Supplements to give dog with some aching hips?

[Chris in VA]

My Golden Retreiver seems to be slowing down a bit--he'll be 9 in Sept and has been a little slow when he first gets up in the am. I am thinking his hips/joints might be aching. A few days ago, he was running in our field and just sat down very quickly, almost as if his legs just gave way a little. He's only done that once since then.

 

He needs his nails trimmed--I think they are slightly throwing his legs out of alignment, if that makes sense. Anyway, do you know of any supplements to help ease the joints? Not pain killers, just natural, IDK, lubricants inside?

[i.love.lucy]

Glucosamine and condroytin (sp?) is great for that and easily found at the pet store. You can sprinkle it on his food or give it as a chewy treat supplement. I hear it can work wonders for joint pain.

[May]

My vet recommended glucosamine and chondroitin with MSM. It's used in adults for joint health. I buy the capsules and put 1 in his food at breakfast and dinner.

[Chris in VA]

He's about 80 lbs--so one adult capsule would be ok?

[Frontier Mom]

I have a lab with achy joints. This has worked so good for us. I bought him Science Diet milk bone type biscuits for Hips & Joints. I give him two per day. He is about 65 pounds. The only place I found them was Petco and they were about $11 each bag but the bag lasts a while. It has made a huge difference for him. I also put him on Science Diet Lite Large Breed food for awhile and it helped too. Now I mix it with some slightly less expensive food and he is doing find.

 

Something I also did was make him a really comfortable bed. I bought a foam waffle twin sized mattress thing you put on the bed to make it softer. I folded it in half and covered it with a blanket. Then, I put his sheepskin bed on top and it is a cheap version of the therapeutic beds they sell for dogs. The waffle thing was about $11 so it is a much cheaper alternative. The only drawback is that our cat tries to take over the bed!

[purplemama]

We buy Lassie brand dog food that has glucosamine/chondroitin in it and it has done wonders for our mini-dachshund who came to us from another family and walked kind of stiff when we got her at the age of 4. Since we started her on that food, she has definitely had more of a spring in her step. It is not expensive compared to "special diet" dog foods I have seen.

 

Jennifer

[gaillardia]

I'm surprised you didn't search the forum. A few other people have used it for their puppers, and I knew of people who used it for their dogs consistently. It takes a little while to build up in the system to give the effect they need.:iagree:

[Ellie]

Dr. Wendell Belfield had great success with high doses of Vitamin C. You can find some of his articles on-line.

[StephanieZ]

Hill's Prescription Diet j/d is great stuff. It has good levels of gluc/chond and omega-3s. . . It is pretty cost effective b/c those supplements can be pricey, and the food has good levels. You should be able to buy it through your vet.

 

If you want to stick with your regular food, a gluc/chond supplement can help. You actually need pretty high doses. Ask your vet for a brand recc. and dosage. DH (vet) often advises to try a month on the "gold standard" Cosequin (it has good data). . . then if that works well, try switching to a (cheaper) generic supplement from Sam's or whereever and see if it still helps. This way you know whether the supplement works at all. . . and you can compare the pricier name brand with a generic. Some generics are great, some stink. .. There is very little regulation of supplements, which makes it hard to know whether a cheap generic is not working b/c the supplement isn't what your dog needs or b/c the particular generic is poorly manufactured.

 

Another good option is Adequan injections. It is available through your vet. They are *very* effective for many patients. Talk to your vet if you want to try it.

 

HTH

[asta]

My poor pup (arthritic hips and a damaged spine) got *much* more mobile after we got her one of these beds:

 

Kuranda Dog Bed (this is the aluminum one - there are others)

 

"Veterinarians recommend this bed as especially beneficial for pets who suffer from hip problems, arthritis or aging. Because the bed supports the dog up off the floor it is easier for elderly dogs to get up from the bed than from the floor or very low beds. It provides firm support and an elevated barrier from cold, drafty or hard floors. The hammock design provides orthopedic comfort good for healthy hips and joints for dogs of all ages and prevents ugly elbow calluses caused from laying on a hard floor. Your dog may even choose his own Kuranda bed over yours!"

 

 

a

[gaillardia]

My poor pup (arthritic hips and a damaged spine) got *much* more mobile after we got her one of these beds:

 

Kuranda Dog Bed (this is the aluminum one - there are others)

 

 

 

 

a

Oooh, I like the big brown one.

[Liz CA]

Dr. Wendell Belfield had great success with high doses of Vitamin C. You can find some of his articles on-line.

 

Jiagolan (I can never spell it right), many people refer to it as the J-herb, however, helps often with arthritic / inflammatory pain.

I get it from Ameriherb. Google it - I think the pound is about $16.00 with shipping. It comes in a greenish looking powder.

[asta]

Oooh, I like the big brown one.

 

I'm not sure, but I think that is a regular bed with a special cover on it so that you don't see the legs.

 

The thing I love about it is that I can hose it off. My doggie is getting "leaky".

 

 

a

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

My Golden Retreiver seems to be slowing down a bit--he'll be 9 in Sept and has been a little slow when he first gets up in the am. I am thinking his hips/joints might be aching. A few days ago, he was running in our field and just sat down very quickly, almost as if his legs just gave way a little. He's only done that once since then.

 

He needs his nails trimmed--I think they are slightly throwing his legs out of alignment, if that makes sense. Anyway, do you know of any supplements to help ease the joints? Not pain killers, just natural, IDK, lubricants inside?

 

Glycoflex...it is GREAT stuff. You can buy it online at 1800PetMeds. Our vet prescribed two pills a day for thirty days and then reduced the dosage to one pill a day for the rest of her life. She had the same symptoms as your dog and occasionally yelped when hopping up on to her favorite chair. We use Glycoflex II.

 

Within thirty days, she was running in the yard again and hasn't had symptoms again. Glycoflex is amazing stuff.

[Lorax]

It is a pain med, but my almost 14 year old Amstaff recently started on Rimadyl and it has made a world of difference. True has a perk in her step we haven't seen in years. She has been on the Glucosamine supplement food for several years, but it just wasn't enough anymore. You may not be ready for something like this yet, but I thought I would mention it as something to keep in mind.

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, those Kuranda dog beds are also pretty much indestructible. We have them in our dog runs at the hospital and they are as good as new after 4 years of nearly daily use and, of course, hardcore washing daily (w/various cleaners/bleach/etc). Chew proof. Awesome beds. Dogs love them.

 

NSAIDs such as Rimadyl (there is a generic), or better yet, the newer, safer, ones Previcox or Deramax are awesome. They have some risks, and so need monitoring w/ bloodwork regularly. . . but the experts all seem to agree that it is best to start them sooner rather than later b/c the pain inevitably leads to reduced mobility, which reduces muscle mass. .. which causes the arthritis to worsen, etc etc.

 

There are lots of tools in the toolchest battling arthritis. . .

 

+ exercise

+ NSAIDs

+ oral nutraceuticals (glu/chond/omega-3)s -- ie, glycoflex, glucosamine, etc, etc. . . There are MANY choices.

+ heat/physical therapy/swimming/etc

+ adequan (similar class as the oral nutraceuticals but works differently and can be combined with any of the above)

 

++ the meds are usually needed in order for the pt to feel well enough to exercise.

 

++ Weight management is hugely important. Eliminate any excess!

 

+ if all those things are no longer enough, there are other, stronger medicines (tramadol, etc.) that can be added to the mix

 

HTH

[Beth in OH]

My doggie is getting "leaky".

 

I give my foster collie a medicine called Proin for this problem. It helps them control the bladder muscle, and it works very well for us. You might want to try this if the problem is making life difficult.

 

Beth