PCQ Pet — Patented Palmitoylethanolamide-Curcuminoids-Quercetin for Dogs and Cats (16 grams)

• Works Better Than Most Alternatives – Unlike common supplements such as glucosamine and MSM, PCQ Pet works at the root of inflammation and pain, for a fast-acting, long-lasting effect.
• Hypo-allergenic and Safe – PCQ Pet is safe for long-term use, with none of the side effects often experienced with NSAIDs, steroids, or other natural products that can cause irritation or trigger allergies.
• Unflavored, Easy and Convenient – Dogs and cats love the unflavored PCQ Pet powder with their food. Just stir in a spoonful, and they gobble it right up.
• Fast Relief – PCQ Pet provides fast acting relief for pain and inflammation of hips, joints and skin — with relief often starting within hours.
• Skin & Allergy Support – Supports healthy skin and allergy response; reduces skin itching and irritation during seasonal allergies.
• Vegan and Cruelty-Free – Does not contain any animal-derived ingredients
• Easy to Digest – PCQ Pet has none of the side effects, liver or GI issues that commonly come from competing NSAIDS or steroids.

A New Generation of Pain and Inflammation Relief for Dogs

A long history of safety (and dozens of clinical trials) have evaluated the effects of PEA, short for palmitoylethanolamide.

But in 2017, a group of U.S. researchers got together and asked a big question: “What if we could improve on the effects of PEA?”

The PCQ Story Began with a Serendipitous Discovery…

The patented PCQ formula was developed from the time of 2016-2020, and then patented in 2022 after extensive research by Professor Susanne Talcott, PhD; Ariela Thomas, Ph.D; Vinicius Venanzio, Ph.D.; Geoff Pfeifer, Ph.D; and Blake Ebersole at a major U.S. university.

The original focus was on natural solutions for the underlying cellular mechanisms and pathways connecting inflammation, pain and allergies, particularly interleukin-1a (IL-1a), PPAR-a, TNF-alpha and COX2.  Dr. Pfeifer, who grew up with horses, had used PEA successfully to treat a number of inflammation and immune related issues, and suggested that it might be effective for other animals, and even humans. The compound had already been validated in Phase-3 clinical studies, and appeared to be the most promising lead to address the underlying roots of chronic inflammation.

In addition to PEA, numerous compounds, including natural supplements and pharmaceuticals, in models intended to measure the synergy of combinations in human cellular inflammation models. Months experiments resulted in lots of examples of additive effects that one might expect when combining ingredients — but none that would be considered synergistic.

Then, one day, unusual numbers came in. They were reviewed, and the experiments repeated again. Both quercetin and curcuminoids had exponential inhibitory action on the effects of PEA in the human cells — but only at certain concentrations.

After several more months of work, the synergistic 5:2:1 ratio of PEA-curcuminoids-quercetin combination was discovered. Rather than call it some fancy name, it was called simply “PCQ”.

The PCQ research discovery, which later became Dr. Thomas’s award-winning Ph.D. dissertation, concluded the following:

“Previously, we demonstrated that PCQ Pet, containing PEA, curcuminoids and quercetin, are able to mitigate oxidative stress by reducing ROS and NO production, as well as to downregulate expression of inflammatory markers such as Cox-2, iNOS and TNF-α in RAW264.7 macrophages. Most importantly, a synergistic interaction was demonstrated between PEA and quercetin and PEA and curcuminoids in downregulation of IL-1b mRNA expression.

Synergy parameters such as the combination index (CI), dose reduction index (DRI) and isobolograms for two different experimental designs were presented and indicated stronger synergy for the PEA and quercetin combination.

These results provide evidence and rationale for the use of these ingredients in association in nutraceutical formulations targeting prevention and treatment of chronic inflammation and pain.”

In 2020,  veterinarian Brian Saunders, DVM, Ph.D. PCQ Pet™  studied PCQ in a population of older companion dogs, and found extremely surprising results

In the years that followed, PCQ has been adopted by veterinarians in clinical practice as their front line, natural anti-inflammatory choice for pain and allergies.

The 2020 Texas Companion Dog Study

Flash forward to January 2020, preliminary data was announced from a landmark study on PCQ Pet™ in older dogs at Texas A&M Veterinary School. This important research also found dogs who consumed PCQ Pet experienced significant improvements in pain severity, pain interference, and quality of life during middle and older ages.

In the clinical study, older dogs taking PCQ Pet™ experienced the following:

1. 58% reduction in pain interference
2. 57% improvement in quality of life
3. 32% reduction in pain severity

Numerous canine and human clinical studies have been published on the individual ingredients in PCQ Pet. As the researchers concluded:

“In this study, a formulation using PEA, curcuminoids and quercetin, (PCQ Pet) was developed and tested in a pilot study with family-owned osteoarthritic dogs. For the first time, PEA in combination with polyphenols was investigated as a potential treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs. Results indicated that an 8-week supplementation with PCQ Pet exerted beneficial effects, demonstrated by improvement in pain scores and gait, overall quality of life and also positively affecting pro-inflammatory markers in some dogs.”

PCQ Pet™ Product Information for Veterinarians

Veterinarian Accounts

PCQ Pet has been successfully adopted and integrated into advanced and integrative veterinarian practices.

“PCQ Pet is a reliable anti-inflammatory product for my patients with a remarkable safety profile. The calming effect in anxious dogs makes everything else easier for the owner…”  -Tiffany Margolin, DVM

PCQ Dosage and Administration

PCQ Pet is most effective when taken once daily by mouth, with food, for at least 1-2 weeks. Ideally, a loading dose consisting of double-dosing for the first week will help facilitate results.

PCQ Pet is an easy-to-administer powder. Simply mix the amount listed on the label dosage chart with your dog’s favorite food.

Please review the product label for complete product and dosage information.

PCQ Safety

PCQ Pet offers a superior safety and tolerability profile compared to pharmaceutical alternatives.

All three ingredients in PCQ (Palmitoylethanolamide, Curcuminoids from Turmeric root, and Quercetin) are bioactive compounds found in our food supply, and are subject to more than 5,000 biomedical studies combined.

PCQ Mechanism of Action

PCQ Pet contains a combination of three ingredients combined in a particular ratio, which exhibits strong synergistic activity on key cytokines.

In original, research conducted at Texas A&M University, mRNA expression of II-1b, Cox-2, TNF-α was lowered in activated macrophages treated with increasing concentrations of PEA, curcuminoids extract from turmeric, and quercetin (as PCQ Pet). This combination effect was exponentially greater than the same concentration of any two of the individual compounds.

ABOUT PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide) 

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous fatty acid amide, and lipid modulator.

A main target of PEA is proposed to be the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α). PEA also has affinity to cannabinoid-like G-coupled receptors GPR55 and GPR119, which are under consideration for being included in the endocannabinoid system. PEA cannot strictly be considered a classic endocannabinoid because it lacks affinity for the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.

Primary reports also have provided evidence that PEA downregulates hyperactive mast cells in a dose-dependent manner, and that it alleviates pain elicited in mouse models. PEA and related compounds such as anandamide also seem to have synergistic effects in models of pain and analgesia.

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), also called palmitoylethanolamine or N-2 hydroxyethyl palmitamide), belongs to the family of N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), naturally occurring, biologically active lipids that feed into the 2-AG pathway of the endocannabinoid system that produces anandamide. Increasing anandamide results in the calming, anxiolytic effect of PEA.

The history of PEA as a natural food ingredient with medicinal properties was first identified in 1943 as part of an epidemiological study focused on childhood rheumatic fever, which was noted to occur more frequently in those children who ate fewer eggs. Subsequently investigators noted that the occurrence of rheumatic fever was reduced in children fed egg yolk powder. Subsequently PEA was first identified in the 1950s as being an active anti-inflammatory agent in chicken egg yolk.

What is Palmitoylethanolamide, or PEA?

All mammals create Palmitoylethanolamide or PEA when they metabolize dietary fats. This normal production of PEA helps regulate your pet’s natural inflammatory and pain response. When consumed as a supplement, extensive studies and clinical trials have indicated that PEA relieves inflammation and pain in a number of mammal species, including humans, canines and rodents.

Although PEA is self-generating, and all mammals naturally produce it to help address their inflammation and pain, your pet may need more PEA than their body is capable of producing to help manage discomfort.

Is PEA safe?

PEA has no known side effects. As a compound that is naturally created in all mammals, PEA has a remarkable safety profile. PEA has been studied for more than 40 years in Europe, where it is sold as a food supplement for humans. Thousands of animal and pet subjects, as well as humans, have consumed PEA in peer-reviewed, published, and controlled research studies. These studies have found PEA to be remarkably well-tolerated and safe.

How does PEA work? 

PEA is produced by an enzyme called fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) during fat metabolism. PEA signals cellular regulators to support a healthy inflammatory and pain response throughout the body, like in the hips, joints and skin of our four-legged companions. In this way, PEA is central to regulating a body’s inflammation and pain.