Joint supplements necessary?

JacksonsMom

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#1
Wondering what joint supplements you give, which ones actually work (I've heard of a few studies that claim glucosamine and such are basically just placebos).

Jackson will be 5 next week, and is in good shape. I've never really seen any signs of joint troubles, but he is an active dude, and we're back in agility once a week.

Should I be giving him some type of supplement just to be precautious?

If so, what would you recommend? I'd probably prefer a powder or a chewable, that I can mix in with food, vs. a pill (he's annoying to pill).
 
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#2
I dont really supplement that much when I am able to get a good variety and selection of raw but my basics are MSM and coconut oil (fish oil would be in there too but I feed fish for that).

I do use bug off Garlic sporadically for flea control. I will also sometimes go ahead and get Longevity as I really do like the list of ingredients is has and the dogs love it too.
 

SizzleDog

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#3
I probably don't need to supplement with G/C, but I do anyway. Kaylee will be 6 in a few months and she's still doing lure coursing, so she gets G/S as a precautionary measure. Jayne is a BIG dog and really hard on his body, so he gets it as a precaution as well.

It's cheap, so I'd rather do it than not. But the other dogs don't get it.
 
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#4
Yea I don't know that I would call them necessary, but I give them as a precaution. I do Dasuquin for everybody - Pip because he's 8 1/2 and the youngsters because they work so hard. I'm ok with just being out the money if it's not really doing anything, and it makes me feel better to be doing something that might help them.
 

Dagwall

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#5
I recently started giving Jubel a Zukes hip action chew every night as well as giving chicken feet as part of his partial raw diet. I've seen no signs of issues with his hips but he's about 5.5 years old and I'd rather give a preventative just in case for my own peace of mind.
 

Toller_08

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#6
It was recommended to me to use something called Sasha's Blend or Joint Strong for Journey because she's to be a sport dog and also just super hard on her own body, so while she doesn't really need a supplement, I will be getting her something just to be proactive. And because Dance is getting older and now plays Flyball and Agility, I'll give it to her too. And even the Dobes could benefit I am sure, since they're not getting any younger either, eventhough they don't do much other than go for walks/runs.

There are lots of different ones out there, but the two I mentioned above appear to get great reviews. A lot of my customers at the store really like BioJoint and Nupro too. Recovery SA is fairly popular as well, although recently I've had people tell me they haven't noticed much difference in their dogs (with problems) using it. A lot of people love the Zukes Hip Action treats too cause they're treats and easy to feed to dogs who might not like things mixed into their food. I don't personally have experience with any of them yet.

Lots of people just use Glucosamine found in people stores too. And there was one someone here recommended a long time ago that looked and sounded really good, but I can't remember who said it or what it was called. I kind of feel like it was one of the Minnesotans... maybe something SpringerLover gave to Buzz? I don't know haha. Totally unhelpful I am.
 
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#7
Can dogs fall for the placebo effect? Because my dog can't walk without his knees popping out of joint UNLESS he is on Glucosamine. When he was diagnosed with Luxating Patellas, I was debating the ($3000 PER knee) surgery. Decided to try Glucosamine/Chondroitin first and it's honestly been a miracle supplement. As long as he is on it, his knees don't pop out of joint (Unless he is playing rough and goes down the wrong way. But they pop back in quickly).

I ran out ONCE and was a little slow getting more. Within 2 days his knees were popping out of joint every time he walked again. So IMO, it's not placebo effect. It DOES work.

BUT, how much it works I think depends on the dog. Works better for some than others I believe.
 
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#8
I'm ok with just being out the money if it's not really doing anything, and it makes me feel better to be doing something that might help them.
This. Everyone here is on the older-ish side (6, 7, and 9) so we do Pet Naturals Hip & Joint and Wapiti Labs Mobility. I also give fish oil.
 

Southpaw

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#9
I give Juno and Happy glucosamine/msm. Juno gets it just because she's so rough, if I can do anything to mitigate future joint issues even just a little bit, I will. Happy is of course old and hobbles a bit. I don't really know that I see much difference on supplements. I used to have her on Wapiti Labs Mobility but it's expensive and I didn't see it helping. Glucosamine is cheap and even if she's not leaps and bounds better, I feel better giving her something.

I tried putting Lucy on the glicosamine but they're big, gross tasting pills and she just wasn't falling for it. She's my mom's dog, she can pay for the expensive yummy chews if she wants, but I'm not lol.
 

SpringerLover

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#10
Studies have shown that the molecular weight of the supplement determines their bioavailability for the dog.

Dasuquin is a product that meets the qualifications, so that's what I use.

I've seen a huge improvement in Buzz since I've been able to add it back in for him, and I saw a huge (but gradual) improvement in Gabby when I started her on it. Bailey has been on it for years and years now.

Granted the dogs in question are 15, 13.5, and almost 8.
 

Dizzy

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#11
My old trainer swears by white cider vinegar and honey mix. And she trains, breeds and competes gsd, apparently never had a joint issue in her many many years.

I can't say it works, but if you're into natural remedies, it is very highly recommended to ward off arthritis and joint issues.

We give it to ours. Just mix up equal measures and add a splash to their food daily. She recommended after Fred's op, can't hurt.
 

frostfell

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#12
i give raw ACV in the dogs water but white distilled vinegar iv been told has pretty much no nutritional value whatsoever. thats odd that somebody uses it for dogs
 

Dizzy

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#13
i give raw ACV in the dogs water but white distilled vinegar iv been told has pretty much no nutritional value whatsoever. thats odd that somebody uses it for dogs
It's an age old remedy, nothing new :)

Cider vinegar and honey.

Google it.
 

Shai

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#16
G/C or NuPro here, per our sports/alt DVM.

If nothing else the NuPro helps keep the brown dogs' noses black all winter ;)
 
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#18
I've never seen anything reliable that has shown glucosamine or chondroitin given prophylactically to prevent joint disorders.

Studies have been mostly mixed for humans between the 2. I've found those as a sulfate to have more favorable findings over a those coupled with chloride or similar ions, but still mixed.

I don't know much about animal studies. Glucosamine is generally cheaper, i'd try that first, again with sulfate and go thru a bottle. If I didn't notice a difference I'd try Chondroitin. I guess it's harder to tell with animals, but that's generally what i'd recommend for a person.

It takes about a month to 6 weeks of steady and adequate supplementation to notice a difference. and luckily that's usually about the standard size of a bottle :) Take it till it's gone, did it work? buy another one. It didn't? try the other.
 

Romy

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#19
The absolute best glucosamine I have ever found/used is Equine/Canine Level 5000. It's liquid so it just pours onto their food.

http://www.liquidhealthpets.com/products/k9-level-5000/

Willow had really bad hip and elbow dysplasia. She was on all different brands of glucosamine, when it got so bad she literally couldn't not stand up any more. I had some left from when Kaia broke a weight bearing toe and I was trying to help it heal without any arthritis (it's fine 4 years later).

So I gave it to Mel. They were literally going to euthanize Willow that day. They tried her on it. Within 2 days she could stand again with limited assistance from them. Within a month she could stand on her own. That stuff literally gave her another 2 years of life. <3

I don't have my dogs on it, but if one of them started having joint troubles or breaks a bone at some point I'd definitely put them on it.

It's the only product I've seen that has shark cartilage, glucosamine and MSM, plus all the bonus minerals and stuff.

One of my zoi friends had a 6 month old puppy blow his cruciate and anterior(?) ligament super bad. The orthopedic vet actually removed the cruciate ligament, put him on crate rest for several months, and told her that once he stopped growing they were going to do some tests and operate on his knee to fix as much damage as possible. He also told her that her dog would always have a limp, no matter what happened.

She put him on that stuff right away. When the time came for his appointment, the surgeon was blown away. No surgery was necessary, it had healed so well. He has no limp. He's an AKC grand champion now. He's almost 10 years old and still going strong. They don't let him run loose in big open spaces and kept him on that supplement for life, but he can totally run around the yard and catch frisbees and stuff.
 

Saeleofu

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#20
Logan gets Cosequin DS. Soon (when my bottle's out) I'm switching him to Dasuquin. I've heard good things about both, though. Logan's on it just as preventative, because it's free.

I was using human supplements with Gavroche, and questioned if they were actually working. He's been off of them for a couple months now, and acts much stiffer and gets sore more easily, so I'm going to start them up again.
 

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