[InkedMarie]

I wouldn’t bother with joint supplements in food, By the time it’s cooked, the supplement is gone. I use In Clover Connectin for my senior dog. I’ve also used K9 Glucosamine but better results with the Connectin. Green Lipped mussel is also recommended.

Dr Tim’s is a great food. If you are on FB, he will answer questions on his FB page.

[David P]

I read a lot of great things about Dr Tim’s! I’ll try it. Thank you 🙂

I don’t give Dewey any supplements. I’ve asked my vet and she said to be cautious? Regretfully, I did not pursue the issue. I ‘believe’ I should be giving him a supplement for his hips & joints. Glucosamine? Is that what you would suggest? Would you advise I take note of how much of that is in the dog food (if any) when determining how much of a supplement to give him? Guess what I’m asking is, if that supplement is in his food, how do I determine how much more to give him? Sorry to sound so foolish.

[InkedMarie]

Hi David,
First, what joint supplements are you giving your dog? Second, you’d do well to eliminate grains and white potato. They can be inflammatory.

[anonymous]

Ask the vet when you take her in for a checkup, there are prescription meds that may help to keep her more comfortable. Does she need pain meds? Some meds have potential side effects, some don’t. So discuss the options with your vet.
Supplements don’t do much of anything, but, they will help to lighten your wallet, lol

If you have pet health insurance, ask about aquatic therapy (swimming in a heated pool), if she is overweight or has bad joints, arthritis and your vet prescribes it, it may be covered. Otherwise, it’s a little pricey. It’s really good for them, even once or twice a week for a few minutes.

[InkedMarie]

Pamela,
If you go to the Hare Today website, click on “raw food education” (it’s a picture of a cat wearing glasses) then click feeding dogs. Tracey, the owner, says if you feed a variety, all you need is salmon or anchovy oil. I feed strictly Hare and use salmon oil, joint supplements and I feed egg 2-3x weekly.
Tracey is very helpful; email her and she will answer your questions. Remember to do a review, send in pictures, ‘like” Hare on fb to earn points that give you money off future orders!

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,
are you seeing a Dermatologist that deals in these skin/ear problems also has she had her ears scrap & tested for ear mites, yeast etc
There are better drugs on the market these days, ask vet about Apoquel you will know within a week if it’s working, it doesn’t work for dogs with yeast problems….
What food was she eating? the UK as a few limited ingredient foods have you tried the Amala or Fish4Dogs also look at the wet tin food now instead of the kibbles, stop all kibbles… I know when my Staffy gets his itchy ears it’s the food, he cant eat carrot & chicken, he starts his ear scratching & shaking his head…
also look for a Omega 3 supplement for her skin/coat, joints, brain etc
My kitten I rescued had bad ear mites then was still scratching & going mad so the vet did another ear scrap & she had ear infection from the bad mites, she was given Apex Ear Drops then had another ear scrap & her infection was gone, then once a week for 1 month I had to clean her ears with Virbac Epi-Optic ear cleaner by the 3rd week she stopped scratching her ears, when my Staffy had his ear problem he was sensitive to ingredient in his vet diet for his IBD vet gave him DERMOTIC era drops it fixed his ears straight away & his vet diet was changed…. http://www.amalapetfoods.co.uk/purchaseamala

[Susan]

Hi Paul,
as we get older we don’t make as much hydrochloric acid to digest our food & its harder to digest food so the food sits in our stomach, Google “Hypochlorhydria” is low stomach acid
it may just be a coincidence the glucosamine has cause this, I prefer to give my 8yrs old Omega 3 supplements or feed foods high in omega 3 fatty acid for his joints, skin etc, I’ve been very lucky with Patch he doesn’t have any joint problems yet, he is walked 3 times a day cause I live in a unit & he’s kept lean…but my boy does have IBD mainly stomach problems & skin allergies & was vomiting undigested food a year ago, I had to make his gut strong & healthy. Dog probiotic like Purina Fortiflora is good, they tested 10 dog probiotics & found only 3 of them had live cultures & Purina Fortiflora was voted number 1, I give Yukalt it’s a probiotic drink in the fridge section at supermarket, I drink 1/2 & Patch gets the other 1/2 there’s 5 small pink drinks, he has stoped his vomiting & eating grass every morning, so the Yakult drinks have probably fixed his bacteria in his gut & bowel & made it healthy again..
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50000
I feed lean white meats, I buy lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lb), add 1 whisk egg, a few chopped up small broccoli heads broken off the broccoli, 1 teaspoon chopped up parsley, some kale chopped up just 1 leaf, or you can use 1 spinach leaf or another veggie, I was grating 1 small carrot, I suppose start with less is best then the next batch of rissoles add another finally chopped up veggie….. mix all together & make 1 cup size rissole, (it makes about 8-9 x 1 cup size rissoles) & bake in oven on a foiled covered baking tray, when they’re 1/2 cooked take out tray of rissole & drain any excess water & fat there’s normally hardly any fat, then turn over the rissoles & bake, don’t over cook the rissoles as soon as there’s no blood they’re ready, I also peel & cut up sweet potato & boil, I do not boil rice, rice ferments in the stomach, it’s no good, the new thing is to cook either potato or sweet potato…. Hamburger mince is very high in fat it’s not recommended anymore…. I also boil some pumkin & freeze you can also freeze the rissoles, I only add about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of sweet potatoes or potatoes & a small piece of pumkin to 1 rissole, mix altogether & cut up rissole finally so it’s easier to digest…
Do not give a raw feed dog any dry kibble, kibble is harder to digest even when water is added, vet hasn’t prescribe any kibble, fed a wet tin food if vet advises a vet prescription diet…but a cooked diet is heaps better then any vet diets….cook foods that are easy to digest & white lean meats for now, beef is a stronger more rich meat like Kangaroo, I didn’t know this lol poor Patch he loved his beef & kangaroo rissole but his stomach didn’t it came back up undigested…
also cook some home made healthy doggy treat biscuits there’s a few recipes online… I have a few if needed.. he may need a 10 day course of Metronidazole it’s an antibiotic for stomach & bowel.. also feed 3-4 smaller meals a day.

[David H]

I am a huge believer in Fromm Foods. I currently feed Whitefish and Patato to my older dogs. I do like to add some fresh raw hamburger to it also. I lost my 15+ yr old Golden in October. She had some kidney issues from age 10 on. I feel she outlived what the vets told me because of the great low phos. in the Fromm Whitefish and the addition of 80/20 hamburger. The difference I have found between senior and regular adult food it is Calories. If you watch what you feed them i would not worry about a senior food. The joint supplements if high quality can be a huge benefit.

[Susan]

Hi, if you can cook here’s a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan I use in Australia, here’s one of her raw diets for health problems, “Acidifying (Urinary Crystals)” You will get an idea on what foods are best to feed, I noticed for organ meats she suggests lambs fry, lamb kidney, lamb heart there’s no no beef or chicken livers, I wonder why?? Lentils, Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, String Beans, Cranberries, Strawberries etc, I also saw eggs, so a scrambled egg & a small rissole for breakfast make sure your adding a Omega 3 supplement or feeding sardines, salmon, so she’s getting her Omega 3 for her joints, skin, coat, brain eyes etc sardines are very healthy

I buy the lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lbs) & add 1 whisked egg, finally cut parsley, cut up a few small broccoli heads, a kale leaf finally cut up, I add 1 teaspoon of Flax, almond bake meal, its high in omega 3 fatty acids mix all together & make small balls & bake on a baking tray in oven, they can be frozen & taken out when needed, then you can add boiled potatoes or lentils whatever else you need to add to her diet …
http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/15/acidifying-diet-urinary-crystals/

[Krista B]

Hi,

I was like the idea of a rotational diet for dogs and favor feeding different forms such as kib ble, canned, and freeze dried. But due to budget issues I can really only afford plain dry food. I can afford any type of dry food such as Orijen and Acana because my dog is small and doesn’t eat a lot of dry food. But canned and freeze dried is more expensive and she eats more of canned because it’s less calories. So is it ok that she just gets dry kibble with no other additions? Is this healthy? She does get a fish oil, probiotics and a joint supplement.

Thanks,

Krista

[Susan]

Hi Natalie, instead of feeding the Royal Canin Chihuahua, have a look for another kibble with better ingredients, Royal Canine use Beet Pulp, Beet Pulp is an stool firmer, people seem to think their dogs are healthy when their dogs are doing firm poos, so kibble companies like Royal Canine, Hills, Eukanuba all add Beet Pulp to their kibbles so poos are smaller & firm….
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure or Life Stages kibbles, Canidae uses human grade ingredients & the kibble size is very small, Canidae is also money back guaranteed, Canidae have just release their new “Petite Small Breed” formulas…. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
“Wellness” also make their Toy breed & Small Breed range…. kibble size is small & there’s no beet pulp in both brands…
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx
Have a look into “Vitamin C powder”….My boy has IBD & Skin Allergies, I was told start adding Vitamin C powder to his diet but I haven’t brought it yet…. I can buy the “Natural Animal Solutions” Skin Pack that has Omega 3,6 & 9 Oil, + Vitamin C powder + DigestaVite Plus Powder.. or just buy the Vitamin C Powder… I’m still deciding which one to get, have a read what Vitamin C does, it’s a mega complex supplement, it strengthens the immune system, skin allergies, joints, respiratory, bowel, anti-oxidant support… http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/product/high-potency-vitamin-c/

[Susan]

Hi I don’t know why your vet only put your poor dog on the Metronidazole antibiotic for 7 days?? they need to be on the Metronidazole for a good 21-28 days especially for S.I.B.O Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth.
My boy Patch is also a rescue he just turned 8yrs old, he has IBD, Helicobacter pylori, nausea, vomiting sometimes, acid reflux, seasonal environment skin allergies, red itchy paws, itchy ears, food sensitivities, eating grass, yellow sloppy poos that smell bad, pain in stomach/pancreas area….. the best thing I did was have an Endoscope + biopsies done (camera down throat to stomach) sometimes they can go into the small bowel as well & do a biopsies but only if their pyloric sphincter is open, Patches wasn’t open but the 2 Biopsies told us what was wrong finally Helicobacter Pylori & IBD, when the vet looked into Patches stomach everything looked excellent, so you need to do the biopsies…
Patch starts reacting after eating the same kibble for 2-3 months, sloppy yellow poos, gets his pain, it can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show food sensitivities, after trying so many kibbles, the only kibble that he hasn’t reacted too after being on it for 8 months is “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb. I don’t know if is cause TOTW uses Purified Water, or all the ingredients he isn’t sensitive to any of them & TOTW don’t change their suppliers?? some kibble companies buy their potatoes from whoever, that’s been a problem in the past for Patch, he was eating Earthborn Holistic, Ocean Fusion he was doing really well while on the small 2.5kg bags, so I bought the 13kg bag it’s cheaper, it was a new batch number & different use by date then Patch was farting doing sloppy smelly poos again, so I emailed earthborn told them what has happened & the lady said we use, rustic, white, red, brown potatoes whatever we can get & I think when the potatoes are green & rotten batches Patch gets his sloppy poos & bad gas problems …
Taste of the Wild has been the only kibble a few dogs with IBD, EPI, S.B.I.O & IBS don’t react too after eating it for a while…
Your best to feed a cooked balanced diet, instead of any processed kibbles, you know what they’re eating, join groups on Face Book like “Rodney Habib” “Canine Nutrition & Natural Health” run by Cat Lane, “K-9 Kitchen” run by Monica Segal, you can also book an appointment with Monica or Cat Lane or another dog nutritionist, they may be cheaper there’s also Judy Morgan DV, she also has the supplements to balance the meals & Judy has cooking videos on You Tube that are so easy to follow & she adds the Honest Kitchen Base meals & you just cooked & add the meat & veggies but I think the Honest Kitchen is dehydrated & Patch can’t seem to handle dehydrated kibbles foods…
I live Australia & I contacted Jacqueline Rudan to put Patch on a raw diet about 2 yrs ago, Jacqueline said I need to heal his stomach & bowel & balance his gut flora his pH is probably tooo high…so I give him some of my Yakult, it’s a pink probiotic drink sold in supermarkets, there’s also Kefir but start real slow when introducing any probiotics, some probiotics made Patch very nausea, Jacqueline wanted me to keep giving Patch the probiotic capsules but they made Patch ill so I stopped & now I give the Yakult drink & he does good I don’t give him much maybe 3 spoons in a bowl..
Cause they are rescue dogs we don’t know what has happen when they were pups & growing up, did they drink dirty contaminated water? were they starved & not feed proper diets, what 1 vet thinks has happened with Patch & when he came to me & I started to feed him a healthy cooked diet he couldn’t handle eating good healthy foods, I’ve had him 4 yrs now & finally in small amounts, I can give him anything to eat as long as I’ve introduced that food to him & it’s not high in fat, where before he’d wake up 2am 3am or 4am with his bowel making loud rumbling noises, it was gas/wind going thru his bowel, 1 vet said Colitis, Food Sensitivities, so I started an elimination cooked diet & worked out what he cant eat, also feed foods that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, the omega 3 helps their skin, coat, stomach, bowel, heart, joints & brain, Patch doesn’t do well eating a kibble with fish or salmon oils, he gets acid reflux, so I feed other foods high in Omega 3 like raw almonds, 3 raw almonds a day given as a treat & I have a few almonds myself, you should see his coat it’s so shinny, just feeding foods high in omega 3, tin sardines in spring water are excellent but you must start real slow, feed 1 spoon mashed sardines for 1-2 weeks watch poos if still firm then then increase to 2 spoons of sardines a day, I feed salmon or tuna instead it’s not as greasy…
My recipe I make for Patch, Rissoles + Sweet Potato, it’s so easy & you do not have to cook every day, I cook every 8 days but if I made more it would be every 16 days..
I buy Lean Pork mince or the Lean beef mince, it say 5% fat on the packet, I think in America you call it grounded meat, make sure the mince is lean, some minces have a lot of fat, Patch can’t eat turkey, he gets diarrhea also boiled rice irritates his bowel, something that took me 2 months to realise it’s the boiled rice…
I get 2 x 500gram packets lean pork that’s 1 kilo, I think just over 2 pounds, I whisk 1 egg in the bowl, I buy a small broccoli head, Patches Nutritionist said feed green veggies when it’s their skin, stomach & bowel, food sensitivities, I cut up say 1/3 cup chopped broccoli, then I grow parsley & kale & spinach, it grows forever in the veggies Patch, I finally cut up about 1 teaspoon parsley add too bowl, then I add some cut up spinach & cut up kale but only 1 small leaf, then I add the pork mince & mix all thru, I was adding 1 small grated carrot but Patch has food sensitivities & gets red paws, itchy skin & ears, then he starts to smell real yeasty, “Malaseb Medicated Shampoo” bathed weekly is the best when they have itchy paws & skin, so I’ve stopped adding the carrot to his rissoles…
I had too slowly add all these ingredients, at first it was just 1 kg pork mince with a little bit of cut up broccoli, then when I made a new batch of rissoles, I added 1 whisked egg saw how he went, if all was good I added 1 new green cut up veggie & the veggies seem to heal his stomach & bowel, you have to be careful, certain veggies ferment in the stomach so stay away from foods that ferment cause they sit in the stomach & cause gasses…. just Google “what veggies ferment in the stomach” & what veggies, grains don’t digest easy” lentils, chick peas don’t digest easy… you mix all the finally cut up greens with mince & make 1 cup size rissoles, I have scales & weight at 130-136 grams & I make the rissoles the length of my middle finger & flatten them a bit they look like a small sausage then I put on baking tray that has foil on the baking tray, I get around 8 rissoles from 1 kg mince, I bake in oven then about 15-20mins I take out baking tray drain any water/fat & turn over the rissoles & bake till cooked they don’t take long maybe 30mins don’t over cook or you’ll have a leathery rissole, I also boil sweet potatoes & I cool & freeze, same with the rissoles cool & wrap in cling wrap individually, I take out a cut piece of sweet potato & 1 rissole put on a small plate cover with cling wrap & thaw then put in fridge then for dinner I cut up the rissole & mash the sweet potato, for breakfast & lunch Patch has his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb Kibble, I’m slowly introducing the “Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines grain free kibble so I have another kibble just in case + I rotate his kibble now we just finished trying “Canidae” Life Stages Platinum kibble, too many ingredients & the carbs are too high at 50% in the Canidae Platinum & his poos started to go sloppy & smell again, so now introducing the “Holistic Select so far all is good poos are still firm they don’t smell but its mixed with his TOTW kibble but he’s not farting like he does when I’ve introduced a new kibble that doesn’t agree with him, so hopefully the Holistic Select will be fed in the Summer months, I like to fed a fish kibble in the Summer months for his skin allergies & in the Winter months I feed a lamb kibble “Taste Of The Wild” + his rissoles & raw almonds & I forgot I also feed peeled apple pieces as treat, K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels, tuna or salmon with boiled potato rissoles….
You need to make his gut strong again, if he has a set back give the Metronidazole, I have scripts the vet gives me & I just go & get from the chemist, Patch goes back on the Metronidazole for 10days 1 x tablet 200mg at night with a meal, but your dog may need a 21 day course Metro to start with to rest & heal his bowel & a diet that’s very easy to digest & the omega 3…
Good luck, I hope something in this small book, helps

[Krista B]

About 10 different supplements that dr. Karen Becker recommend in her homemade book. I believe the didn’t necessarily need it to be balanced but I felt better adding it in. I also used (and still use) fish oil, a joint supplement and currently a multivitamin. I just purcahsed a small box of honest kitchen today. I’m excited to try it tomorrow! Looks like a wonderful food. As far as fiber I talked to the people at the store and they said it shouldn’t be a problem which is good. It’s a little more pricey then kibble but well worth it!

[InkedMarie]

I used to use Reel Raw. With grinds, it was cheaper for me to buy from Hare Today even with RR’s free shipping to me.

What supplements were you using that had to be ground? I use salmon oil (just throw the pill in), Bug Off Garlic, condition specific (my senior gets a joint supp, my girl gets a urinary supp).

[Steve S]

Hello Sharon,
The food you give your dog plays a critical role in his well-being, both on a daily basis and long-term.Omega-3 Fish Oil supplements ensure a better way to provide your dog with a daily supply of EPA and DHA.The vitamin traces and antioxidants found in these supplemental products are naturally found in salmon. It doesn’t affect your dog’s intake of vitamins that they obtain from other sources. It’s very gentle on your dog’s system as well and requires no prior conversion before the dog’s system can utilise. So in my opinion fish oils are the best supplement you can give to your dog for a promoted joint health.I personally use Daily Omega-3 Fish Oil for Dogs from Ample Nutrition. This product is value for money as it doesn’t burn holes in your pocket.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Steve S. Reason: product not updated
• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Steve S.

[Susan]

Hi Newmom, follow Rodney Habib on his Face Book page he’s a Pet Nutrition Blogger, or on “Planet Paws” F/B site, https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPaws.ca/?pnref=lhc
I’ve learnt so much about healthy feeding & Rodney has a his videos, how to make frozen Coconut oil with Berries treats & freeze also videos about kibbles being unbalanced & are very high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3, causing health problems in dogs, like skin problems, joint problems etc he has a video at the moment about chicken, “Is chicken bad for your dog” cause chicken is so cheap a lot of kibbles are chicken, the problem is chicken is high in omega 6, Pro anti-inflammatory & very low in omega 3 which is anti-inflammatory & dogs start scratching & people think my dog is sensitive to chicken, like me, every time Patch ate raw or cooked chicken, he got a red swollen back paw & started to itch & scratch his body, but when he ate a premium kibble with chicken in it, he was OK???, now I’ve realized the kibble was probably balanced with omega 3 it was 1/2 of the omega 6 what it should be & Patch didn’t get his red swollen paw & itchy skin….but when he ate raw & cooked chicken it was tooo much omega 6 causing his red hot paw & itchy skin, so now when I buy a kibble I rotate between different brands & different proteins,
I read the Omega 6% & 3 % & make sure the omega 3% is either 1/2 of the omega 6% or nilly 1/2 of the omega 6%. Rodney said if it doesn’t say on the bag of kibble or on the kibbles site then send the kibble companies an email & ask them for their omega 3% & omega 6% & tell these kibble companies what it should be & I will not be buying your crappy unbalanced kibble till you improve it… we need to stand up to these big kibble companies & show them we are not stupid & are educated about our pets diet..
I give raw almonds about 3 almonds a day for a dog a day, I eat 1/2 an Almond & give Patch the other 1/2 of Almonds I give as a treat & his coat has become real shinny, google foods that are high in omega 3, I also give some peeled apple pieces as a treat, dogs that have skin problems also need Vitamin C in their diet…. you can buy Dog Vitamin C in Australia we have Natural Animal Solutions http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php
There’s a lot of good info on Jacqueline Rudans site she’s a animal Naturopath..

Go to Aldis & look for Tin Sardines in Spring Water or Olive Oil you can give 3 small sardines a day added to one of his meal, Sardines have Vitamin, A, C, D, B-12, B-6 Calcium, Iron & Magnesium, sardines are very healthy to add to your dogs food, Aldis sell tin of Sardines for 59c in Australia…I’d add Sardines to a meal instead of buying any fish oil supplements…unless they’re made in New Zealand
They did a study on Fish Oils in America & 70% were rancid they were off before the bottle was even opened, they tested a fresh just opened bottle of fish oil capsules & they were rancid off..then they tested New Zealand Fish oil supplements & the New Zealand made fish oils were fresher & hadn’t gone rancid yet….
I like giving fresh whole foods instead of supplements, also for skin problems make sure your bathing weekly baths in a good medicated shampoo I use “Malaseb” medicated shampoo on my boy, the Malaseb shampoo kills any bacteria on their skin & soften their skin/fur when you bath you wash off any pollens & allergens on the dogs coat, Patch feels so soft after his bath, when Patch is real itchy cause of environment allergies I have to bath him twice a week to relieve his itchy skin & red paws…

[Susan]

Hi T.G has your girl only ever eaten just Orijen kibble have you tried any other kibbles cause of her poos are soft?
you need to try a lower protein & a lower fat kibble some dogs just do not do well on high protein high fat kibbles, I have to stay under 28% for protein & stay under 15% for fat & need a lower Kcal/per cup ME kibble, under 380 Kcals/per cup….

I would not feed a senior kibble to a large breed puppy the senior kibbles have more Glucosamine, Chondroitin & Phosphorus, supplements for older dogs joints & you have a large breed you don’t want her bones to grow too quick…maybe someone else may know more…
I’ve emailed kibble companies cause I’ve seen large breed kibbles that have ingredients that my boy can eat & the fat & protein is what Patch does well on, I’ve asked them can I feed a large breed formula to my medium size dog & they have all yes its Ok to feed my boy a large breed kibble but I don’t think it’s a good idea to feed a senior formula to a large breed growing pup…
My boy is turning 8 in a few days & I don’t feed him a senior kibble some are too high in fiber for him & all the supplements they add don’t survive or aren’t as strong as when you add your own supplement to their diet & add a healthy fresh whole food to their diet…

You have to be careful with your dog doing sloppy poos everyday that she doesn’t get thickening of the bowel as she gets older. My boy is a rescue & has IBD, his vet was very worried that Patch may have thickening of the bowel & I didn’t want Patch opened up to find out so Patch had an Ultra Scan of the bowel, pancreas, stomach etc & from what the vet could see it didn’t look like Patch had thickening of the bowel….after rotating cooked foods & different kibbles he can just be put straight onto another brand of kibble that he has eatin before I don’t have to re introduce the kibble like I use too 3 yrs ago, but I stick with kibbles that are lower in fat & lower in protein cause he just can’t handle the higher Kcal formulas.. I also fed a home cooked meal for breakfast or swap around & feed cooked meal for dinner…

I’d start rotating between different brands & proteins this way if 1 kibble isn’t balanced properly, or something else is wrong with the kibble like the omega 6 is too high & the omega 3 is real low causing health problems this way they are not eating the same kibble for too long to cause any serious health problems…
I’d start looking at other large breed formula’s where the protein fat is lower then what she’s eating at the moment also change the protein get a different protein…

There’s Earthborn Holistic, they have never had a recall, there’s “Victor” or “Sport Dog Food Elite” Sport Dog Food has similar ingredients as Victor kibble but is cheaper, there’s Ziwi Peak is air dried raw & has wet tin foods as well my cat loves Ziwi Peak…There’s Canidae there’s a few really good kibbles around, they all don’t have to be 5 stars kibble…start adding fresh whole foods to the kibble…I follow Rodney Habib on face Book he’s got a really good video this week about chicken kibbles being high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3….
Start rotating one of these brands in your rotation that is lower in fat & protein with different ingredients also look at the Kcals per cup, pick a kibble that is lower in Kcals per cup then the Orijen she is eating at the moment…I can not feed any kibbles that are over 400Kcals per cup to my IBD dog, it’s just too much for him to digest & he does sloppy big poos about 3-4 a day…
I like kibbles where he only does 2 poos a day, “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & Canidae Life Stages, All Life Stages formula, he only does 2 firm poos a day & poo’s are small….

Home Page

http://www.sportdogfood.com/grain-free-large-breed-large-bites-30-14/
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
http://ziwipeak.com/

[Sharon H]

I wonder if it would be possible to have a comparison made between Nutramax Cosequin,and Nature Vet ArthriSoothe-GOLD. I have been using the Nature Vet one, but the costs are really high, and I find I cannot afford them now. But there is the Nutramax brand, which is very much less expensive. The main three ingredients, Glucosamine, Methylsulfonymethane (MSM) and Chondroitin, are more of less equal mg’s in each brand. I would be grateful if you could give me your opinion of these two brands, and whether you think it would be harmful to my dog to switch to the cheaper brand
Thank you….Shoo

[zcRiley]

Zignature Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food (Turkey, lamb, or duck)

Key Benefits:
Grain-free and limited ingredient formula
Gluten-free diet
No potato, chicken or eggs (hard to find!)
Complete and balanced diet for all life stages
Made in the USA

ADD ONE PER DAY for joint health:
Nutramax Dasuquin with MSM Soft Chews Joint Health Large Dog Supplement

Go to the vet for a thorough assessment of which type of arthritis he has and make sure there are no other ailments. Blood work and fecal testing, too. Keep him warm and dry, and controlled exercise is key, get him moving on fun walks. You can turn this around, good luck!

[Bullwrinkle]

Frani V.,

Hello, all. I finally registered but have sought all your great for a long time. As for Frani V’s question on Atopica, I can only tell you my personal experience and what I know of others I’ve spoken with and what I learned from my vet, that also applies to APOQUEL (I will note the similarities, and try to locate the link which I do have).

Atopica was suggested by by vet #1 to my English Bulldog. She had severe allergies, food and environmental, among other medical issues. My precious special needs baby girl. She was a spayed at 6 mos, so this was some time after. It was suggested that we start out 7x/week administering Atopica. The idea was to get it built up in her system then back off to 2 or 3x/week max as is recommended. She was ~47 lbs, she was prescribed the 100mg Atopica. Checking in every 2 weeks, since I was paying $170 a pop, I was told to keep it up for a few months. Forget that. I started to skip one day a week, then 2 days a week. Of course she had flares so idiot vet said back to everyday. I was still dealing with her other maladies during this time, plus 5 aging cats with their issues ranging from failing kidneys, asthma, hypertrophic cardiomyothapy, a tortoise with a collapsing pyramid shell, the usual, so time escaped me too quickly. I ended up finding a good vet because of a botched knee surgery from idiot’s referral. Blessing in disguise.

My baby started having seizures. It was sounds or over excited that set it off. I realized she had been on Atopica at 100mg every single day for a solid year. Seizures tend to be more prevalent in smaller dogs but they do happen and were documented. It has happened to all kinds of dogs. But, it has worked for many others as well although, I was not privy to those dogs histories. This was some, maybe 7 yrs ago now, at least. I pulled her off everything except for any allergy pills and only when she needed them. She had 4 seizures, when I stopped all meds and supplements, no more seizures. After a few weeks, I added her fish oil and joint supplement back one at a time and a month apart. No seizure. Atopica was the seizure producer. I lit up the idiot about it, told her she really needs to more careful or at least more informed. Told I would do the same as I was leaving her practice.

The good vet, as he described Atopica to me, and is similar to what I’ve found and read about Apoquel. It shuts off immune receptors. And when you have an immune compromised dog, or cat, to begin with the last thing you want to do is shut off receptors because you don’t know what else is being shut off or being compromised. Immunosuppressive have their place, don’t get me wrong, and I relied on the occasional 5mg prednisone in lieu of giving my girl a fistful of benadryl that would only work for a few hours when she was really bad. But only after I’d tried everything else. Pred was a last resort. So do I believe in their use? Yes. But ever so carefully and not on a regular basis like Atopica and Apoquel.

I can’t get the link to hyperlink but this has some interesting info. http://vitalanimal.com/apoquel-dog-1/

Sorry this was such a long post, but I get anxious when I see questions about Atopica. I had to let my baby go, it’ll be 2 yrs in Dec. She was only 8yrs 4mos. She taught me so much, she endured too much, her kidneys took it in the end. I became quite educated but even our own dogs are so different from each other. I still feel I didn’t learn fast enough for her. Please, please do your research thoroughly on Atopica and Apoquel. Apoquel is still relatively new. You know your pet best!

[anonymous]

Did your vet suggest any type of gentle exercise such as aquatic therapy? Otherwise known as swimming in a heated pool, one minute of swimming is equivalent to 4 minutes of running, easy on the joints and might lift her mood a little.
If that’s not an option, see if your vet can prescribe pain meds that come in a liquid form. It might be easier to dispense with a small syringe.

“Supplements are not medication, they are not FDA approved. They are food supplements, not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure”

Per the search engine here: /forums/search/supplements/

[InkedMarie]

Let me throw a cheaper option: order grinds from Hare Today, Reel Raw, Raw Feeding Miami, etc. I buy grinds with meat/bone/organ/some have tripe…I add a scoop of tripe to those that don’t. It’s prey model raw in ground form. I add eggs 3x weekly, salmon oil & stuff for fleas/ticks and a joint supplement. All you need is a scale!

[InkedMarie]

Hi Kyle,
I am of the opinion that by the time food is baked or extruded, any added glucosamine or chondroitin is negligible. There are many supplements for dogs. I’ve used K9 Liquid Gold, Dog Gone Pain, In Clover Connectin and Swanson’s people joint support with good success.
I do agree with a vet visit just to make sure but I personally won’t feed vet foods. It is said that grains can be inflammatory so a high quality grain free food would be a good start. I think it’s the nightshade veggies you may want to avoid as well as white potato.
It is important to keep your dog lean.

[C4D]

Hi Kyle E,

That seems to be Merricks new marketing tool. Your dog would have to eat roughly 1 kg or 2.2 pounds of food to get a 1200mg dose of glucosamin and chondroitin on the Backcountry Game Bird and Great Plains recipe. The other 2 formulas have 800 mg/kg(2.2 lbs). Most joint supplements have a higher dosage than that and when you have a dog that already has joint or hip issues you definitely need separate supplementation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from the vet. Some of the supplements Susan mentioned could be a good possibility. I use a supplement that has Green Lipped Mussel. I haven’t used the Turmeric Golden paste yet as my dog hasn’t showed any symptoms of pain. Anonymously is right about the senior blood panels and feeding a lower calorie food if your dog is getting on the heavy side. I do yearly blood panels on my dogs. It gives you a heads up on possible issues before the symptoms appear or have progressed too far.

I also have an almost 12 year old Lab that has bad knees due to torn CCL’s several years ago. I have been supplementing with fish oil (human) and joint supplements for years now. She does well, even though she has diagnosed arthritis in both knees. She goes for a brisk 1-2 mile walk daily, with her choosing to jog most of the way. The other most important thing you can do is to keep your dog on the lean side and daily walks to keep the joints from getting stiff. If you haven’t been walking or exercising your Lab on a daily basis, start very slow.

Edit: I don’t know how much 1 cup of Merrick weighs (I couldn’t find it on their website) and all dog foods are different, but as an example, I use Earthborn in my rotation and it states on it’s website that an 8oz cup of Great Plains holds 4.8 oz of food. So, if Merrick’s weight is comparable and if I did the math right, that would be feeding over 10 cups of food to get the 1200 mg dose of supplement. That’s a LOT of food.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by C4D.

[Susan]

Hi Kyle, I think your better off adding a joint supplement to the diet, there’s a few out there I’ve been looking at “Rose Hip Vital Canine” its suppose to work very well but when I spoke with the rep he said America doesn’t have the Rose Hip Vital Canine yet but will be getting it very soon. it comes from Denmark & imported to Australia, the human Rose Hip Vital is the same as the canine Rose Hip Vital, I was going to take it myself, send them a email asking when it will be in America, its for treating inflammation, maintaining healthy joints takes away inflammation pain, they are finding its helping people with Crohns Disease as well that’s why I’m interested in using it on Patch cause he has IBD & it will help him with his inflammation of the stomach as well as his joints..
http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/

There’s Sasha’s Blend is another good joint supplement invented in Australia for a dog called Sasha, I’m pretty sure you can buy in America….
http://www.sashasblend.com.au/cb_pages/what_makes_special.php

Turmeric Powder you make “Golden Paste” Turmeric Powder, Coconut Oil & Black Pepper, join the Turmeric Users Group on Face Book the recipe is in the files, people swear by Turmeric Powder https://www.facebook.com/groups/415313751866609/

I’ve just ordered a bag of the “Holistic Select Senior” kibble, it has 750mg/kg of Glucosamine but I was still going to add either the Rose Hip Vital Canine powder to meal or try the Turmeric Golden paste as well… but I’m pretty sure kibble with added Glucosamine is not as strong as the supplements for joint problems/Arthritis they have more Glucosamine & Green Lipped Mussel then kibble…
Some one my know more about Senior kibbles…..

[Patty L]

I, too, am searching for the best canned food for my Corgi/Sheltie/Norwegian Elkhound mix. I supplement with Arthroplex by Thorne for joint issue prevention. I also supplement with Thorne Vet’s geriatric canine vitamins. I hope this helps. I so want our precious canine family members to live very long, active lives with us.

[pugmomsandy]

Foods do not contain a therapeutic dose of joint supporting supplements so that shouldn’t be a deciding factor for choosing a wet (or dry) food. I would check into separate powder, liquid, capsule or chewable joint/senior supplements. And if you haven’t already, check to see if she has any dental or gum issues and have a check up with blood work.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/arthritis.html

[Marie P]

Becca mentioned the NuJOINT plus .. Also a great product.. The nice thing about this Joint supplement is it’s NATURAL, made in the USA and will help in about 2-3 weeks.. they give you a 60 day money back guarantee. My pets are on the NuJOINT DS and doing amazing , Learn more here .. Blue bottle NUJOINT DS http://www.nuvet.com/81098 NOT sold in stores , holistic

[pitlove]

Hi Triet-

Has the 7 month old gone to the vet? If so, what did he/she say about the curved back? If she hasn’t gone I would bring her.

It is very important to feed 2 meals a day and measure out each meal. Overfeeding can cause issues with bone growth and joints.

Also you do not need to use a supplement when feeding a food that is properly balanced for a large breed puppy. Stop the supplement ASAP. It is probably doing more harm than good.

[Amateria]

Wow Susan you go all out when you respond haha.

Rusty is about 8-9 at this point, I don’t think we have his papers and so were not 100% sure if it’s 8 or 9 but he’s definitely getting old, I have ordered and received samples of Totw, they were pretty reluctant to send them to me because of postage charges, but I don’t live anywhere near a shop that stocks their samples, so they let me have 2 samples in the end, high praire I think and coastal(should be bison one and fish one).

He has done well on black hawk fish and potato, I wanted to add some oils to his food because of what I’ve read about them, they help me with my joints and nerve so I figured it would help with his joints and coat and it did.

But it also seems that after the dry and the blend he started to have more problems, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea in the end, I’ll make sure to tell mum to feed him the kibble once a week as a treat instead.

His teeth are generally awful looking, he does need a professional anaesthesia cleaning that’s for sure, he’s impossible when it comes to brushing, I’ve tried and failed like a pro every time, he’s super strong and he scratches me up real good so I stopped trying.

I will definitely be taking him to the vet for a more thorough check up, because he means the world to my mum, as in if she looses sight of him for 5 minutes she starts to panic and I would hate to see him die from something that could of been prevented(if it’s anything bad to begin with, could just be pancreatitis pains).

He’s also a white cream chihuahua 😛 and the puppy is white with tan spots she’s so gorgeous everyone always complements the way she looks when we’re out its super cute.

And for you Susan the kibble is just a treat, we actually feed homemade cooked, he’s always been on a chicken and rice with veggies diet, he does the best on this diet and hardly ever has flare ups, when he does it’s usually my fault because I try to add some variety to his food and some extra vitamins and minerals and than he gets sick and I don’t mean to, it just happens.

I think because of how well he did with black hawk if I feel like adding anything for his joints in the future I might add that and he did really well on the k9 natural venison freeze dried and super well on ziwipeak venison, I might just buy those from time to time as I know he did well on them, he’s gone through 5 ziwipeak bags with only two flare ups, so yeah I might just stick with that and stop trying new things that clearly aren’t working in his favor.

I’ll keep an eye on Anja while she’s on the supplement and kibble, she usually eats like 3 of them, she’s not a very big eater, but I hope she continues to do well on the blend, as I’d like to cure her leg drama before it becomes permanent.

Thanks for the help though, I wanted to be 100% sure about a few things and you guys cleared that up for me so thanks a lot 😀

[Susan]

Hi, from another Australian, I was taking Blooms Green Lipped Mussel capsules & I got bad indigestion, acid reflux, I also took the capsules with a meal…. then I google side effects Green Lipped Mussel & it said Nausea & indigestion…So I have stopped taking the Green Lipped Mussel capsules, I was going to give Patch 1 green Lipped Mussel Capsule with a meal & see how he goes…..

Ivory Coat’s Ocean Fish & Salmon is new, I got some samples the kibbles felt very greezy & has fish oil, Patch gets acid reflux when he eats any kibbles with Fish or salmon oil… Ivory Coat kibbles are hard to digest I found & the kibbles are too big, so the dog needs to really chew the kibbles… Probably the Sasha’s Blend & the Ivory coat kibble has either made Rusty feel sick or given him indigestion (Acid Reflux) irritated his stomach. .
I’m waiting for Pet Circle online pet shop to get in more “Holistic Select” Chicken Meal Senior, it’s a 5 star kibble, ingredient’s are healthy & the kibbles are smaller & easy to digest & its high in Glucosamine….Patch is 7yrs old, he’ll be 8 in November, his joints seem OK at the moment but I want to prevent any joint problems, I have Arthritis & its very painful & I can’t take NSAID pain relief irritates my stomach…
http://holisticselect.com.au/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice

I also feed Patch K-9 natural Green Lipped Mussel Snacks, Patch loves them, he gets 2 treats a day, they’re high in omega 3 fatty acids excellent for brain, joints & skin
http://www.k9natural.com/dog-food#catpage=2

This way I’m not giving Patch any supplements but I’m feeding him foods that are high in omega 3 fatty acids. I have found Patch doesn’t do well on any Fish or Salmon oils when in foods or as supplements…
also next time you try another supplement give with a meal, so you line Rusty stomach with food, sounds like he has a sensitive stomach, you don’t mention what breed your dogs are?
I’d still give Anja the Sasha’s blend cause it’s expensive & feed Rusty a senior kibble like Holistic Select Senior that’s high in Glucosamine… ask vet or look online what’s doesn’t cause stomach upsets supplements for dogs joints….
if you want to feed a Grainfree kibble have a look at Artemis Osopure there’s Salmon or Bison or Duck I sent Artemis a stamped address envelope & got samples of all the Osopure formulas, they’re small kibble, easy to digest & Patch loves them…
http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/products/osopure-dog-products/

How you test a kibble is get a cup of very warm water & put a couple of kibbles in cup, look at the time & see how long the kibble takes to go soft….Ivory coat kibbles sank (No good) & took over 2 hours to soften, a good easy to digest kibble only takes about 20mins to 50mins & it’s soft….
I also rotate Patches kibbles I feed a grain free Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb at the moment but will be buying the Artemis Osopure Bison, second ingredient is salmon meal & Patch will be getting his fish & the Holistic Select Chicken meal Senior has Anchovy & Sardine Meal & Pork meal, I feed 1 kibble for breakfast & the other for dinner or sometimes ask Patch which one does he want & he licks the open container & says this one…

[Amateria]

Hey everyone, so my mum has been having some trouble with Rusty at night, now I did some google searching but I don’t really have enough time to do anymore and also I generally didn’t find anything on the first two pages anyways.

I started both Rusty and Anja on Sasha’s blend joint supplement about a month ago, this supplement contains green lipped mussel, shark cartilage and abalone powder. I am wondering could this cause him to become restless, he just gets up randomly several times and goes for a walk, now if he didn’t sleep with my mum this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but he wakes her up every time he goes.

Is it possible the powder may be not for him? This all started after the introduction of said powder, even if it wasn’t all that long ago, Anja on the other hand seems to be doing just fine on it.

He also gets about 6 pieces of the Ivory Coat kibble with these ingredients: Ocean Fish, Salmon Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Tomato Pomace, Pea Fibre, Ground Flaxseed, Fish Oil, Canola Oil, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D3, E), Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium, Biotin, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Natural Prebiotic, Calcium Propionate, Rosemary Extract & Green Tea Extract.

Could anything in there or maybe the abalone powder in the supplement be giving him these random night walks? Or could it just be a coincidence for something more sinister?

[C4D]

Hi Michael,

There is no food that provides enough glucosamine and chondroitin. I’ve had several dogs with joint issues for many years. I feed grain and potato free (potatoes exacerbate inflammation) and supplement with human grade fish oil and joint supplements. You have to be careful if using human joint supplements that there aren’t added vitamins. Your vet might be willing to give you suggestions. You also have to adjust the dosage. My current senior dog is doing well and still extremely active.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by C4D.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Michael,
Foods that have glucosamine & chondroitin aren’t generally woth it as the amount of the supplements are “cooked out” of the food. You’re better to give a separate joint supplement.
It has been said that grains are inflammatory so you’d be better to feed a grain free food.

[gina m]

It’s been more than a year ago that i posted on here regarding my terrier mix Dolly’s gulping. I don’t know what we did but she stopped having her panic/gulping/eating grass frenzy. We still don’t know what was the issue but i wanted to post what we did.

Dolly is 8 years old and we adopted her along with her brother a year and a half ago. She came with the gulping issue and super allergic to seasonal pollen and allergic to any bug bites (ticks, flea, mosquito, etc). Her teeth were ground down and causing irritation so some of her teeth had to be removed. She had a few lumps on her body which one was cancerous so we’re glad we were proactive and removed it.

After all these issues: we stopped giving her any chicken, beef, pork (mass produced meat) but stuck with venison & rabbit wet food – Royal Canin from the vet, and anchovy dry food from Forza. Additional supplements of enzyme and probiotic. Cosequin for her joints. Famotidine for heart burns (though i’m thinking of stop giving this to her to see if she still needs this daily). Zyrtec in the morning and Benadryl at night for her allergy. We give her Sentinel and Bravecto for fleas and ticks and heart worm. And we shampoo her once a week.

After continuing this for a year, her gulping has stopped since last summer. A small gulping happened few weeks ago but I realized we gave her a lot of cheese the day before (she loves cheese) so no more cheese for her. I think dairy might be causing it as well, as I remember giving her yogurt thinking that it will help with the gulping but may have been causing it.

Hope this helps someone or gave them a clue for a cure.

[Dog Pack Mom]

I’m not sure what type of joint supplements I will try yet. The glycoflex 3 seems to be causing GI issues with my little pom, Rooster. I think I may try the Joint Power Rx recommended by Hound Dog Mom. I do know I won’t be trying FidoActive ever.

[Rick Dunn]

No disrespect intended here but unfortunately Jakes_Mom “A healthy dog eating appropriate food does not need vitamin supplements.” could not be more wrong.

Even the best researched, sourced and prepared foods either commercially available or homemade (which includes raw diets) fall short in all of the essential vitamins, minerals, metals and nutrients that a dog is intended to have in it’s body by nature. Subsequently their bodies become out of balance which in turn compromises their immune systems. This is a proven fact and just can not be disputed, justified or excused away by anyone.

Proper supplementation brings the body back into balance and allows the immune system go back to its normal level. You can deny this all you wish… my statements are factual, backed by scientific research and proven in dogs for more than 30 years.

What is a Supplement?

Pet supplements are defined as either dietary or therapeutic supplements. Dietary supplements (also called dietary nutrients) are substances added to pet foods to make them nutritionally complete and balanced. Therapeutic supplements (also called nutraceuticals) are foods or food nutrients that are taken orally to provide a health benefit, either for prevention or treatment of disease. To have this therapeutic effect, a nutraceutical is usually taken in a larger dose than the daily requirement of that same food when used as a nutrient.

What is Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

It is the only complete supplement on the market, covering all aspects of a dog’s health. Dr Kruger Pet Supplements naturally correct commercial, home made and natural pet food’s deficiencies in three crucial ways by adding essential vitamins and minerals, important digestive enzymes for complete food absorption, and beneficial intestinal bacteria to supercharge the immune system. Each formulation has additional ingredients to focus on those particular areas of the pets health that it is deficient in.

Our formulas meet the specific needs of your pet through each stage of life. Whether your dog is a puppy, adult or senior; one that is active, in show or spends most of his time indoors, there is a Dr Kruger Pet Supplements formula that is just right for his needs.

Why use Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

Since 1986 our supplements have been alleviating gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, loose stools, vomiting and gas as well as itchy skin, hot spots, shedding and allergies. Our Supplements will help with both occasional and chronic digestive problems such as bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS), toxic gut syndrome (TGS), torsion, sensitive stomach, inflamed bowel, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Other conditions helped by our supplements include allergies, arthritis, inflamed joints, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and a host of others.

Dr Kruger Pet Supplements, when used daily provide the necessary vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, digestive enzymes, microbes and other probiotics for the health of your pet. Made from all natural ingredients, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements provide a holistic approach to your pets health helping your dog or cat absorb more nutrients from their diet. When used in combination with a healthy, organic food, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements ensure better health through better digestion… naturally!

Dr. Kruger’s approach was to address the “Whole Dog” not just a symptom, this is why our supplements work so well. Everyday Health Formula is in ALL of our Formulas as the foundation; we then add specific elements to address and make up the additional Formulas we offer. The final reason our Formulas have worked for so many years is Dr. Kruger knew that a dogs health requirements will change over it’s lifetime. He developed his Formulas to address those changes from the beginning of life through the twilight years.

Puppy & Pregnancy Formula
Everyday Health Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
High Performance Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
Healthy Joint Formula
Senior Health Formula

All of our ingredients are:

Human Grade
Non-GMO
All Natural
Sourced in the USA Only
Manufacture in the USA
There are NO Fillers in our Formulas; our Formulas are dosed by the dogs food intake as that is the only true way to know how much supplementation should be administered.

The importance of healthy digestion is critical to overall health of your pet. That is why we recommend that at least the Everyday Health Formula to be a consistent supplement to your pets food every day!

We prove this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

[Rick Dunn]

You should check out Dr Kruger Pet Supplements – Healthy Joint Formula to address hip dysplasia and arthritis. While nothing will cure your senior dog of these issues Dr Kruger Pet Supplements – Healthy Joint Formula has a 30 year track record of doing a great job of helping to relieve mobility issues. Along with the same vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and live cultures as the Everyday Formula, the Healthy Joint Formula also contains anti-inflammatory ingredients such as Glucosamine Sulphate, Yucca Root, Dandelion Root, Devil’s Claw, Kelp, Chondroitin Sulphate and extra Vitamin E to relieve chronic joint and muscle conditions, including arthritis (hereditary or traumatic), hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, (degenerative joint disease (DJD), spinal arthritis (spondyosis), sprains, or other conditions due to illness and injury. It also improves overall ligament and cartilage health..

It costs nothing to check it out!
http://www.drkruger.com/collections/healthy-joint-formula

[Duane P]

I have to agree with the suggestion posted earlier about using fish oil supplement. I believe the Omega 3 and Omega 6 benefits of fish oil are good not just for joints and coats but also for the heart. I’d like to share this article which has helped my babies a lot:

http://bncpet.com/blogs/news/34302657-everything-you-need-to-know-about-fish-oil-for-dogs

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Duane P. Reason: removed html tags

[InkedMarie]

Pitlove: I remember all the advice given! I don’t know what his issues are but I do know that I have to be careful with stuff other than actual food: I once bought a joint supplement, a chewable. Had something in there that caused a yeast ear infection & paw licking.

What are your reservations on feeding Primal longterm?

[Jo K]

My boy has arthritis in his elbow joints. Have had no luck with any oral supplements, but some relief with hyaluronic acid administered intravenously once every three weeks at the vet’s. Warning- this is not cheap.

[Jenn H]

There’s a lot of theories floating around about when to switch a lg breed puppy to adult food. Because my GSDs are very active and use every bit of fat & protein I tend to keep them on lbp food longer than a yr. Usually up to 18 months. Or I’ll switch to an adult food for all life stages and/or lg breed adult. I’ve had dogs take 3 yrs to finish growing. (Usually unaltered males.)
No matter what food they are fed I keep the calcium as close to 1.5% or less until I am certain they are finished growing.

It’s fine to start them on joint supplements as early as 6 months. My 8 month old has already been on them for 2 months.
I prefer liquid since more of it is absorbed, but I’ve also had really great results from NuPro.
Cosequin is another brand that has worked great for a lot of my horses. They now make a version for dogs.

Things I look for in joint supplements is:
***glucosamine hydrochloride
*promotes healthy joints
*enhances body’s ability to produce collagen & joint fluid
*helps body to repair joint damage
***chondroitin sulfate
***MSM
*organic form of sulfur that connective tissue needs for maintenance
*HA

Whole food supplements w/ a lot of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs):
•sea cucumber
•green-lipped mussel
•shark cartilage
•eggshell membrane
You’ll often find these listed as sources on labels of joint supplements. Especially the mussel & shark cartilage.

Take care to find out where ingredients are sourced blah blah blah like you would for dog food.

[Darek N]

Hello there. I have a Golden Retriever and had follow Large Breed Puppy Food List. I try few different kinds of Fromm Four Star but he had loose stool so we settle on Erthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Dr. Tims Kinesis. now that he is going to be a one year old should I change his food to something different or start adding some supplements for joints. I just want to make sure that I’m feeding him properly spatially that he is going to be a year old.
Thank you for any advise

[Carrie P]

Try FidoActive Supplement its good when it comes in Joint problem. This is very effective. try it now! 😀

[Carrie P]

Try Fido Active Supplement to make your dogs even better and stronger. and no joint issues. this supplement is very effective and well proven.

[Jenn H]

Thank you so much. I have GSDs. And my 7 month old has the confirmation of a show dog which has me so worried about his future.
I am so careful and militant about what & how much he’s fed. I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent contacting dog food people because they put the minimum only on most labels. I’m trying to find out how to change that and make it so the max be required.

Another thing worth mentioning with large & xlarge dogs is at 6 months they can be started on joint supplements. I prefer to give the types that don’t have extra vitamins & minerals. Just the usual ingredients for joints only like glucosamine,, chondroitin, HA, MSM, etc.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Rani,
I have not fed any senior type of food for my senior dogs. I do feed grainfree (grains can be inflammatory & I also don’t believe dogs need grains) with highr protein and supplement for joint and any other issues. I currently use green lipped mussel but in the past have had good results with Dog Gone Pain, In Clover Connectin and Glycoflex.

[InkedMarie]

September,
Senior dogs need a good higher protein food. Most senior foods are way too low in protein, the exception being Orijen senior.
I have had many senior dogs, three of which came to me already old. One was obese on arrival so she got a lower fat food but the other two just got good food. I supplement with green lipped mussel for joints and any other issues.

[C4D]

Hi September D,

I’ve owned a lot of dogs over the years. I’ve never fed a senior dog food to them. Senior dog food is really just a marketing ploy. My large breed dogs live well over their expiration date. The most important thing is to watch that they don’t gain too much weight, get exercise on a daily basis, and address any health issues they might have as they age or due to injuries they have sustained. I also get yearly checkups and do blood panels on a regular basis. That let’s you know if there are any issues that might need addressing. My vet once said to walk my dogs for as long as they could walk. I’ve always done that. I’m not saying this is a miracle cure, but dogs need exercise and they need a job. That’s their job and they love it. I have a senior right now, 11 yo Lab along with other older adult dogs, but if you didn’t know her age, you wouldn’t think she was that old. She has bad knees too, but she walks briskly almost 2 miles daily and runs the yard after everything she sees. She does get supplements (fish oil, joint care) and I am very careful about her diet to keep her lean. I also feed her a combination of kibble, canned and fresh/raw food daily. So, I’ll get off my soap box now. Best of luck with your pup!

[Jenn H]

Wendyz I had replied this morning, but am just noticing that I must not have hit “submit”. Therefore I apologize for the delay.

I will say that after about 20 GSDs in 35+ yrs only 1 of them had pano. That was when I was a teenager. Therefore I had no control on what the dogs were fed. I just fed them according to parents’ instruction. At that time Pedigree, Purina, Blue Seal, etc were considered great food. Canned was to be used very rarely and only to give pills or extra during very cold times.
That dog grew very big very quickly. At 2 he was heading toward 100#s. Since he died suddenly at 2.5 from torsion we’ll never know what he would’ve topped out at.

With the exception of a couple of dogs I have adopted as adults, none of the 20ish dogs I’ve had have gotten hip/elbow dysplasia, OCD, arthritis, etc. With the proper diet, exercise & supplements the arthritic dogs became noticeably better. (Supplements are a whole other conversation.)

I worry about my pup because I have no idea what his father is like. His mother was a “midnight rescue”. She is 90+ lbs. His confirmation isn’t ideal. Angulated hips, roach back. Since switching him tho he has developed more muscle tone which I think has gotten him to stop walking on his hocks and has a better coat. He is also more satisfied after meals despite being fed much less amt.

It appears that quality of the proteins is more important than the quantity. Stay away from plant based. Go for meats/fish/eggs as a source. Higher biological value. Protein is important to build muscle.

You also want to control the rate of growth. GSDs can grow until they’re 3 y/o. My boy has steadily gained 2 #s/wk his whole life. Once in a while he doesn’t gain anything, but will gain 3#s the next wk.

It’s perfectly fine to give joint supplements at 6 months. Right now he gets 1.5 tabs Cosequin DS (the kind WITHOUT vitamins & minerals).

Make sure that if fish is in the food it is NOT preserved by the supplier or manufacturer with Ethoxyquin. Solid Gold & their suppliers do not use that.

If you want to have more control over proteins The Honest Kitchen may be a good choice. Even if you only feed 1 meal/day or a few meala/wk. When I contacted them regarding the puppy they suggested this:
4-6 mon Thrive
After 6 months transition/rotate with Embark, Love, Revel, Brave (that’s a LID of fish).
They make human grade dehydrated base mixes. You add the protein yourself. They include the suggested amts, but really it’s up to you.

I like to keep my puppies on the leaner side while they grow. A roly poly puppy is cute, but not ideal. I find 22-25% protein to be a good amt. But I care more about what type and the calcium.

Other LBP foods on my short list are:
*Orijen LBP/Acana
*Fromm LBP Gold although I’m hesitant to try it since a lot of people are complaining their dogs are getting sick from their gold line.
*Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Lamb & Rice. I used it when I couldn’t find Wolf Cub

Just an aside…I appreciate that you asked for my advice and am very happy to help. I am not a vet or a nutritionist. All I have is experience. Dogfoodie, Pitlove, Houndmom (I’m pretty sure that’s her name) are about the only 3 people who seem to be as conscientious as I and have offered some valuable & helpful advice. They are very good sources to reach out to also. I know there are some significant differences between GSDs and other large breeds, but there’s more similarities when it come to prevention of musculoskeleton problems.

Another aside is that I think I may switch my Lab mix to Solid Gold Barking at the Moon. I can let you know how that goes.

Good luck with the pup. I’m sure he’ll be just fine. I doubt that bout of pano will be a problem. You understand that calcium should not exceed 1.5% and the calcium/ phosphorus ratio should be around 1:1-2:1.

If I think of anything I may have forgotten I’ll let you know.