Thanks for including Safe Pain Relief in your May 2006 issue, about our study on arthritic dogs being treated with DGP (Dog-Gone Pain). As American BioSciences DGP product manager, I have personally spoken to many of your subscribers since the article appeared and am amazed, but not surprised, at how knowledgeable they are.
I would like the opportunity to respond to some of the letters you published in the June 2006 issue. I certainly appreciate caution when choosing a product that has a proprietary blend of ingredients. However, it can be very difficult for natural health product manufacturers to protect their formulations from copycat products. We use the designation proprietary blend on our label to keep our formulation confidential. We realize the importance for veterinarians to have complete knowledge of the ingredients, therefore all DGP ingredients are, and always have been, divulged to licensed vets or healthcare professionals who agree to maintain confidentiality.
Further, while there is substantial evidence (including results reported in the May issue) that DGP is safe and effective, American BioSciences has always prided itself on the science behind its products. With that said we are in the process of designing a much larger study to be conducted in a university setting. When this study is complete, you and your readers will be the first to know the results.
Stephanie Johnson,
American BioSciences
Blauvelt, NY
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I have been a subscriber to WDJ for more years than I can remember and have anticipated every issue. Your information and advice support my conviction that conventional medicines are in general unsafe and to be used only over the short term when there is no alternative.
My Lab-mix companion, Rebecca, almost 12 years old, has had ligament and joint problems. We endured two TPLOs on her hind legs and the subsequent removal of the plate in one. Though she is a happy dog and doing well, I often wonder just how much discomfort she is really in due to her slowed activity patterns and resulting limp when she overextends her enthusiasm with people and other dogs. Consequently your article on DGP immediately caught my attention. The glucosamine, MSM, Omega 3, and tumeric, in addition to other supplements that she has taken for many years, have helped but not totally alleviated her discomfort.
I placed an order for DGP through The Harmony Company. On the same day the product arrived I saw the follow-up letters you printed in the June issue. I usually eschew canine products for the reasons outlined questionable research, lack of precise ingredients, failure to adjust formulas in light of new information.
I immediately called American BioSciences and spoke to the product manager for DGP, Stephanie Johnson. I was impressed by her enthusiasm and the substance of her support. The thought of someone suggesting that DGP could work because it contains an undisclosed NSAID when in fact so much care went into the quality and production of the product without the opportunity of counterargument in the same issue was quite disturbing. It would have been nice to hear her argument before pushing my panic button. We wondered how many people will not use DGP when it could help without calling her as I did.
We spent a lot of time on the phone, and went over all the other supplements that I give Rebecca. On Johnsons advice I am going to discontinue, for the time being, glucosamine, MSM, and vitamin C because of the anticoagulant compounding of these supplements with DGP. Johnsons concern speaks volumes.
One thing more. Evidence-based medicine is often a chimera tainted with ego, politics, and economic concerns. Ill take homegrown anytime. I hope you are not in your room too long.
Rita Gold
Tucson, AZ
