Got Mussels?
Hello there this is Krista with Episode #155 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. After so many dog food recalls, and confusion as to what commercial brands we can trust, many of us have decided to make our dog's food ourselves. Now, that's love, right? You might be purchasing organic and pasture raised and pasture finished ingredients. But are you sure that the meals that you're preparing are nutritionally balanced? The fact is that most DIY diets are lacking some major nutrients. And back in 2013, the UC Davis Veterinary School, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, that only nine of the 200 homemade recipes that were tested, actually met the minimum nutrient standards for dogs established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. And that's also referred to as AFFCO. All the others were nutritionally incomplete or out of balance. So if your dog appears to be healthy on a homemade diet, I encourage you to be absolutely sure. Most of the recipes found on the internet are deficient in key nutrients that our pups need to be healthy, and they can only get it from the food that they eat. So my recommendation is to work with a board certified veterinary nutritionist or there are two great resources to help ensure that your recipes are nutritionally complete and balanced. Check out PetDiets at https://www.petdiets.com/ or BalanceIT at https://secure.balanceit.com/, two great websites that are super easy to use. And of course, I highly recommend any recipes from The Canine Health Nut, Nikki, she's also a registered veterinary technician and expert in dog nutrition. She has fantastic complete and balanced home cooked dog food recipes, so check her out. So if you're gonna commit the time, the cost, the effort and the love into making your dog's meals from scratch, please do it right by being absolutely certain that they are getting all the nutrients in the correct ratios to thrive.
Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.
Dr. John Howie is the Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Lintbells – Home of YuMOVE, the UK’s #1 veterinary hip & joint supplement, used by over 1.7 million dogs each year. John started his career in science, with a PhD in Molecular Genetics, and moved into the commercial world in 1997, working in various European food raw material and health businesses. In 2006, he co-founded Lintbells after spotting a gap in the pet nutritional health market for a natural supplement that combined a scientific approach with raw material quality and functionality. With a strong focus on product quality, effectiveness, and outstanding consumer satisfaction, Lintbells is one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK, selling products such as joint, skin, and digestive supplements to health-conscious dog, cat, and horse owners in more than 15 countries.
Hello dog lovers. Welcome to another informative episode of the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. And today I'm chatting with Dr. John Howie about the significance of green lipped mussels. I'm so excited about this! Dr. Howie welcome to the show.
Thank you for the kind invitation. It's a pleasure to be with you.
Well, I'm gonna have you introduce yourself and tell us why you originally started researching the effectiveness of green lipped mussels for canine joint health.
Sure, so yeah, so my name is John Howie. I'm the Co Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of a company called Lintbells. We have a brand called YuMove, which is our joint supplement. And we're actually the UK’s #1 joint supplement for dogs. And now over in the USA as well.
That's wonderful. And what got you into green lipped mussels and their effectiveness, especially in joint health for dogs?
Effectiveness of Green Lipped Mussels
Well, we were looking at developing a joint supplement for dogs. And we were looking at all the reasons why dogs get stiff as they get older. And we were looking at the products that were available to pet parents to look after their pets. And one of the things we identified was that one of the key reasons that dogs start to struggle is they start to get much more uncomfortable as they're moving around. So we were keen to try and find active ingredients that will help them to ease their discomfort and help to move more easily. And so we were looking at all of the research, the scientific research that was available to us to indicate which ingredients would do a good job and in that work out came lots of good scientific evidence to support the use of green lipped mussels and that's why we started looking at them.
Well let's get into this. You know, this show focuses mostly on holistic and integrative approaches to canine health. So I'm so excited to see that more and more dog parents I think are turning to more natural approaches to keep their dogs healthy. And when we look at the conventional treatments for joint issues, of course, we think of the NSAIDs or the non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs that really can do more harm than good. I think a lot of people don't realize that they can cause ulcers, liver, kidney damage, and even damage the actual joints and soft tissues. So I'm excited to talk about a natural approach, especially with the mussels. So why are green lipped mussels specifically such a great supplement for joint issues? What does it do?
One of the key components of green lipped mussels is their Omega 3 content. So they have a number of different Omega 3s, which are really good for easing stiffness in the joints. So it's taking a natural approach to managing that issue. But green lipped mussels specifically have a unique combination. So you get omega threes in lots of different ingredients, fish oils, and flax oil and so on. But the unique combination in green lipped mussel has a particularly strong effect, and so provides that natural relief that many dogs are looking for.
That's great. So in addition to the omega three fatty acids, green lipped mussels also have vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, it has glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. So how cool is that? Because I know a lot of people that take supplements for themselves or for their animals. It's synthetically manufactured supplements and this wonderful green lipped mussel has everything naturally, which I think is wonderful.
Yeah, they are fantastic sources of, as you said, lots of different beneficial ingredients within them. And alongside things like chondroitin sulfate, there are a number of those are called glycosaminoglycans. They are a particular type of natural compound that's great for joint structure, for example, there's actually several different types within just within the green lipped mussel itself. But part of the reason for that is the place where they live in New Zealand. They live in the fresh, clear waters of New Zealand, coastal waters in New Zealand. And so they're accumulating lots of natural ingredients coming up through the water, and the ocean currents, and then concentrating them in this superfood, which we now use for joint health.
And aren’t they considered the filters in the ocean.? And that's why they have so many bioavailable compounds?
That's right. They're essentially they are what they eat. They are filtering nutrients out of the water. And the beauty of the areas where we source our green lipped mussels from is those particular waters are very rich in these natural nutrients. And so there are lots of different types of green lipped mussel, qualities and contents that you can get. But the ones that we're utilizing, are located in areas where we know there's much more of those nutrient flows, which they are as you say they are filtering out of the water and concentrating them as they as they grow.
So again, we have to say these green lipped mussels are only found in New Zealand. Is that right?
New Zealand Waters
That's correct. Yeah, they’re only found and the New Zealand has called them green shell. So it's either green shell mussel, green lipped mussels is what we normally refer to them as. But yes, they only grow. In New Zealand, there are mussels, there are all sorts of species of mussels growing around the world. But these particular type are only found in New Zealand. And that's where a lot of the research has been done to identify them and their beneficial effects for dogs.
Well, let's talk about the research because I know that there have been studies and I know you probably know all of them. So can you just share some of the research that is coming out about this magic superfood?
Studies on Green Lipped Mussels
Certainly. The first studies were done are actually done in humans. So there was quite a lot of work done looking at the effect on human health. And then there was some more research in the early 2000s looking at their benefits for particularly for joint health in dogs. And that was some of the first research we looked at. And over time, there has been an increasing body of evidence being built up an increasing amount of research looking at green lipped mussels themselves and what's in them and how that affects joint health. As a company, we've then taken that research one step further or several steps further, in fact, so we've run our own clinical studies, looking at the effect of our green lipped mussels within our product, YuMove. And identifying the specific ratios that have the greatest effect. So we've identified unique combinations of omega threes that have the greatest effect for dogs. And then we've utilized that research further, to continue to develop our range and, and develop our offerings. So we now understand what levels of what types of green lipped mussels have what effect on the dog. So it's deepening that understanding of these, these creatures all the time.
And I think I read in one of the studies that there was such a significant improvement in pain and mobility compared to dogs that were just given a placebo, that nearly 75% of the dogs that were taking green lipped mussel did not need any additional pain meds.
So there has been some work absolutely looking at that, that sort of side of things. And so you do see some quite dramatic effects. As you it takes a bit of time, it's not an instant effect, it's not feed them one day, and they're magically fixed the next you have to build this up over time. So it can take up to four or six weeks to really build the levels of these compounds up. And to see that benefit. But having done that, then you do see quite significant changes in in the mobility of those dogs and dogs that were struggling to move around in the house or stuck in their basket or on their bed, and not being able to get out very easily. And then within a few weeks, our customers are phoning up and saying that you've given me my puppy back. He is running around the park and chasing balls and enjoying life again. And that's essentially what we're about. And we're trying to help those dogs to enjoy their life again, rather than being bored at home as it were.
And I love that because inevitably, with us and with our dogs as we age, osteoarthritis is bound to be knocking on the door. So this just prolongs that and gives them such a better quality of life. And another cool thing about green lipped mussels is there are no side effects, like there are with the medications that are typically given.
Yeah, and in fact, you can see some positive benefits, not just in joints. But you know, for example, there is some research that's shown that it, it reduces some of the the effects you might see in the stomach, for example. So when you're getting some inflammation in other areas, that can help as well. Those same properties and benefits that we're looking at for the joints can also be beneficial elsewhere in the body.
That's great. Well, we love to geek out here on this show. So I really urge our listeners to look more into the research that's been done. Because over the past 40 years, there's been about 150 publications that have reported the health benefits of green lipped mussels. So as Dr. Howie mentioned, there's so much beyond just controlling inflammation as far as the benefits. How long after giving dogs, green lipped mussel could we see improvement in mobility? You mentioned it doesn't happen overnight, as with natural remedies, of course, that's the case. But when can we see an improvement?
How Long Before We Can See a Difference?
So we typically say four to six weeks. But we do get some owners reporting effects much quicker. So to a degree, it depends upon the dog. But some, some will tell us they've seen a difference within a week, two weeks, it really depends on the sort of condition of the dog in the first place. But also then the strength of the product that they're using, because we have a range of strengths. And so for example, if you use our veterinary strength products, something called YuMove advanced 360. That's much higher strength green lipped mussels, so you would expect to see an effect quicker with a higher strength product. But all of our products are clinically proven. So it's not that there's only one or the other is the whole range is proven, but it's just as you increase the amount that you give on a daily basis, you would expect to see an effect faster.
Okay, can you talk a little bit about how not only NSAIDs but also green lipped musssels are COX inhibitors? So what does that mean? And what is what's happening in the body?
COX Inhibitors?
So a COX enzyme is the enzyme that is creating well it can do, you can do one of two things. They can either create what we call pro inflammatory mediators. So compounds that increase the amount of inflammation in the body, or they can produce anti inflammatory mediators. So compounds that reduce the amount of inflammation in the body. Classically, you would expect them to be producing these pro inflammatory mediators as part of a normal reaction, normal immune reaction or an inflammation reaction. And some of that is useful. So if you're talking about a COX two inhibitor. Some of these drugs that you refer to, they're knocking that enzyme out. So they're knocking out the effect of that enzyme. We're looking at things slightly differently, because all of these enzymes are using Omega, usually Omega 6 oils, which will be expressed in that there'll be in the dog's diet anyway, just from their normal food. And those will tend to be converted into these pro inflammatory compounds. What we're doing with green lipped mussels is we're providing these very specific omega 3s, which basically are competing, so they're trying to provide the anti inflammatory path instead of the proinflammatory path in that for the for that enzyme. So we're essentially changing the way in which that enzyme is is operating, but without knocking it out. Whereas nonsteroidals will be trying to knock out the effect of that enzyme. So we're trying to use a natural nutritional route to managing the challenges that the dog might be experiencing rather than a pharmaceutically mediated one.
That makes sense. Well, I think now is a great time to take a quick commercial break. So sit tight, everybody, we will be right back.
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We are having a wonderful chat about green lipped mussels with Dr. John Howie from YuMove and Dr. Howie I have to ask the question. A lot of us are giving our dogs fish oil. So what is the difference between the fatty acids in green lipped mussels and fish oils? What what are we talking about here?
Green Lipped Mussels vs Fish Oils
So fish oils are a great source of Omega 3. And you get all different types depending upon which fish oil you're using, whether it's a salmon oil, for example, or an anchovy oil or a sardine oil. Most of the Omega 3s that you will find in fish oils are there's two types called EPA and DHA. They are two specific fatty acids, they are very good for general health and they're useful for if you have got mobility issues and so on, they can be quite helpful as well. But you need quite a lot of them in order to have the effect. So you need quite a high dose of those fish oils to have a significant effect on the dog. Green lipped mussel has some unique fatty acids. It has those EPA and DHA, Omega 3s, but it also has other ones that for example is one called ETA, which is another one of the many Omega 3s that there are and that has a particularly strong effect. So actually you have a unique combination there that you don't see in fish oils. That combination has a stronger effect for volume for volume, compared to fish oil. And that's part of the reason why we utilize it because we see these strong impact strong benefit without having to flood the system.
That makes sense. And while we're comparing the two obviously we are “raping our oceans” to get fish oil versus green lipped mussels are much more sustainable. So can you talk about the sustainability and how they're harvested?
Harvesting of Green Lipped Mussels
Certainly. So it is yes green lipped mussel farming is one of the most sustainable marine sustainable systems globally. It's one of the top ranked ones. And that's because the entire system is very carefully looked after. So there's very careful monitoring of the marine environment. And there's lots of sampling of all the waters and so on to make sure that the waters themselves are clean and pure. And being looked after. There's very strong restrictions and regulations about where you can farm and the impact that you that you have upon that, that environment. You can't just go throwing stuff in the water and encouraging things. It's a very, very well regulated and monitored approach. And those mussels are grown in a sustainable way. So it's not just going out and wild catching everything is intentionally sewn onto ropes. So the little baby mussels, if you like, is sewn onto ropes, which and then they grow, they're naturally in the water, naturally filtering the food out of the water that's around them, before they're harvested once they're mature. So the whole program is set up to optimize both the quality and the environment that they're grown in. So yes, it's a very sustainable approach to this rather than than just going and using up wild stocks, which often is found in fish oil.
Okay. And for your product, what are you actually putting into YuMove? Is it the entire green lipped mussel? Is it freeze dried? Are you just extracting the oil? Can you tell us about that process?
What Makes YuMove Different?
One of the first things that we're doing is because we've basically correlated everything from our clinical studies. And the performance that we see the effect that we see in the dog is all correlated with a very specific ratio of these different fatty acids that sit inside the green lipped musssel. And we brand that green lipped mussel ActivEase® is an entire program called ActivEase® program, which is about making sure we always deliver exactly the right ratio of those different Omega 3s. So in order to do that, the first thing we have to do is to understand which mussels are the right ones to deliver that particular ratio in the first place. And that's about where those mussels grow, what time of year they're harvested. For example, at certain times of year, we will be in certain bays in New Zealand at other times a year we move around the coast because the mussels are more appropriate and more suitable and maturing at a different time of year. So there's a lot of work that just goes into finding the right mussels in the right bays at the right time. Having done that, we then bring those those mussels through to the plant where they're dried, and we're taking the inside of the mussel, so not the shell, just the the meat of the mussel if you like, and that's dried down, we don't actually use freeze drying, because freeze drying damages the mussels. So it damages some of the quality of what we're looking for. So we're using a specialist drying method that dries them from a liquid down to a powder within a minute less than a minute. And that that enables you to preserve all of that goodness that you've worked so hard to get in the first place. Having done that, we're also then checking each single batch of powder that we're making on a daily basis. So that we make sure that the finished powder is still matching the specification that we've set in the first place, which matches our clinical studies. So the entire program is very precisely managed to make sure that we're always delivering the quality that we've we've set out to do. And that's fundamentally because we've made a promise to the dog parent that we'll try our best to help the dog to run around and enjoy life more. And the way we do that is to make sure that our clinical proof and our quality control and our sourcing and our and the mussels themselves are the best we can possibly get to do that job. So it's a lot of work. And I’m definitely a mussel geek. There's no doubt about it. But that's important, because it means we can then deliver on that promise.
That's wonderful that you go that extra mile to make sure that everything is copacetic. And when we are looking at different products that contain green lipped mussels, not all are created equal. So I understand that they should contain at least 6% of the fatty acids. Is that right?
What to Look For When Purchasing GLM Products
Yes, that that would get rejected by us at that level. But you're absolutely right. There's a huge variation. And so just buying green lipped mussel is not a guarantee you're getting a good product. And in fact there is part of the industry that extracts the oil out of the green lipped mussels and sells the oil. Now the leftover material the remaining powder now has very low fat and it has hardly anything left in it. It still gets sold into the supplement industry as green lipped mussel. And so it may well be that what you're buying if you if you Don't know what you're buying in the first place is you're buying something that already has had all that goodness sucked out of it. And it's just effectively what's leftover. And it strictly ought to be used for fish bait or some sort of basic thing rather than, than actually somebody thinking that they're buying a health supplement when they do that. So there is a huge variation that you will find across products. And that's part of why we've gone to the lengths of branding our product up with the ActivEase® logo, so that people know that whenever they're buying our product, and they're buying green lipped mussel, we've put all that criteria in, that puts those these extremely high fatty acid levels in there. I'm afraid I can't share our exact specifications on a on a podcast, but no, it's we are at the very top of it.
Well, I just want to remind people how amazing these green lipped mussels are that they can actually repair, protect and rebuild connective tissues. That means ligaments, tendons, cartilage, that blows my mind what amazing science and I'm so glad that you guys are using it. So let's talk a little bit about YuMove and how did the company and the product gets started?
Well, it started I, my background is in nutritional science. And I was spending a bit of time with one of the large pet food companies helping them on developing a few products. And it became apparent to me that it wasn't always possible to be able to put all of the key some of these active ingredients into the pet food because of the processing of pet foods, it can destroy some of the benefits. That's why we started the supplement business because it enabled us to create products that we could, we could treat a little bit more generally, and protect some of that bioactivity. So there was that opportunity there from that point of view. And it became clear that there were lots of dogs in need that really needed lots of help. And we were getting asked a lot by our customers, please can you make our first product was a skin supplement, in fact, so that was our very first product. But then people started saying, Well, can you help my stiff dog. And at the time, my reaction was like there are lots of joint supplements. So I don't see why we would go and create another one. But people kept asking us and said, Look, we've tried the other ones don't seem to work for our dog. So that's when we started to develop YuMove and did all that research to develop a product that would show that visible difference, we're very much about being able to show visible differences to people so that they know that our products are working.
And this is the best selling joint supplement in the UK. And now you are taking over America as well. So what makes YuMove different from others on the market, tell us about the ActivEase®.
So the big part of that is that ActivEase® green lipped mussel. So that's the piece that's helping to ease the stiffness. But we also have things like glucosamine and so on in there as well. Although we use… unlike a lot of joint supplements, we use a plant based glucosamine because again, it's it's better for the environment. There’s much less waste and much less processing and energy consumption to create that plant based glucosamine. So it's a much better active ingredient from that point of view. We also include something called hyaluronic acid, which makes up the synovial fluid in the joints are the lubricating fluid in the joint. So that's really there to provide if a dog is jumping around or landing after doing some agility or something that's providing some cushioning in the joint to keep that keep them moving as well. And so yes, over the last 13-14 years now, since we launched YuMove in the UK, we've now become the number one product here. It is recommended by more vets than any other supplement that's available here. We're probably helping we estimate about 1.7 million dogs at the moment in UK, which is great. It's very rewarding for us. Our customer services teams love getting the phone calls and the emails every day thanking us. It's very emotionally rewarding for us as well as, as you know, technically we are always trying to do our best. And yes now we're moving into the US and launching we've now launched in and growing quickly in the US market as well. So bringing those benefits to the US dogs as well.
That's exciting. And you work with organizations like the royal veterinary college and you also partner with the American Kennel Club, right?
Approved by the AKC
That's right, yes, we've just just announced our partnership with the American Kennel Club. So that's fantastic. I was over a couple of weeks ago, met with the American Kennel Club team, a fantastic group of people who are just as enthusiastic about helping dogs live active lives as we are. And I had the privilege of meeting many of the many sort of top agility competitors as well at the same time and members of the US agility team. So it was a real privilege for me to be able to come over and talk about our science and our products and what we're trying to do. So yes, it's it's fantastic. It's just the start of the partnership, which is great, I think we will have so much fun together doing this.
That's so exciting. And in your mind, at what age should we start giving preventative supplementation like YuMove to a dog? How young should we get them started?
Early Prevention?
To a degree, it depends upon the size of the dog. So a larger dog, a heavier dog will need support earlier in their life, because they put in quite a lot of wear and tear into their joints. Whereas the small dog, there's less weight and therefore, less pressure. We're typically recommending sort of seven years old, six or seven years old is quite a good time to start. That said, if you are if you have a particularly active dog, so if you have a dog that's doing agility, or flyball, or indeed, a working dog, a police dog or a military dog, then starting earlier is definitely much more appropriate. Because you are using you know, that dog is using their joints a lot, there's a lot of pressure going through their joints. So being preventive in those situations is important. The other situation where an earlier age start is important is if you have a dog that for whatever reason, has unfortunately injured themselves or hurt themselves. At some point. Sometimes you get very young dogs, one year old, two year old, they get very excited, and they're running around like mad things and overdo it and hurt themselves as a result. So that can be a very good time to make sure that you're taking a preventative approach to look after their joints that frankly, the younger they start, the better the chances for a long and happy healthy life on from a joint point of view.
Amazing Offer on YuMove
Okay, well, if anybody's interested and I'm sure you are, we've piqued your interest, the team at YuMove and that is spelled Y U M O V E, you guys are offering an amazing discount to our listeners here. So you can save 40% on a monthly subscription for all of the YuMove supplements. If you use the code WOL40 at checkout. That is amazing. Why would you not take advantage of this amazing natural supplement? And you guys are doing it right. And we really appreciate that because we all know there's no regulations in any of the industry at all, including supplements. So we want to thank you so much for making an amazing product. So Dr. Howie, before we sign off today, what would you like to leave us with?
I would love to hear feedback from all of your audience. If you go to YuMove.com and use that, that discount code that voucher code, just tell us how you've got on. We are dedicated to helping dogs live a more active life for life. And we're doing our best to doing our best to deliver that. But we thrive on hearing how our customers are getting on with our products, any feedback and so on is fantastic for us. So we would love to love to build more and more relationships with all of our US pet owners because that's how we learn. That's how we improve. And so we look forward to any feedback we get on that front.
Contact:
Instagram: @yumove_usa
Facebook: facebook.com/YuMOVE.US
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/lintbells-ltd/
Wonderful! Well again, you can find more information about YuMove and Dr. Howie at YuMove.com. And again, that fantastic offer is save 40% off of a monthly subscription using WOL40 at checkout. Dr. Howie, thank you so much. And thank you to all the green lipped mussels that that are changing the lives of dogs. We really appreciate it.
Well, thank you to you. It's been a real pleasure. And I appreciate you listening to me today. Thank you.
Thanks again to our friends at Primalhealth, makers of TEEF for sponsoring this episode. Check them out at teefhealth.com and don’t forget that the code WOL gets you 20% off of your order!
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Hey Winston was that another tail wagging episode?
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