Narelle Cooke: The Benefits of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) for Our Pets | E54

[00:00:00] The great thing is that PEA, it's been researched for close to 80 years now. And most of that research is around its potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic or pain relieving properties. But PEA, it's also demonstrated to have antihistamine properties and that's due to its ability to stabilize mast cells and inhibit histamine release.

[00:00:27] Welcome to the Pet Care Report podcast by Pet Summits. Here's your natural dog healthcare host, Alora McKinley.

[00:00:34] Well, g'day guys. Welcome back to another episode. Now I've got a very special guest today. It is a well-known person in the Australian dog world. And I'm sure most fresh food feeders or those that have an interest in holistic care will have heard of her supplement range that she founded.

[00:00:51] Narelle Cooke is a clinical naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist based in Sydney, Australia. She is the founder and managing director of Canine Ceuticals, a top tier pet nutritional supplement range.

[00:01:02] As a lifelong pet owner, Narelle brings first-hand insight into the importance of pet health, inspired her menagerie of French bulldogs, a German shepherd, a Rottweiler and a Burmese cat. Narelle is passionate about educating pet owners and industry experts on the vital role of nutrition in pet health and behavior. Welcome to the podcast, Narelle.

[00:01:23] Hi, Alora. Thank you so much for having me on the show today. Really glad to be here.

[00:01:27] Lovely. Thank you so much. Now to kick things off, how did you get into the pet industry? Was there a moment in your life that inspired you to focus on natural health?

[00:01:35] Yeah, absolutely. And look, I know time's of the essence today with everything you want to talk about. So to keep it like really short and sweet, basically I've worked as a research scientist in some form or capacity for most of my life.

[00:01:47] And, you know, one of those jobs was as a regulatory affairs associate. And part of that role was actually to get chemicals registered for use on our food crops.

[00:01:55] I think of things like herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, and I'm like, oh, you know, this doesn't really align with my core values.

[00:02:02] So I ended up going back to uni. I studied natural medicine. I've worked as a human naturopath, nutritionist, and herbalist for around a decade.

[00:02:11] But really it wasn't until one of my own French bulldogs suffered a really severe spinal injury in early 2020.

[00:02:17] So just as COVID was hitting that my focus like absolutely shifted from supporting human health to animals.

[00:02:24] And oh my goodness, I have not looked back.

[00:02:27] Wow. That's so interesting. One interesting journey you've been on.

[00:02:30] Now today you're going to be teaching us or explaining to us a little bit about a supplement that we commonly call P or PEA.

[00:02:38] And I'm not even going to try and pronounce it because I'll stuff it up.

[00:02:41] But can you explain what P is and then the role it plays in the endocannabinoid system?

[00:02:46] Yeah. So just for the listeners, it's like tomato, tomato.

[00:02:51] I say palmitoyethanolamide, but some people, it depends where you put the accent.

[00:02:55] Some people will say palmitoyethanolamide, which is why we love acronyms.

[00:03:00] You know, PEA is what we'll refer to it throughout today for ease.

[00:03:04] But basically PEA, it's a naturally occurring compound.

[00:03:07] It's present in all tissues of the body in both humans and animals.

[00:03:12] Biochemically speaking, it's a fatty acid amine.

[00:03:15] But honestly, no one really needs to know that.

[00:03:17] And the great thing is that PEA, it's been researched for close to 80 years now.

[00:03:21] And most of that research is around its potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic or pain relieving

[00:03:27] properties.

[00:03:28] But PEA, it's also demonstrated to have antihistamine properties.

[00:03:32] And that's due to its ability to stabilize mast cells and inhibit histamine release.

[00:03:37] And one of the main reasons that PEA has all of these amazing properties is due to its influence

[00:03:43] on, as you mentioned, the endocannabinoid system.

[00:03:46] So to explain that a bit further for our listeners, because I mean, the first time I heard endocannabinoid,

[00:03:52] I'm like, what is that?

[00:03:53] The endocannabinoid system, think of it like a network of cell receptors.

[00:03:57] You know, they found all throughout the body and they're acting as messengers.

[00:04:01] So their role is to help maintain what we call homeostasis or balance in the body, just to

[00:04:07] make sure that everything is running nice and smoothly.

[00:04:10] And, you know, the endocannabinoid system, it's actually like super important because

[00:04:14] it plays a significant role in so many different health conditions, particularly those related

[00:04:20] to pain and mood, for example.

[00:04:22] Wow.

[00:04:23] So then how does PEA contribute to maintaining like homeostasis in pets?

[00:04:27] So although PEA, it's not strictly an endocannabinoid because it doesn't actually bind to the

[00:04:35] cannabinoid receptors on cells.

[00:04:37] So its role within the endocannabinoid system works to actually enhance the activity of actual

[00:04:42] endocannabinoids.

[00:04:43] And it does this through what's referred to as the entourage effect.

[00:04:47] So what this means is that PEA, it's able to inhibit the breakdown of certain endocannabinoids,

[00:04:54] which increases their levels and activity within the body.

[00:04:58] So it's in this indirect way that PEA is extending and enhancing like the effects of compounds

[00:05:04] that do actually reduce pain and inflammation.

[00:05:07] And these compounds also have the ability to produce anti-inflammatory compounds, which,

[00:05:12] you know, is absolutely essential when it comes to maintaining homeostasis in the body

[00:05:16] or, you know, just that stable, healthy internal environment that we want for our pets.

[00:05:22] And now you mentioned that PEA stabilizes mast cell to prevent histamine release.

[00:05:27] Can you discuss how this mechanism benefits pets with allergies and then how it compares

[00:05:31] to maybe like a traditional antihistamine?

[00:05:34] Yeah, sure.

[00:05:34] So for those who may not have heard of the term mast cells before, they're a type of immune

[00:05:41] cell that's responsible for releasing histamine into the bloodstream.

[00:05:45] And this happens in response to an allergen entering the body.

[00:05:48] So you might think of things like pollen or mold, you know, commonly it might be a food

[00:05:53] protein, et cetera.

[00:05:54] And what's really interesting that is in humans, most of our mast cells are located in the sinus

[00:06:00] cavities.

[00:06:00] So that's why when we're exposed to allergens, we're more likely to experience things like

[00:06:05] a runny nose, watering eyes and sneezing.

[00:06:07] But for our dogs, most of their mast cells are located close to the skin surface.

[00:06:12] So that's why for them, allergies tend to show up primarily as skin issues.

[00:06:17] So you might have skin redness, skin lesions, definitely itching.

[00:06:21] So in terms of how PEA compares to, you know, our more traditional antihistamines, most conventional

[00:06:27] antihistamines, they work by blocking histamine from binding to histamine receptors.

[00:06:34] Whereas PEA, it actually stabilizes the mast cells to actually prevent the release of histamine

[00:06:40] in the first place.

[00:06:41] So that's how it's working to reduce symptoms.

[00:06:43] We also know particularly the first generation antihistamines, they're known to cause drowsiness,

[00:06:49] whereas PEA doesn't.

[00:06:51] Unfortunately, PEA, it is a lot slower acting than conventional antihistamines, which, you

[00:06:57] know, it's the case for most natural substances.

[00:06:59] But the benefit of PEA for allergy dogs particularly is that it can be used for longer periods of time

[00:07:05] due to its high safety profile.

[00:07:07] So really great for chronic conditions.

[00:07:10] There you go.

[00:07:11] And now PEA has also shown to reduce itchiness and improve skin conditions in dogs with atopic

[00:07:17] dermatitis.

[00:07:18] Could you maybe share a bit more about the research supporting these findings and observations

[00:07:22] that people have seen maybe in the dog's quality of life?

[00:07:25] For anyone who does follow me on social media, you will know already how much I love this

[00:07:29] compound.

[00:07:30] Like PEA is just awesome.

[00:07:32] So yeah, and particularly for allergy dogs.

[00:07:34] So there was a great study conducted in 2015, and it was designed to assess the efficacy of

[00:07:40] ultra-micronized PEA in canine atopic dermatitis.

[00:07:44] And what they found was that after only eight weeks of daily treatment with PEA, and you've got

[00:07:50] to keep that in perspective because I know a lot of listeners will have allergy dogs, and

[00:07:55] you've been battling for like months, if not years, to get those symptoms under control.

[00:07:59] But in just eight weeks of use, they found that just over half of the dogs had experienced some

[00:08:04] degree of reduced itching.

[00:08:06] But a third of the dogs had such significant, like statistically significant reductions in

[00:08:11] itching, that it put them in the absent to very mild itching category.

[00:08:15] So basically, these dogs are now classified the same as dogs that don't have atopic dermatitis.

[00:08:21] They also saw reductions in skin lesions in nearly 80% of the dogs, and just over 60% of

[00:08:28] those dogs reached a value that put them in the remission category.

[00:08:31] Again, as you refer to, what I absolutely loved about this particular trial is they also saw

[00:08:38] significant improvements in the quality of life for these dogs as well.

[00:08:42] And we always have to keep that in mind.

[00:08:44] It's so important because as pet parents, we know how absolutely heartbreaking it is to

[00:08:49] see our dogs suffering and in pain, yet feeling completely helpless to do anything about it.

[00:08:55] It's amazing.

[00:08:55] It's got so many benefits.

[00:08:57] And another one that we're going to talk about is like its pain blocking effect.

[00:09:01] Could you tell us a little bit about how PEA helps with pain and particularly in chronic

[00:09:05] conditions like osteoarthritis or nerve pain and how it differs a bit from conventional

[00:09:11] medicine?

[00:09:12] Yeah.

[00:09:12] And look, this is area of the use of PEA that's close to my heart, particularly with my French

[00:09:16] bulldog with a spinal injury.

[00:09:18] So PEA, it manages pain in several ways.

[00:09:21] And a lot of those are quite complex.

[00:09:24] So I'm just going to keep things really simple today.

[00:09:28] So one of the ways that PEA works in terms of pain management is by engaging with several

[00:09:31] receptors that are involved in pain signaling and inflammation in the body.

[00:09:36] So, you know, in conditions like osteoarthritis and neuropathic pain, PEA, it helps to reduce

[00:09:43] the intensity of those pain signals that are being transmitted to the brain.

[00:09:47] So that's great.

[00:09:48] It also works to switch off.

[00:09:51] There's a particular like signaling cascade that leads to the production of pro-inflammatory

[00:09:56] compounds in the body.

[00:09:58] And by doing that, that's another way that it's decreasing inflammation and pain.

[00:10:02] PEA has also been shown to increase blood levels of other naturally produced compounds

[00:10:07] from the same family as PEA.

[00:10:09] And they've all got really convoluted names.

[00:10:11] I'm not going to describe them.

[00:10:13] But these compounds also have really great anti-inflammatory and analgesic or, you know,

[00:10:18] pain relieving properties.

[00:10:19] And what's really interesting is that the research shows that PEA, and I was just looking

[00:10:26] into this super recently for a customer, but PEA can have greater pain relieving properties

[00:10:32] than some of the like more commonly prescribed pain meds, things like gabapentin, for example.

[00:10:37] And that's the one I was looking up for a customer.

[00:10:40] The other thing is that PE doesn't cause damage or ulceration to the gut lining.

[00:10:44] You know, we need to be really mindful of that when our dogs or, you know, our pets are

[00:10:49] on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

[00:10:52] And don't quote me on this, but I'm sure the research shows that even after like a week

[00:10:56] of daily non-steroidal drug use, that there's already obvious damage to the gut lining happening.

[00:11:02] So that's really scary and something, you know, ideally we want to avoid.

[00:11:06] That's not to say there's not a role for these medications, but if we can avoid their long-term

[00:11:09] use, absolutely, we want to do that.

[00:11:11] And when it comes to chronic pain management, PEA also doesn't develop tolerance or, you

[00:11:17] know, lose effectiveness over time, which we can often see with many different types

[00:11:21] of pain meds.

[00:11:22] That's interesting.

[00:11:23] And just another question, do you find in your practice that patients will wean off maybe

[00:11:29] conventional medicine and just go PEA or do you use it together?

[00:11:33] Yeah, look, it's a really good question.

[00:11:34] And it's something I used to do when I was treating humans as a naturopath with pain conditions

[00:11:39] and on pain medication, and it's the same concept and situation now with dogs.

[00:11:43] So I can never recommend that someone take their dog or change their dog's medication.

[00:11:47] I'm not a vet.

[00:11:48] You know, you need your vet or your GP's input to do anything like that.

[00:11:52] But absolutely, I've worked with vets and doctors to develop a program where people can wean,

[00:11:58] either reduce the dose of a medication or completely come off it.

[00:12:01] But that's over months of time.

[00:12:03] But absolutely, it can be used in that way.

[00:12:07] You just need to do it under the guidance of a professional.

[00:12:10] Yeah, that makes sense.

[00:12:11] You mentioned before that PEA doesn't damage the gut per se.

[00:12:15] Do you find that it aids in managing digestive disorders and protecting maybe against things

[00:12:20] like renal disease in pets?

[00:12:21] Yeah.

[00:12:22] So the research, it's not as extensive around the benefits of PEA for digestive and kidney

[00:12:27] health yet.

[00:12:28] But there's definitely, you know, increasing amounts of research that are now being done

[00:12:33] in those areas.

[00:12:34] And, you know, every day I'm getting emails from customers with dogs with gut issues, particularly

[00:12:40] leaky gut.

[00:12:41] So PEA has shown promise in managing gut disorders.

[00:12:44] And the way it's working in this regard is by reducing inflammation because we know now

[00:12:49] inflammation sort of underlies literally any sort of disease state.

[00:12:54] So it's doing that in the gastrointestinal tract as well.

[00:12:57] But it also works to restore the integrity of the intestinal barrier.

[00:13:01] And the way it's doing that is by regulating the intercellular tight junction.

[00:13:06] So we need the cells lining our gut to be nice and tightly packed together.

[00:13:10] And it's when they're not that we start to get those symptoms of leaky gut syndrome and

[00:13:15] all the downstream sort of negative consequences of that.

[00:13:18] So PEA can be, you know, a great addition if you've got a dog with leaky gut or particularly

[00:13:24] inflammatory bowel disease because of that anti-inflammatory action of the PEA.

[00:13:28] In terms of kidney health, again, it's just, you know, new and emerging, the research around

[00:13:34] it for renal health.

[00:13:36] But what's come out to date is that it actually protects the renal blood vessels against damage.

[00:13:42] And that's due, again, to the, you know, the anti-inflammatory and the antioxidant benefits

[00:13:45] of PEA.

[00:13:47] So this is great for, you know, any pet suffering from chronic kidney disease or potentially, you

[00:13:52] know, high blood pressure related to cardiovascular disease as well.

[00:13:56] So then aside from the roles that it plays in pain and allergy relief that we've already

[00:14:02] discussed, you also mentioned that it's got a bit of an anti-inflammatory effect and antioxidant

[00:14:06] properties.

[00:14:07] Could you explain how these properties benefit the brain and the nervous system in pets?

[00:14:12] Yeah.

[00:14:12] And I, again, I feel like every health condition related to PEA, you know, I just love.

[00:14:18] And this is such a fascinating area of research.

[00:14:21] And I spoke about it only last month.

[00:14:23] I think it was on my social media channels, but we know that neurons in the brain, you

[00:14:29] know, they're highly susceptible to oxidative damage, which can then lead to, you know, degenerative

[00:14:34] conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease in humans, but also canine cognitive dysfunction

[00:14:39] syndrome in dogs.

[00:14:40] And that's what I was talking about the other week.

[00:14:43] But because PEA, you know, it does have such potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties

[00:14:49] that this is helping to protect those neurons from, you know, oxidative damage, like free

[00:14:54] radical damage.

[00:14:55] And that's not only supporting healthier nerve function, but it's also maintaining brain

[00:14:59] integrity.

[00:15:00] And this is ultimately going to help to slow cognitive decline, both in us and our pets.

[00:15:06] So really great.

[00:15:07] The more we can do to support our senior dogs, absolutely, you know, we should be doing

[00:15:11] it.

[00:15:11] Now, ultra micronized PEA, I've heard of it before.

[00:15:16] Can you maybe explain to our listeners what it is and how this form can enhance delivery

[00:15:21] and the action in the body?

[00:15:23] So the ultra micronized form, what that means is it just has a much like much tinier particle

[00:15:30] size than non ultra micronized PEA forms.

[00:15:33] And then, you know, ultimately what this means is that it has enhanced by availability, improved

[00:15:38] absorption, improved distribution within the body.

[00:15:41] So this is ensuring that the PEA is more effectively delivered to, you know, the sites of the bodies

[00:15:46] where it's needed.

[00:15:48] And this is going to improve the therapeutic effects in terms of reducing symptoms.

[00:15:52] So it is really important that people look for ultra micronized on the label when they're

[00:15:57] buying a PEA supplement because, you know, they're not all the same.

[00:16:01] And another thing that people need to be mindful of is that PEA is fat soluble.

[00:16:07] So combining it with a healthy fat source, that's going to further serve to enhance absorption

[00:16:12] in the body.

[00:16:13] And to give you an example, the canine suticals PEA plus, it combines PEA with sunflower lethacin

[00:16:19] as the fat source to optimize bioavailability.

[00:16:22] So the other great thing about sunflower lethacin is it's rich in the nutrient choline.

[00:16:27] So that's also working to support nerve and cellular health as well.

[00:16:31] So really great combo there.

[00:16:32] But even just giving PEA with a meal that contains some form of fat, I mean, that's going

[00:16:36] to be highly beneficial as well.

[00:16:38] I guess you just don't want to add it or try and add it to water.

[00:16:41] That's really not going to cut it.

[00:16:42] And this probably seems like a silly question, but for those that don't know, does it come,

[00:16:45] are we talking about like a powdered form or is it in like a liquid?

[00:16:49] It does come in multiple different forms.

[00:16:51] So primarily when we're talking about animals, it's in a powdered form because that's obviously

[00:16:56] much easier for dosing, you know, across the different sizes of dogs.

[00:17:00] For humans, powder is really popular.

[00:17:02] It also comes in capsule form.

[00:17:03] You can get a liquid like lipophilic form as well for enhanced absorption.

[00:17:08] So whatever form you like, there's probably a form of it that you can buy.

[00:17:11] But definitely, yeah, powdered, much easier for pets.

[00:17:14] Yep.

[00:17:14] Love it.

[00:17:15] Now, we were chatting before about the use of it in terms of being used alongside

[00:17:20] conventional medicine.

[00:17:21] Could you talk about any research or clinical observations that you've looked at that have

[00:17:26] highlighted the safety and compatibility with other treatments?

[00:17:29] Yeah, another area of PEA that I love, it's absolutely noted for its high safety profile

[00:17:34] and, you know, minimal risk of adverse side effects.

[00:17:38] Now, you know, we can never say never, but it would absolutely be the exception rather

[00:17:44] than the rule that, you know, I guess we're talking about pets today so that a pet would

[00:17:48] react badly to PEA.

[00:17:50] And this is supported by, oh my goodness, I don't know how many dozens of different safety

[00:17:55] and toxicity trials and clinical studies over the decades.

[00:17:59] And the fact that PEA can be safely used alongside conventional medications without any drug

[00:18:05] interactions.

[00:18:05] I mean, that makes my life and my role as a clinician just so much easier because so many pets these

[00:18:13] days are just on multiple drugs, whether it's, you know, Cytopoint or Apoquil for allergies,

[00:18:18] you know, non-steroidals or other pain meds.

[00:18:21] You know, I get dogs on heart medication, diabetic medication, like you name it, dogs are just on so

[00:18:26] many medications.

[00:18:27] And it can be challenging, particularly as a herbalist to be able to prescribe certain compounds

[00:18:34] that, you know, may have an interaction with these medications.

[00:18:37] But, you know, the research has shown that the PEA doesn't have any contraindications,

[00:18:42] I should say, or cautions with prescription meds.

[00:18:45] The research has also shown that PEA can actually delay the development of tolerance with some pain

[00:18:52] medication.

[00:18:53] So this was particularly looked at in relation to morphine in humans, I think the research

[00:18:57] was.

[00:18:58] But, you know, this allowed a lower dose of morphine to be given with the same pain relieving

[00:19:05] effect.

[00:19:05] So like that's huge.

[00:19:06] If we can give less of a drug and still get the same health benefits from that for our

[00:19:10] pets, you know, why wouldn't we?

[00:19:12] Now, in terms of things that our listeners can take away from this episode, if there was

[00:19:16] one thing that you'd like them to take away, what would it be?

[00:19:20] Oh my goodness.

[00:19:20] Like there are so many tips that I would love to give the listeners today in terms of health

[00:19:25] and nutrition for our pets.

[00:19:28] But in terms of keeping it on today's topic, my number one tip would be that if you have

[00:19:34] an allergy dog or if you have a dog with joint pain or nerve pain, if you've got an older

[00:19:39] dog, if you've got a dog with leaky gut, you know, there's so many different conditions,

[00:19:43] then you need to get them started on PEA.

[00:19:46] So, and I think I mentioned this previously, but PEA, it is fairly slow acting in the body.

[00:19:51] So I always advise people, you know, allow at least four to eight weeks, like minimum,

[00:19:57] before, you know, you expect to see significant improvements in symptoms.

[00:20:01] I mean, that also depends on the condition being treated, obviously.

[00:20:04] But you know, the main thing is just to get them started.

[00:20:07] Like I said, PEA, it's so safe.

[00:20:10] It's one of those treatment approaches where it absolutely won't hurt to try it.

[00:20:15] The worst case scenario is it doesn't hit the spot for your dog.

[00:20:18] But why wouldn't you try when it can be given alongside any medication that your dog's on,

[00:20:23] any other supplements that your dog is on?

[00:20:24] It's so safe, so gentle.

[00:20:26] I just love it.

[00:20:26] Like, as you can tell, I could talk about PEA all day.

[00:20:29] Yeah.

[00:20:29] And most days I do.

[00:20:31] There's so much to talk about when it comes to PEA.

[00:20:35] Thank you so much.

[00:20:36] You've given us just a brief insight to all the things that it can help with.

[00:20:39] Can you tell our listeners where they can find you maybe a bit about your company,

[00:20:43] Canine Cuiticals?

[00:20:44] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:20:45] And I do want to just reiterate, we've literally skimmed the surface of all of the amazing

[00:20:51] properties of PEA today.

[00:20:52] But great that we could just do that for the listeners today.

[00:20:55] Okay, so Canine Cuiticals, the website is caninecuiticals.com.au.

[00:20:59] We've got lots of amazing resources on the website.

[00:21:02] So definitely jump on there.

[00:21:04] Particularly our guide section is hugely popular.

[00:21:06] If you've got an allergy dog, we've got a great resource in the allergy guide there.

[00:21:11] If you've got a cat, I know we're Canine Cuiticals, but the majority of our range is

[00:21:15] safe for cats as well.

[00:21:16] So we've got a cat dosing guide.

[00:21:17] Again, you can find that on the resource tab.

[00:21:19] I have my own podcast, Natural Health for People and Pets.

[00:21:22] You can find that on most of wherever you stream your podcast or on the website as well.

[00:21:30] Social media, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, it's canine.cuiticals.

[00:21:35] And if you've got any questions at all, like I keep saying this every week to people who

[00:21:39] listen that that's what we're here for.

[00:21:41] Like we're here to help you to help your dog.

[00:21:43] So if you've got any questions about anything, particularly PEA, given today's topic, please

[00:21:48] reach out to us at info at caninecuiticals.com.au.

[00:21:52] Lovely.

[00:21:53] We've put links down there to all the pages.

[00:21:54] And thank you so much, Narelle.

[00:21:56] I listen to your podcast.

[00:21:57] It's a wonderful thing to go listen to.

[00:22:00] And yeah, you've been wonderful.

[00:22:02] Thank you so much for coming on today.

[00:22:03] Thank you for the support.

[00:22:04] And again, thank you for giving me this opportunity.

[00:22:07] And to all our listeners, don't forget to like, follow, subscribe.

[00:22:10] This helps us reach more owners that may benefit from this information.

[00:22:14] And we'll see you next time for another episode.