Joint supplements homework, please?

[HappyPuppy]

I get everything human grade at Costco (or the drug store): Fish oil (twice a day), glucosamine+chond. and glucosamine+MSM (one each) , Esther-C (1 each) and vit-E (400 IU ever other day or 200 IU daily).

[1lila1]

Hi Val!

My vet is very knowledgeable about nutrition, supplements, etc so I trust her advice. Both Angel and Lila are on glucosamine, chondroiten, MSM, and a fish oil supplement. The first three are standard joint supplements but fish oil she said is very important for joints as well due to the Omega 3s. She recommends Kirkland or Trader Joe's brand as they are considered neutraceuticals and not regulated by law and many of them don't contain the levels they claim too. Consumer Reports listed Costco and TJ's as actually having in it what they claim. I use different MSM supplement though.

She knows my dogs are on raw and approves completely. She said the natural minerals in the raw animal joints they eat help as well. She recommends giving poultry or pigs feet as treats. Pigs feet are kinda fatty so my gang only gets them occasionally. A few years ago a local mexican grocery always had chicken feet so my dogs got 3-4 a day. Unfortunately I can't find them much anymore but if you can it's a great treat to give them.

Here are the exact supplements I use:
(one a day each dog)
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CEgQ8wIwAg

(two a day, one am one pm)
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CGcQ8wIwAA

@1/2 tsp each dog once a day sprinkled on food
http://www.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-P ... B001G7QXG6

[kjhawkeye1]

Question: Scarlett is eating Diamond Naturals dry food and it says on the bag that it has Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it. Should we still be giving her a supplement beyond what she is getting in this?

[kaytenmags]

my dog blew both crutiates and has had 4 knee surguries. her recovery after the second knee SUCKED and we've tried a lot of things to get her more mobile.

prior to her first knee going, i was giving her glucosamine/msm/chondroitin as a preventative (along with salmon or salmon oil, which she still gets today). then she blew her knee, and for a while, we were using recovery SA, then switched to their extra strength stuff. we were doing cartrophen injections (starting with one a week for a while, then going down to once a month). none of these things produced staggaring results, but i'm sure they were helping. i was too scared to take her off everything and find out!

last year, we switched to sasha's blend (http://www.sashasblend.com). it's a joint supplement with green lipped muscle. it's a powder, but it smells fishy, so she devours anything i put it on. a combination of that, chiro, and swimming every other week has given me my dog back. she's far from being 'normal' but she can go for walks, get the zoomies around the house, and have a wrestle-fest with my friends dog once a week (although that requires a half tab of deramaxx & tramadol after in order to keep her from stiffening up). six months ago, i couldn't walk her around the block without having to drug her.

i know this is a supplement discussion, but i can't stress enough the importance of WEIGHT. my dog is about 50lbs, and adding even 2lbs to her weight practically imobilizes her. a small ammount of weight makes a HUGE difference. broken dogs absolutely have to be kept lean.

[Misskiwi67]

Our orthopedic surgeon recommends Dasuquin. I like Glycoflex because it comes in a chewable form thats really great for pet and owner compliance.

Keep in mind that the veterinary specific products like Glycoflex, dasuquin and cosequin are all FDA regulated. Over the counter human supplements are not regulated and you have no way of knowing how much of the label ingredients are in the medication. Even scarier, you don't know what is in them that is NOT on the label. So buyer beware...

[mtlu]

At the recommendation of our acupuncturist, we are trying a different supplement for Molly right now. It is formulated for humans but this company does make veterinary supplements as well for small animals (dogs/cats) and horses.

Ligaplex ii
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/ ... .spi?ID=96

It contains an awful lot of bovine ingredients and Molly is allergic to beef so we'll see how she does over the next month with this. We will continue with her other general supplements (kelp, kefir, raw local honey) as well since there weren't any concerns with the combination of all these things.

[Timas Mom]

I second Sasha's Blend...incredible product!!
Backed with studies and cinch for those who need to see proof
Also high doses fish oil, natural anti-inflammatory.

[FransterDoo]

Question: Scarlett is eating Diamond Naturals dry food and it says on the bag that it has Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it. Should we still be giving her a supplement beyond what she is getting in this?

Yes. That's more like a marketing ploy to make people feel better. The amount and bioavailablity of it is minimal.

[FransterDoo]

At the recommendation of our acupuncturist, we are trying a different supplement for Molly right now. It is formulated for humans but this company does make veterinary supplements as well for small animals (dogs/cats) and horses.

Ligaplex ii
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/ ... .spi?ID=96

It contains an awful lot of bovine ingredients and Molly is allergic to beef so we'll see how she does over the next month with this. We will continue with her other general supplements (kelp, kefir, raw local honey) as well since there weren't any concerns with the combination of all these things.

Char - Our vet just recommended this to us as well. Franny's first day was Friday PM. We'll have to compare results.

He also liked what we were doing nutritionally and her weight/exercise schedule.

[mtlu]

Char - Our vet just recommended this to us as well. Franny's first day was Friday PM. We'll have to compare results.

He also liked what we were doing nutritionally and her weight/exercise schedule.

Maybe because we're going to the same place? I have been meaning to thank you for the recommendation! We're seeing Dr Isaacson for PT and B Schneider for acupuncture.

Good to know that Franny is trying it too, we'll definitely have to compare results/observations

[Savage Destiny]

At the recommendation of our acupuncturist, we are trying a different supplement for Molly right now. It is formulated for humans but this company does make veterinary supplements as well for small animals (dogs/cats) and horses.

Ligaplex ii
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/ ... .spi?ID=96

It contains an awful lot of bovine ingredients and Molly is allergic to beef so we'll see how she does over the next month with this. We will continue with her other general supplements (kelp, kefir, raw local honey) as well since there weren't any concerns with the combination of all these things.

Riddle has been rotating between Ligaplex I and II since her first ACL tear. Since she made it 3 years before the second one went, I have to think that it has helped at least somewhat. It's not really a painkiller, it's meant to increase blood flow and support overall ligament health.

I adore SP products. Riddle is on their Dermal Support too, and when she went on it she grew hair on her belly for the first time in her life, and she has an overall thicker and healthier coat now. One of my borderline renal failure kitties was able to go back to raw with the help of the Feline Renal Support too.

[mtlu]

Savage Destiny Thank you! Sounds like it helped Riddle and the other supplements seem like they are quite effective too. I'm really glad your kitty got better, a friend of mine recently lost one of her cats to renal failure.

[FransterDoo]

Char - Our vet just recommended this to us as well. Franny's first day was Friday PM. We'll have to compare results.

He also liked what we were doing nutritionally and her weight/exercise schedule.

Maybe because we're going to the same place? I have been meaning to thank you for the recommendation! We're seeing Dr Isaacson for PT and B Schneider for acupuncture.

Good to know that Franny is trying it too, we'll definitely have to compare results/observations

oops! I must have missed that! We had our appointment with Dr. Gary. I think we'll be slowly moving everyone over to them as needed.

[Enigma]

Anyone ever used Cortaflex supplements? Opinions, results?

http://www.cortaflexsupplements.co.uk/products.php?cat=8

I'm thinking of putting Brina on the Joint Care supplement and using it together with Canine Inflamex to take a little break from Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements she's currently on, because it seems they are not helping her as much as they did before. After I will run out of Joint Care I will probably try their Cortaflex Capsules, maybe a different kind of Glucosamine supplement will help.

[BlueKohl]

I used to use Dasuquin and loved the results in my Saint Bernard who has really bad hips and knees. I used it for two years with her, and then it stopped being effective. My vet showed me this other supplement formula, Dr. Bussan's Joint Rescue formula, and recommended that we at least try it. I gave it two weeks, and it had started to work at least as well as the Dasuquin did at first.

My vet says that the difference in the types of glucosamine is the key for her. He said that generally glucosamine sulfate, which is in Joint Rescue, is easier to absorb than the glucosamine in Dasuquin. Also, there are several herbs in the formula that work together to help out too. It has wild yam, licorice root, aloe, red poppy flower, tumeric, and several other herbs and plant extracts that seem to help with inflammation and pain.

She has been on it for two months now, and seems to be doing well. Has anyone else had any experience with this supplement?
http://www.linensforanimals.org/dr-mark-bussan-products/dr-bussans-glucosamine-for-pets.html

Also, she is on Victor Performance which has glucosamine. This is what we switched to when Diamond had all of its issues, so that may be helping as well....
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-Performance.pdf