# Talk to me about joint supplements, please....



## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

I made the decision to start my golden on a joint supplement a little over a month ago now. He will be 10 this year--and on our walks, he has slowed down. Getting up sometimes, he is a little slower. Colder days, he is slower. And then around the same time I started him on the supp, we had two dogs visit--my dogs were out in the fenced in yard and I was housecleaning and I heard them "strange barking". Went out and they were running the fence back and forth, HARD, for about 10 minutes straight with these other dogs on the other side, doing the same. The next day, he was moving like a 90 year old man.

So I searched and went to two different pet stores and ended up picking up the Nupro Joint Supplement based on two suggestions from two different people. I would expect to see results after a month and while all of his days are far from bad, I'm not sure I'm seeing the results that I could be. 

So any experience with the Nupro? Is it decent? Or should I find something else? What do you use and what works for you? My goal is to help keep the aging as slow as possible for him and this is the first experience I've had with needing a joint supp for a dog. 

I also know about turkey necks/chicken feet for natural glucosamine--as someone recommended to me a while back on here (thank you!) and am planning on picking some up today from the meat market. 

Thanks in advance!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Any improvement is pretty subtle I suspect. Sassy's times improved in PIII Jumpers and she earned 4 of the 5 legs she needed for a jumpers title when I started using it back when she was about 8 years old. I know it was the supplement but that is pretty subtle. When she was 16 years old and in kidney failure she could jump on the window seat if she had been on the supplement for a couple of weeks. When she got wonky poop I took her off all supplements and put them back in as she felt better so this happened 3-5 times that year. I just put Max on them in December. He is volunteering sideways leaps and running towards me for more reps and such when we play fetch now and I can just tell he feels better. Yesterday he was pestering me all day for more playing even though he had a nice walk/play time at the park which would have put him down for the day in November. I took the same supplement and nothing, just as achy as ever, oh well. 

I bought NatureMade Triple Flex meant for humans and have a superstitious attachment to the stuff as you can imagine. It is from Costco and costs only $10 a month for Max. The Kirkland brands did not work so well, I actually threw it away. Sassy was absolutely less comfortable.

Sassy was even better on the injectable stuff whatever it is called but it is expensive and required a lot of vet visits.

Max eats a raw diet but he is better on the joint supplement than just the chicken feet and all the jointed bones he gets. I figured he needs about an ounce of cartilage a day to get the same amount of glucosamine as in the supplement, perhaps he isn't getting quite that much, perhaps he needs more than that.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks so much, Kathyy!


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I used cosequin and dasaquin on my old dog. I even have used cosequin on my horse, especially if I am an all weekend trail ride. My vet even recommended giving my dog a daily fish oil capsule to help with inflammation. It did seem to help her. My vet did not feel comfortable recommending a human kind because no studies had been done on dogs. She warned me to watch for bleeding caused some concern with me. She assured me as long as I gave her the recommended dosage, my dog should be fine. She did pretty well on the supplement for a couple of years and then I had to add a NASIDs to the mixture. This combo seemed to work the best. Even at 15 years of age she still ran along the 4 wheelers.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

When I pick out a supplement I consider a few things:

- Supplements/vitamins/minerals are not regulated by the FDA or any other agency. They can say they have Xmg in of Y drug but that is not verified or tested. In human grade supplements it the USP label is used to show the vitamin has been submitted to an independent panel to be verified although this is completely voluntary and not required for a vitamin or supplement to make it to the shelves. Taking this into consideration that human grade vitamins are not regulated I can only imagine dog supplements are regulated even less so.
- Dosage. Humans are naturally larger than dogs meaning a human supplement is going to have a higher dosage in a smaller number of pills. Makes it more affordable to dose.
- Price. Dog supplements are expensive. A joint supplement for my 42 pound dog runs $70 at the large pet chain store around. It isn't any cheaper at the mom and pop stores. Human supplements while still being pricey can be more affordable based on dosage and companies wanting to sell. People are much more likely not to notice joint pain in a dog as well as be more willing to give grandma a supplement for her joints before their dog. Humans OTC supplements sell better.
- Additives. Assuming a human grade supplement has no extra additives they are completely safe for dogs (assuming said vitamin is actually safe for dogs to begin with)

That being said we use Osteo Bi-Flex. It is a high dosage glucosamine and chondrotin supplement. My 42 pound dog takes 1/2 tablet a day. $30ish for 96 pills - so roughly 6 months in one bottle. I chose this due to the lack of additives, the high dosage in a single pill (according to my vet people usually grossly UNDER dose a dog on these two particular joint supplements), the economy (6 month supply in one bottle) and the recommendation of my vet and my husband's ortho surgeon. The ortho surgeon originally suggested for DH's early onset arthritis as it was one of the few reputable supplements on the market (see discussion above). I asked the vet if it was safe for the dogs as well and asked for the correct dosage for them. So 2 pills to hubbie and 1/2 to the dog a day. 
It works amazingly well. My husband is incredibly active (on a regular basis we rock climb and practice martial arts in addition to our more random extra curriculars) and it has helped immensely. He can tell when he has missed a dose. The dog's gait has improved as her her ability to jump (not sure I actually wanted that fixed), run and willingness to participate in exercise. Although the vet has not curbed her activity yet - the supplement has helped significantly.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Thank you so much, Charis! 

I'll definitely look for the Osteo Bi-flex. My dog (for 2 days in a row now) has snubbed his food with the Nupro (but had been eating it fine prior). Tonight, I left it off to see if it made a difference and he dived right in and ate it right up. I think a simple pill is going to be my best bet with him, so that is where I'll start. 

Luv mi pets--thank you as well. I've heard a lot of my horse friends say great things about Cosequin--so may look into that as well if I need to search further. Thanks! 

I appreciate the input. Thanks again, all!


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

Talk to your vet first about a safe dose range. Like everything else there are side-effects. Remember to include what she is getting in her food. Some foods are now adding joint care to the dog food. These key ingredients in the supplements act like heparin in the body. Heparin is used to stop blood from clotting. So a little is okay but too much is not always a good thing. Here is a good website to get more info on. 

http://www.vetinfo.com/dog-glucosamine-side-effects.html


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

Goldens&Labs4Me said:


> Thank you so much, Charis!
> 
> I'll definitely look for the Osteo Bi-flex. My dog (for 2 days in a row now) has snubbed his food with the Nupro (but had been eating it fine prior). Tonight, I left it off to see if it made a difference and he dived right in and ate it right up. I think a simple pill is going to be my best bet with him, so that is where I'll start.
> 
> I appreciate the input. Thanks again, all!


Try pill pockets - treat dough you mold around a pill - my dogs are convinced their medications are treats now - it is was easier to have the dog eat the medication than trying to stuff it down it's throat.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Charis said:


> Try pill pockets - treat dough you mold around a pill - my dogs are convinced their medications are treats now - it is was easier to have the dog eat the medication than trying to stuff it down it's throat.


Definitely will. I'm not a shover myself, so to make it pleasant for them will make us both very happy! Thanks!


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

Charis said:


> Try pill pockets - treat dough you mold around a pill


String cheese works, too.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

luv mi pets said:


> Talk to your vet first about a safe dose range. Like everything else there are side-effects. Remember to include what she is getting in her food. Some foods are now adding joint care to the dog food. These key ingredients in the supplements act like heparin in the body. Heparin is used to stop blood from clotting. So a little is okay but too much is not always a good thing. Here is a good website to get more info on.
> 
> http://www.vetinfo.com/dog-glucosamine-side-effects.html


Thanks....his food does not include any of the glucosamine/etc--so I'm good there...but thanks for the reminder!


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Sasha1/2 said:


> String cheese works, too.


Thanks so much!


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I know in other threads he has some allergies. They do make pill pockets for allergy prone dogs. I think it is duck as the ingredient. Your dog will probably be one of those smart ones. They lick the pill pocket off and leave the tablet intack. Respect the dogs who do this but I still go "aaargh". Some use peanut butter as a way to get their dog to eat the pill. I am like you not a big shover. I did not want the dog to run and hide anytime she heard the shake of the pill bottle. Now I remember why I went with the chewables. Let us know what you decided to go with.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

LOL! He probably *will* be that stinker that leaves the pill! lol. I'll let ya'll know what I end up with! Thanks again!


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## PackMomma (Sep 26, 2011)

This weekend I went to a local pet store to pick up some tripe (this is the kind of thing I would supplement a meal with, that or a raw egg or some fruit n veggies..) however, when I was there, there was a rep for Omega Alpha Pharmacueticals giving away supplements to try. She gave me some Glucosa-pet, which is a joint supplement, and also Opti-Pet Multi which is a multi vitamin. They were free, so I figured why not? I'm giving Cash the joint supplement and multi vitamin, just a tad of each in his premade raw meal, Thumper I'm only giving him a pinch of the multi vitiman every other day. 

Cash is only 6 and isn't having any joint problems, but since I got the stuff for free I figured it won't hurt to try as a preventative measure.. although I'm not sure I will continue to use and purchase the stuff after its done. I'm fairly confident my dogs get sufficient nutrients and vitamins in their diet, but maybe I am wrong.


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