14ers.com

Hi, dog community! All you runners, hikers, backpackers, & peakbaggers who bring your four-legged friends on all of your adventures- does anyone supplement their pup's food with joint health supplements? Are there any vets who can chime in? Baby boy just turned 5, so now seems like a good time to be proactive in making sure he gets in many, many more peaks and paths. He's a 60# mutt, mostly Husky & Pit.

Absolutely. Preventative health is way better than waiting until there is an obvious joint problem. Bone and joint health are very important especially for active dogs and supplements definitely help add specific vitamins, minerals, oils, amino acids and other nutrients beyond what their daily diet often provides. Even the best quality food doesn't have the quantity of many nutrients. There are a lot of options when it comes to making a choice of what to use. I've used many different products and sometimes using one for a couple months then changing to another is valuable as well.

The obvious joint support is glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. But fish oil, flaxseed oil and kelp also has benefits for joints as well as the minerals calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese and some others. Glucosamine and chondroitin build up in the body and are depleted when not regularly supplemented. For about the first month taking the supplements it's important to double the regular dosage to build them up in the system, after that the dosages can be whatever the daily recommendation is for the weight. Glucosamine is typically 2,000mg for a 60 pound dog and chondroitin is a little less, about 1,600mg for a 60 pounder...but I give my 60 pound girls a little more since they're very active mountaineers and they can't absorb toxic levels unless the amounts are ridiculously high. The container which the supplement comes in will have the milligrams and recommended dosage per pound.

There are liquids and powders that can be added on top of the daily food. there are also treats (often have very little amounts) and flavored tablets which usually have higher doses. But with supplements quality is everything. Cheap stuff bought at the Wally store are usually poor quality, don't absorb well and are a waste of money. It's not necessary to buy the most expensive supplements, but good ones will cost more than generic junk. Personally, I like Nupro's Joint and Immunity support, it is a kelp/flaxseed mix powder. Also TerraMax Pro's Hip and Joint Supplement, it is a liquid. But there are lots and lots of options of other good quality supplements like Pet Naturals and petnc. PM me if you want a list of other options, I don't want to sound like a salesman.

Cheers to great pet health,
Pat

Here's my 2¢ - My lab started limping very badly at age 5. She would stand at the end of the hall and hold up one paw, then the other. I started her on Cosequin DS and saw positive results almost immediately. She's now almost 10 years old and plays frisbee, hikes and goes on long walks regularly. It's a relatively inexpensive supplement, and I for one will recommend it to anyone who asks.

Is this thread about giving dogs weed?

(Disclaimer: I work for Zuke's.)

We make two products, Hip Action treats and a supplement called Mobility, designed for joint health. My pup is only 3 and I give her a daily Hip Action. Feel free to PM me and I can put you in touch with our staff nutritionist for more details, and/or send samples.

Justin9 wrote:Here's my 2¢ - My lab started limping very badly at age 5. She would stand at the end of the hall and hold up one paw, then the other. I started her on Cosequin DS and saw positive results almost immediately. She's now almost 10 years old and plays frisbee, hikes and goes on long walks regularly. It's a relatively inexpensive supplement, and I for one will recommend it to anyone who asks.

My dog is almost 10 years old and was showing signs of arthritis. I’ve been giving her Cosequin for two years, and it’s helped her mobility. Glad to hear someone else say it works for his dog as well.

Mtnman200 wrote:

Justin9 wrote:Here's my 2¢ - My lab started limping very badly at age 5. She would stand at the end of the hall and hold up one paw, then the other. I started her on Cosequin DS and saw positive results almost immediately. She's now almost 10 years old and plays frisbee, hikes and goes on long walks regularly. It's a relatively inexpensive supplement, and I for one will recommend it to anyone who asks.

My dog is almost 10 years old and was showing signs of arthritis. I’ve been giving her Cosequin for two years, and it’s helped her mobility. Glad to hear someone else say it works for his dog as well.

maybe i should be taking cosequin, too.

thanks everyone for the help-! i'll be scouring the depths of chewy.com for some of your recommendations!

The most important and EASIEST thing to do is cut your dog's weight down. Dogs that are a little thin and a little hungry are more active and vital and carry less load on their joints.

They typically live longer and with fewer health issues. Once you start using meds to manage joint problems things start to go awry.

I'm just going to chime in with a dogs joint health starts when they are puppies.
check out this link
https://www.dogworksfitness.com/single- ... and-elbows

My pups are 1,9,14. the 14yr just retired last yr after needing both her knees redone. my 1yr does not carry a pack and has not hiked over 6 miles or 2k feet in gain. my 9yr is my rock star but we built up to that over the years, he just did pikes with me and that was 16.5 miles and he was tired for 2 days after that. they all get all the supplements all ready listed by others here, and they work.

I can not tell you how many puppies i see hiking up 14ers and how i try to educate the people but it never seems to sink in. If you want a dog that will go the miles for you please give them time to grow up first so you do not have crippled dogs that are only 5 and 6.

I'm a vet tech in a specialty hospital. My surgeons recommend Dausaquin. (Spelling?). I use Joint Strong powder. You can get it on amazon. Does great for my active herding/obedience/agility/show dogs and especially my older senior dogs! The best things for your dog's joints is to keep them at a good weight. Overweight dogs have complications and tend to live about 3 years less than over weight dogs. I assume most dogs on this forum don't fall into that category.

I am a veterinarian of 30 years...There is little to no evidence-based data for efficacy of these nutraceuticals in either the human or veterinay literature, just lots of anecdote (and marketing). A typical conclusion in a review article---"Glucosamine and chondroitin are commonly recommended by veterinarians as an alternative for treating osteoarthritis in canines unable to tolerate the adverse effects of NSAIDs, or as add-on therapy. Although glucosamine and chondroitin have benign adverse effect profiles, the clinical benefit of using these agents remains questionable. The available evidence is difficult to interpret due to the use of different manufacturers, salt forms, compositions, sources, strengths, regimens, therapy durations, and combinations of active ingredients. Further study is required in order to clarify the uncertainty around the clinical benefit of using these agents and quantify any treatment effect that exists." My take over time is to use these products with financial caution, have low expectations that they actually help, and keep your dog lean (but not mean)!