FAQs

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What is Zooomy?

Zooomy is an oral liquid joint supplement packaged for dog owners that contains high purity long chain hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.

Ingredients:

Ingredients per 1ml:

Sodium Hyaluronate 3.4mg

Ascorbic Acid (Vit.C) 2.4mg

What is important about the Hyaluronic Acid in Zooomy?

Zooomy derives its unique properties from the size of its hyaluronic acid molecules (700,000 - 1 million units long), most other supplements that contain HA have much smaller molecules do not offer the same properties.

The size of the HA molecule is critical to maximise its absorption.

The purified long chain hyaluronic acid (such as in Zooomy) has been shown to be taken up after oral administration and be concentrated in the skin, bone and joints.

Other commercial preparations using HA from animal-derived sources have not been shown to be absorbed after feeding and their HA molecules are likely to be too small to deliver a benefit to your animal and may even cause inflammation.

Why does Zooomy contain Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is used in the synthesis of collagen, an important protein required for cartilage repair and function.

I've heard hyaluronic acid can also be injected, how can Zooomy be given orally?

Following a diagnosis of degenerative joint disease or tenosynovitis, (inflammation of the tendon sheath), injections of hyaluronic acid can be delivered directly into the diseased joint, making it available immediately in high concentrations.  However, this procedure can only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon.

The procedure is minimally invasive but comes with a risk of infection and some animals may develop a short-term adverse, inflammatory reaction (joint flare).

The injectable form may also be administered intravenously but studies have shown the half life is only a few hours, suggesting that the hyaluronic acid is cleared from the body quickly and that the benefits might be short-lived.

Oral supplementation means the hyaluronic acid can be delivered all over the body.  So animals with multiple affected joints may be more suited to oral administration instead of individual joint injections.

Daily oral provision of hyaluronic acid by the owner is a pragmatic means of achieving long term maintenance of healthy joints.

Where does Hyaluronic Acid come from?

In most instances, hyaluronic acid in other joint supplements has been isolated from chicken by-products; by breaking up cartilage or from rooster combs.  When sourced in this way, HA is present as small molecules and in a low purity state with a high protein content and has not been shown to be absorbed.

The HA in Zooomy is manufactured through microbial fermentation. This process gives a high purity, high quality, uniform product. It also means that no animals are involved in the process and it’s suitable for those wishing to control the protein intake of their dog.

Only long-chain HA, such as that in Zooomy has been shown to be absorbed by dogs.

What testing is done on Zooomy?

In an approved and certified laboratory, each batch undergoes Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) testing to guarantee it is free from commonly known contaminants (full list available on request).

Each batch also undergoes microbiological assessment to demonstrate it is below measurable limits of bacteria, yeasts and fungi.

Is it safe to use Zooomy with other supplements and veterinary-prescribed medicines?

Yes. There are no known interactions with other supplements or medications. If you are concerned, please contact us with specific information about the medicines that your dog is on.

How to use Zooomy?

Zooomy is supplied in a white PET bottle fitted with a tamper-evident lid and a press-in bottle adaptor to accomodate the fitment of an oral syringe for dispensing (supplied).

Do not shake Zooomy, it is unecessary and can lead to the adaptor leaking.

Add the recommended amount of Zooomy according to your dog's weight to their food twice a day, once you're happy with the joint support provided you can try to reduce how much you give.

When reducing the amount, we recommend maintaining twice daily feeding and toreduce the amount by 20% a time. Limit changes to once a week so that you can assess the outcome of each change.

Some dogs do not tolerate a reduction in amount and will need the recommended amount for the long term. There is no risk giving the label amount for the long term.

Why should I start my dog on Zooomy?

Zooomy can be used to help dogs with general joint stiffness and soreness or those diagnosed with a joint injury or disease.

Zooomy can also be used as an ongoing aid for animals suffering progressive, degenerative issues or even in younger or athletic animals as part of a prophylactic programme.

Most clients opt to keep their dogs on Zooomy long-term.

Can my dog manage on a smaller amount of Zooomy in the long term?

The strategy when starting oral hyaluronic acid supplementation is split into three stages.

The first is to demonstrate that your dog will get joint support from Zooomy that helps their mobility. We recommend following the label amounts for twice a day supplementation in this period.

It may take some time for the changes to become fully apparent but once you see the joint support response and the change in your dog slowing, you can consider moving to stage two.

If you do not see joint support in your dog then you should either keeping going for longer or you can increase how much you give. Most owners that see a change in their dogs report that it took 3-6 weeks to notice. A small proportion say it took much less time and another small proportion say it took up to 12 weeks but was still life changing.

Stage two is to slowly reduce the amount you give to see if the joint support can be maintained with less Zooomy.

We recommend reducing Zooomy by no more than 20% per feed each week. Monitor your pet carefully and do not reduce the amount to less than half the label recommendation.

At any stage, if you see joint support waning, please revert to the previous amount you were giving.

Stage three is to maintain your pet on the lowest amount you managed to achieve joint support with. Some dogs will not tolerate any reduction in the amount you give and these animals will have to stay on the label recommended amount for the long term, this is absolutely fine for them.

How should Zooomy be stored and how long will it last once it’s opened?

Zooomy should be stored at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and heat sources, with the cap sealed to prevent contamination; the syringe should be rinsed after each use but care is needed not to remove the printed graduations.

As long as the bottle remains sealed Zooomy can be used until the expiry date.

Do not shake the bottle - this is unecessary and will lead to the cap leaking.

Are there any Zooomy side-effects?

Hyaluronic acid is a remarkably unreactive molecule and can be well tolerated by all dogs and given in addition to other medicines or supplements.

Uncommonly, in 1:500 dogs, starting with the full label amount can cause loose stools or a diarrhoea. Raw hyaluronic acid in the gut retains water and exits as diarrhoea. Hyaluronic acid doesn't cause irritation or upset, rather a mechanical diarrhoea due to water retention. Vet treatment is not required and normal service is resumed soon after withdrawing hyaluronic acid.

Such dogs require a slower start to supplementation over two weeks after which most tolerate oral hyaluronic acid normally, please contact us for more details.

At very high amounts, well beyond that which we recommend, oral hyaluronic acid can cause skin itchiness. Again, no vet treatment is required and this resolves quickly after withdrawing the supplement. Itchiness has not been observed at label recommended amounts.

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Do you offer a moneyback guarantee?

It's not possible to guarantee that Zooomy will make a change to a pet's mobility and to do so would not be responsible or genuine. Whilst we have many happy owners and positive stories posted on social media and as reviews on this site, not all pets respond to Zooomy just as not all pets respond to other supplements or even medicines.

If your pet will not eat Zooomy and or allow you to syringe Zoomy into their mouths, or it's apparent the product does not suit your pet then we would offer a refund within the first 2 weeks.

Why might Zooomy not help my pet?

Oral hyaluronic acid (HA) is designed to support animals with depleted levels of their own HA, such as older dogs or those with injury inside their joints, which is leading to more rapid breakdown of their own HA.

Hyaluronic acid cannot support conditions that are neurological in nature or associated with ligaments, tendons or any other structure outside a joint. Some conditions that may appear to be similar to arthritis and that are assumed to be associated with a joint injury may well not be and Zooomy will not give support in these situations.

With very advanced joint disease, oral hyalruonic acid may not be sufficient support to improve mobility if there is a significant loss of cartilage or extensive additional bony growth around the joint.

As with all supplements and to some extent medicines, there is some trial and error involved to find the product, or combination of products, that suits your pet best.

Support offered by oral hyaluronic acid is dose and time dependent. Some dogs will need more hyaluronic acid than others, some will need the label amount for longer and some might need more for longer. If your pet does not appear to be getting joint support from Zooomy please reach out to us to discuss your options to modify their regimen.