog with a seafood or shellfish allergy, and if your dog is on other medication or has anything else going on, have a chat with your vet first.
Over those weeks, keep an eye on your dog’s everyday movement and activity: how they get up after a sleep, head out for a walk, manage the stairs or get into the car. Changes can be gradual and easy to miss, so my tip is to take a quick video on your phone of your dog getting up off their bed and walking away from you before you switch, then take another one around eight weeks later. It gives you something useful to look back at rather than trying to remember exactly how they were two months ago. It’s easy to make a decision after a fortnight, but a longer, consistent trial gives you a better chance to assess whether the supplement suits your dog.
What else helps an arthritic dog
The two things that help an arthritic dog most are keeping them lean and keeping them moving regularly, and neither of those costs you a thing. Weight is the big one and I know it’s the least welcome thing to hear, but every extra kilo is going through those sore joints with every single step your dog takes, and getting a dog from overweight down to lean will genuinely do more for their comfort than anything sitting on our shelves. With the exercise, little and often beats one big blast at the weekend every time, because it’s the muscle that supports the joint, so a dog who does nothing all week and then runs about for two hours on Saturday is going to be really sore come Sunday. It’s worth having a look around the house as well, because non-slip mats on wooden or tiled floors make such a difference, older dogs lose their confidence on slippery surfaces long before they lose the strength, a good thick bed out of the draught is worth far more than people think, and a ramp into the boot saves an awful lot of jumping.
Questions we get asked
Can I give it alongside my dog’s arthritis medication? Usually yes and loads of our customers do exactly that, but do check with your own vet first because they’ll know everything else your dog is on. My dog won’t take capsules. That’s no problem at all, you can snip the capsule open and just squeeze it over the food, it’s an oil so it goes all the way through the meal rather than sitting on top of it 🙂 Can cats have it? The short answer is yes, however the capsules are currently quite big for cats, we will look to bring a smaller version out for them soon. How long does a box last? A box of 120 will do a 10kg dog four months, a 20kg dog two months and a 40kg dog one month, and the bigger boxes work out cheaper per capsule so they’re well worth it if you’ve got a big dog. How long before I know if it’s working? Six to eight weeks at the full dose, any less than that and you’re really just guessing 🙂
Shop Nuvetra at Vetpost
You might also like Nuvetra vs Antinol Plus and Can Arthritis Be Prevented in Dogs? Dr Rebecca Walker BVSc
Disclaimer
This article is general information and not veterinary advice for an individual animal. Always talk to your vet before starting or changing a supplement, particularly if your dog has a health condition, is pregnant or nursing, or is on other medication. Doses quoted are from the manufacturer labels at time of writing.
