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Chronic Pain in Dogs and Cats: Is There Place for Dietary Intervention with Micro-Palmitoylethanolamide?

della Rocca G, Gamba D. Animals, 2021; 11(4):952.

ReviewDogsCats

Design
Review
What was measured
Why palmitoylethanolamide might help chronic pain in dogs and cats: how mast cells and glial cells drive pain in osteoarthritis, and what evidence exists for palmitoylethanolamide as an add-on to standard pain treatment

What the authors reported

The authors say the evidence supports micronised palmitoylethanolamide as a dietary add-on for chronic pain in dogs and cats, alongside standard treatment rather than in place of it. The case for this rests mainly on laboratory studies showing palmitoylethanolamide calms overactive mast cells and glial cells, both drivers of chronic pain. The one clinical evidence they cite in pet dogs, a trial of palmitoylethanolamide with quercetin, found lower owner-rated pain scores at 4 weeks than placebo.

Limits of this study

A narrative review that rests mainly on laboratory data. The one clinical study in dogs that it describes tested a combination with quercetin. The funding and conflict statements were not visible on the page checked.

Source

doi:10.3390/ani11040952

Entry checked against the full text at the publisher (MDPI) on 2026-09-21. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.