A joint is a connection between two or more bones that move against one another. Cartilage is the soft tissue on the ends of bones in our joints. It acts as a shock absorber and is also very slippery, facilitating the smooth and pain-free sliding of the bones alongside each other. Damaged cartilage causes pain and can eventually lead to osteoarthritis.
One in five dogs, older than 1 year, suffers from osteoarthritis. The condition causes a lot of pain, stiffness and difficulty in moving. Current cartilage interventions bring relief, but only for a short period of time. This is because the real problem – damaged cartilage – is not resolved. In fact, many animals develop osteoarthritis after cartilage surgery. The Hy4Pet hydrogel has been developed to help the body create new cartilage. Thus, preventing osteoarthritis and pain.
The effects of the hydrogel are depicted in the illustration above.During a traditional cartilage surgery a veterinarian applies the new hydrogel on the damaged cartilage. The gel firmly attaches to the surrounding cartilage, allowing cartilage cells to grow into the gel and develop new endogenous and healthy cartilage.The gel degrades over time. The expectation is that not only will the pain and discomfort decrease in the short term, but the risk of osteoarthritis will also decrease. We aim to spare animals pain and give them the opportunity to move freely again.