Joint Health -- Glucosamine / Chondroitin / MSN / Esther C / Collegen

[Ilghaus]

Does anyone here give extra supplements for their dog's joint health?

Does your dog have a problem or do you give supplements to prevent future problems?

What type of supplements do you give?

Do you give a pre-mixed combination or do you put together your own items?

[magolin]

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441779675&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026152&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1146277089882&itemNo=5&Ntt=8+and+1&In=All&previousText=8+and+1&N=2

I gave these to my parent's poodle for a while.  She's 11 now and is arthritic.  I saw marked improvement in  her when I was giving her those biscuits.

PetsMart has all kinds of joint supplements.  Glucosamine and chondroitin are great.  If your dog doesn't currently have joint problems you probably won't see much difference, but these dogs work hard.  They move around a lot more and in ways dogs aren't necessarily designed to do.  Protecting their joints makes sense.

When I get my PSD (and any future pets) they'll all get glucosamine and chondroitin.  Read the lables of your food though.  Some, like Nutro Natural Choice, have it in there already. 

Maggie

[Ilghaus]

Here is one that is real popular with large dog owners.
http://www.nuprosupplements.com/

NUPRO JOINT SUPPORT ALL NATURAL DOG SUPPLEMENT

"NUPRO JOINT SUPPORT is not just for senior dogs or those with arthritis!  The active athletes, show dogs, working dogs, police and search and rescue canines, sled dogs, hunting dogs, AND large breed dogs, as well, will profit from having glucosamine in their diet."

Ingredients
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GLUCOSAMINE COMPLEX (500 mg. per scoop)
MSM  (300 mg. per scoop)
Ester-C Chelated Mineral Blend (300 mg. per scoop)
also contains Norwegian kelp, flaxseed, nutritional yeast culture, desiccated liver, bee pollen, garlic, calcium citrate, lecithin and lactobacillus acidophilus.

[Ilghaus]

My Shepherds (and my Chow before she passed last summer) get Joint Care Plus.  This is a human grade supplement that I purchase at Sam's and give as a preventative. In addition they receive Vit. C.

Some of the ingredients also are of benefit for my boy with EPI (digestion) and also the one with Pannus (eyes). Both conditions are a problem with many GSDs. My third shepherd so far has neither, but his chances of either are stacked against him. He is a littermate to the one with Pannus and 1/2 brother to the guy with EPI.

Ingredients
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, and Collegen

Adult male GSD -- 1 capful per day

[Stefani]

As of right now, Razel and Roxie get both cranberry extract for helping to prevent UTIs.  It is chewable and I can just drop it in Razel's food.  Roxie has to have it put down her mouth.  Razel gets Fish Oil Omega-3 fatty acids.  I've not put Roxie on the omega-3 and stuff, because it really darn expensive.  It was suggested to give to Razel to add another way to help with UTIs and since Roxie has never had a UTI, no need for more supplements.  I give the cranberry to Roxie, because it is way cheaper, and just in case she ever might catch one.  And when Roxie gets diaherra, she gets bran flakes.  It was suggested to put it in her food every meal, but she defently wouldn't eat the food with that in it.  The only reason she eats it after diaherra, is beacuse she was fasted a meal and is hungry.

[Kirsten]

I give a bland meal, hamburger and rice, for diarhea lasting more than one day.  I also give pedialyte mixed in the water (about half and half), and an OTC anti-diarhea medication recommended by my vet.

I have a funny to tell on that one.  One of my dogs (don't remember which) had a bout of diarhea and I got worried enough to take a sample in to the vet.  It was shortly after a pup I knew died from a diarhea caused by a common bacteria.  Anyway, I took the sample in for them to check it under the scope.  A tech comes out and tells me my dog has tapeworms.  I deny this vehemently, of course.  He gets the sample and shows me a "tapeworm."  It was a grain of undigested rice!  I pointed out that it wasn't moving, that none of them were moving, and that the dog had in fact been fed a bland meal of hamburger and rice.  Boy did he turn red.  Anyway, it resolved itself and whoever it was is fine now.