Glucosamine For Dogs - How I Became A Believer!
30 Jul 2008
I’ve always been wary about expensive, unnecessary health supplements for my family - human or pet, but sometimes even a sceptic has to change his mind. Glucosamine for dogs has been an absolute lifesaver for our family pet Zoe.
Meet Zoe, our delightful 11 year old red heeler cross. She’s always been an active dog and loves her walks and chasing balls. This is her story…
Two winters ago Zoe started with a bit of joint stiffness in the cold - then came the pain. OK age catches up with all of us but when you love dogs, it tears your heart out to hear your dog whimpering with pain just trying to climb a few steps. Our vet confirmed osteoarthritis, and we talked about pain meds and anti-inflammtory drugs but weren’t keen on the side effects. Then he suggested trying a glucosamine for dogs supplement. It took a bit of convincing for the sceptic in me to come around but what choice did I have?
We started with a popular glucosamine and chondroitin mix - first problem - Zoe wasn’t keen on these tablets! She could suss them out in her food and didn’t like them pushed down her throat. After a bit of research we quickly switched to liquid glucosamine which Zoe liked much better and that worked a treat - within weeks Zoe was racing around like a crazy puppy and incredibly… no pain.
I’ve always thought of glucosamine as a health supplement for people but I’ve rapidly discovered the benefits of liquid glucosamine for dogs!
Up to 40% of domestic pet dogs in Europe could be overweight or clinically obese, according to veterinarians; some US vets say the figures are very much higher.
Sea Salt cures dogs of arthritis 100%. Helps most cats and people too. The mental mechanism in people is anger and resentment, which is contributory.
A leg massage is very beneficial for dogs with wrist arthritis. Learn more about leg massage for dogs with wrist arthritis from a veterinary technician in this free dog care video.
The Small Intestine Sea dog acupressure point relieves pain in the legs and is good for dogs who dislike having their feet touched. Learn more about triggering the Small Intestine Sea acupressure point in dogs with wrist arthritis from a veterinary technician in this free dog care video.
Vader is my 8 year old Rottweiler that I rescued from downtown Detroit in 2000. Vader was diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer on June, 11th 2007. My two options were to do nothing giving him about 3 months to live, or to have his right leg amputated. At that time I didn’t think about cost, only what was best for Vader. How would he get along with only three legs? How long would the surgery prolong his life? Many tough questions went through my head. After doing weighing all the options and doing online research about how dogs adapt to having only three legs, I decided to have the surgery performed. I went to pick him up the day after his surgery, which he came through the great, and I was so surprised to see him standing waging his little stub of a tail. I thought I was going to have to carry him. I custom built him a ramp to get into my Trailblazer (as you can see in the video) and he went right up them. I practiced with him going up the ramp BEFORE his surgery so he would be familiar with it. I took a video of the whole trip from getting in and out of the truck and into the house. He actually RAN into the house and up some huge stone steps, I was amazed. The scene in the video with his T-shirt on is actually day one post surgery.
The dog food I use is IAM’s senior; it has a lot of protein and a little less fat. You can use other brands but just make sure the first ingredient is chicken, beef, fish… and not some cornmeal or byproduct. For dinner we give him eggbeaters mixed in with his dog food. And whenever we make broccoli or vegetables I will give him some. Vegetables are supposed to be very good for them. I wish I would have known some of this when he was a puppy so I could of fed him better. I always used whatever the vet recommend and something with glucosamine and chondroitin but didn’t supplement it with anything. Luckily he has always been fit and healthy until this bout with cancer.
Arnie Costell produced this video to demonstrate the Bottom’s Up Leash he developed for his 17 year old dog Watson. Read our review of Watson’s Senior Pet pProducts at www.tripawds.com!