[Kyle E]

I have a 12 year old Labrador that is beginning to have joint and hip problems, so I’ve been thinking about getting her some medicine from the vet. However, a salesman at my local pet store told me that Merricks has more glucosamine and chondroitin in their food than the actual joint pills do. Does anyone know about this? Would it be just as good to spend more on Merricks and not buying the joint pills? Or, do the joint pills offer some other benefits? In which case it might be better to spend a little less on the food and get the joint pills?

[anonymously]

First, has the dog had a senior workup? Exam and lab work. If not, I would start there.
Supplements are not medication. I would find a veterinarian that you trust and that your dog likes, and go by his recommendations.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=glucosamine
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

“The internet is no substitute for talking with a vet who knows you and your pets about their specific needs.” copied from a response to a question: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2016/07/things-holistic-vets-say-about-cancer-that-should-make-pet-owners-run-the-other-way/comment-page-1/#comment-119501

PS: It doesn’t hurt to go with a higher quality food, however, some of the better foods are higher in calories, so, if you have a senior inactive dog, that is something to keep in mind.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by anonymously.

[Kyle E]

The vet I go to sells Hills dog food and joint pills so I know they are going to suggest those even if there are better solutions.

[anonymously]

How do you know there are better solutions? Do you really think you are going to get better advice on the internet (for free) from strangers who may or may not have a medical background and have not examined your dog, than from a veterinarian that has examined your dog. Good luck

[Kyle E]

That’s not what I’m saying buddy. There just seems to be a conflict of interest when I’m looking at two possibilities and the vet sells one of them.

[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…..

[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 7 years, 9 months ago by C4D.

[Acroyali]

What pills from the vet are you considering? Reason I ask is a lot of vets don’t sell supplements as much as pain medication for arthritis. They are very different things and it all depends on what your vet has available. I agree with C4D; in order to get enough glucosamine from the food, you’ve have to feed enough food to create an obese dog, which would defeat the purpose entirely. There are a lot of supplements out there, from over the counter G&C you can get at Wal-Mart, to tumeric, right down to feeding raw chicken feet (or boiling them, discarding the feet and pouring a bit of the stock onto their food.) I had an extremely arthritic dog for many years, and did all of the above and then some but what really seemed to help him was Arnica (homeopathic). Every dog is different. Best of luck.

[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.

[Acroyali]

Good points about the nightshade vegetables, Marie, and this includes any kind of chronic inflammation from arthritis, to recurrent ear infections, to IBD.
Dog Gone Pain is excellent stuff and has helped many ailing dogs, but be warned that it’s not recommended for use in dogs with any kind of heart disease. So yes, hopefully Kyle will do a vet visit and get a good checkup and make his decision from there.

[Robin F]

As Anonymously suggested, the best thing to do is have a senior dog exam. Once you know exactly what is going on, then you can check out the holistic solutions. You definitely will want to give a low fat diet as not to put excess weight on your pet. I myself have an overweight senior girl with arthritis and now a fatty tumor. She is already on medication that I hate for her to be on. I have been hearing about turmeric from friends and family members, but you have to be careful with that as well. So, take your baby to the vet for full senior exam and then do your research. You will know better what you need to do.

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