Joint/Hip Care

[Giselle]

Also, I see that she is part Beagle. Is her weight an issue?

Older dogs need to be kept leaner than most people think. Excess weight hurts. My pekingese has luxating patellas but I keep him very trim, active, and he gets a lot of natural supplementation: i.e. salmon flesh/fat, chicken/beef/turkey/pork cartilage, shellfish shells, etc. He's very active and pain-free for an almost 10 year old!

Store bought supplements are good, but I'm cheap and feel more comfortable going about it the 'natural' way Plus, I'm awful about remembering medications! Walmart and Costco are most cost-efficient, I believe...

[mikkehla]

Also, I see that she is part Beagle. Is her weight an issue?

Honegirl is at least knee high to me. She has a long lab body and shorter legs. A year ago the vet told her she was fat weighing between 55-60 pounds, so she went on a diet. I can proudly say she has lost close to 10 pounds if not more. She is much thinner now and I beleive at an ideal weight as I can feel her ribs and she definately has "shape" in her middle part. Part of the success to her weightloss was I started feeding her better quality food. Instead of Kibbles and Chunks, which she ate for years, she now gets Pedigree (Chicken Rice and Vegetables). She also eats Iams (Lamb & Rice) when she is visiting her downstairs neighbors (2 Wheaten Terriors) which is almost daily. The quantity of the food really hasn't changed, just the quality.

I've been researching all the products that contain the gluclosimine, etc., and there are so many different brands out there that it is hard to decide which one to by - especially since prices differ vastly! I just don't know if I need to by an expensive product or if a cheaper one will work just as well.

[bckrazy]

Instead of Kibbles and Chunks, which she ate for years, she now gets Pedigree (Chicken Rice and Vegetables). She also eats Iams (Lamb & Rice) when she is visiting her downstairs neighbors (2 Wheaten Terriors) which is almost daily. The quantity of the food really hasn't changed, just the quality.

It's GREAT that you are interested in feeding Honey a premium diet... but honestly, Pedigree and Iams are baby steps above Kibbles and Chunks, if even. You will find that you will be feeding her drastically less food, and she will be fuller, and her overall health will most likely improve if you get her on a premium diet that is either low in grains or grain free. (A good rule of thumb is never buy food from a grocery store and preferably not a chain store like Petsmart, if you have any local feed or specialty pet stores.) Innova, Innova Evo, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, Nature's Variety, are all quality brands that are basically cheaper than Iams cost-wise if you figure in calorie content (for instance, a 5 lb bag of Iams might cost $5, but being chock full of cheap grains, it has half the calories and will therefore last half as long as a $10 bag of Taste of the Wild, which is grain-free and has high meat content). You will noticed an increase in muscle, a loss of fat and excess padding, better breath, teeth, and even an improvement in overall mobility, vigor, and stamina with a biologically appropriate carnivorous diet.

Gonzo is turning 8 this summer. He is starting to get minor arthritis is his lower spine (thx frisbees/flyball/etc/etc). His symptoms were soooooooooo minor, but I just knew something wasn't right with him. It's crazy how stoic our dogs can be. I would definitely try to limit jumping and encourage playing/walking on soft surfaces, swimming, and low-impact games. You can give her a buffered aspirin when she really seems to be uncomfortable. Get her on glucosamine and chondroitin. Make sure she gets it DAILY, or it really won't have a big effect. There are natural sources of it available (like Giselle mentioned) in crustacean shells, cow tracheas, etc. I feed that when ever possible, but I buy a complete joint supplement from my Vet to give consistently. It has glucosamine, chondroitin, and a bit of a natural pain reliever in it. Check with your Vet to see if they have something similar. Mine was very reasonable... I think it's about $30/bottle and they last for about 3 months.