Leveraging the human collagen peptides trend to help our pets with mobility

April 12 2023 - Blog

As obsessed with their looks and afraid of wrinkles as humans often are, the promise of healthy skin has been a strong driver for the growing popularity of collagen as a food supplement. For ourselves and for our pets however, joint health should be considered more important – especially since mobility issues are so prevalent in pets.

Famous for its wide range of associated benefits for humans, collagen has become a highly targeted ingredient for pet food as well. Pet food brands know it as a functional, highly digestible source of collagen peptides, and appreciate its strong binding capabilities. Functional benefits of collagen range from supporting healthy skin and coat, to promoting bone development and healthy strong cartilage, and lubricating joints for mobility.

Avoiding stress and pain

Having spent a major part of my career helping to treat arthritis and joint health for pets, I know that many pets are suffering from undiagnosed mobility issues that could have been avoided. The reason for this sad phenomenon is the widely shared conviction among pet parents that inevitably, pets simply get less active as they age. In fact, the explaining mechanism is that collagen follows a continuous natural cycle of breakdown and regeneration in the body, while the production of collagen decreases as pets age. Older pets feel their joints deteriorating and become less active to avoid stress and pain.

Keeping a healthy weight

Feeding pets with collagen peptides at an early age can serve to support their joint health and prevent or slow down mobility issues, but it will never be the complete solution. “Overweight” is a massive but highly underestimated contributing factor – both for humans and for pets. In fact, a study in 2002 already made clear that on average, pets with a healthy weight live two years longer than obese pets. Keeping pets at a healthy weight is mostly a matter of providing them regular exercise and healthy food. For senior pet nutrition, choosing the right ingredients becomes even more important.

Healthy aging

As with ourselves, nobody wants to admit that their pets are getting old because we don’t like the idea of letting go of them some day. My suggestion is to embrace our cats and dogs and help them age gracefully and healthy. Regular exercise and healthy food – preferably with proper joint support ingredients like collagen peptides – will help their bodies prepare to get older,  and support their mobility as part of their overall health.

Download our whitepaper on collagen

Are you hungry for more technical information on collagen as a pet food ingredient? Please download our whitepaper ‘Collagen as an increasingly popular functional ingredient in pet food’ from Geert van der Velden, innovation manager at IQI Trusted Pet Food Ingredients. 

About Julie Ninneman

Julie Ninneman is IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients’ National Account Manager for North America, responsible for meeting the needs of our customers in the growing North American pet food market. Julie has worked in the pet food industry for over 15 years and has a passion for bringing natural and science-based ingredients to the industry with a sustainable approach. She has been with IQI since 2022.