Super delicious canine joint supplements?

[yellowbritches]

I have a 9 year old dog that, for the most part, looks and acts FAR younger than her years (most people are blown away when I say she’s 9). However, 9 years of being an extremely active and energetic dog are starting to show…she gets stiff and uncomfortable when she sits around too much, especially after a big day of running around like a maniac.

I have, off and on over the last couple of years, given her some version of doggy joint sups, even though I’m not a huge believer in them. When she takes them consistently, I notice a difference, and I think she does, too. BUT, getting them into her consistently is tricky…she is SUPER picky (she was a high source of entertainment at a party recently when she was turning her nose up to all sorts of yummy goodies most dogs would scarf without thinking). She is the only dog I know that can actually make a “EW! GROSS!” face, and she does it frequently. IF she even puts something in her mouth that she’s suspicious of, she’ll spit it out in short order if she doesn’t like it.

So, does anyone have suggestions for “Super Picky Eater” approved joint sups? Or a good sup that would be easily hidden in one of her favorite treats (string cheese or cream cheese)?

[wendy]

I use Hylasport for dogs which is a beef-flavored powder you mix into their food.

[stargzng386]

SynoviG3 Joint Chews. IT’s literally an amazing dog treat. My golden would take her regular pill soff my hand (that she used to fight me to swallow) and gulp then down to get her chew. They also made a huge difference in the way she moved, she was much less stiff.

[BuddyRoo]

Have you tried the Cosequin ASU? Or just plain Cosequin? Admittedly, my dog is totally a food hound and I barely have to hide meds. But those are two supps that I really feel confident about.

Smart Pak has similar for dogs and they guarantee palatability else will refund you so that might be the way to go for a trial.

Another thing that seems to help with joint stuff is the omega fatty acids. A simple human supp can be given in gel cap form or broken over the food.

[yellowbritches]

[QUOTE=wendy;6963554]
I use Hylasport for dogs which is a beef-flavored powder you mix into their food.[/QUOTE]
I don’t like adding anything important to her food because she free feeds.

I have some Smartpak supplement now that she was taking kinda ok, but last time I offered she just left them, lying on the floor.

[MadeYaLook]

Cosequin DS!!! Awesome price and product-dog loves them with or without a little squeeze cheese. Has been on this now for over 2 years and my vet is very impressed. He does agility and even though we’ve had no problems I believe in being pro-active.

[cleozowner]

What about going with injectable Adequan or pentosan? Bypasses the whole picky eater aspect.

[kasjordan]

NuJoint Plus. I supplement my 100+ lb GSD with this. Was recommended by a GSD breeder. They are tablet like but smell like treats and he eagerly sucks them down like they are! They will auto ship for you too…
http://www.nuvetonline.com/main_pages/nujointplus.html

[lawndart]

[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6963658]

Smart Pak has similar for dogs and they guarantee palatability else will refund you so that might be the way to go for a trial.

Another thing that seems to help with joint stuff is the omega fatty acids. A simple human supp can be given in gel cap form or broken over the food.[/QUOTE]

I tried the smartpak dog supps for my non-picky eater, she is 12 years old. She initially ate them, then started refusing. This is a dog that will eat almost anything.

I just picked up (from TSC) Sergeants Vetscription Joint Eze Plus and she scarfs them down eagerly. I think she is moving better, but it has been less than a week, so I’m reserving judgment.

[yellowbritches]

So, she made a total liar out of me last night.

I still have part of a bottle of the SP joint sup, so I decided to try again. She turned her nose right up when I offered them to her (I think she thinks I trick her because they live in the same cabinet as her treats and her rawhides). Sometimes she’ll eat them off the floor, but no go…so, I just chucked them on top of her food. She was in the kitchen with a plan to eat, anyway, and she ate them all, no questions asked.

So, we may be ok for now!

[Roxyllsk]

Springtime has beef liver based dog supplements - my dogs think they
are treats LOL. Sign up for their mailing list, as they do have a lot
of buy two-get one or buy two-get two specials. They are having one now :

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/joint-health-chewables

[Event4Life]

My dog is picky and eats the Cosequin DS supps…I actually don’t give them to her because a) she’s only 3 and b) I really haven’t noticed any signs of stiffness. Her foster mom did give them to her, hence why I know she eats them, but vet said it was probably overkill. So yay!

[yellowbritches]

Sounds like if she continues to be “meh” about what we currently have, I’ll try the Cosequin…I DO like the idea of using Cosequin since it is one of the few equine joint sups I trust!

[Event4Life]

YB, if you’d like half a jar to try shoot me a PM. I have no use for mine.

[ChocoMare]

My senior Black Lab would be near crippled without, of all things, DuMor Liquid Flex. It’s Tractor Supply’s generic version, so it’s cheaper but just as effective. A wee squeeze of it once a day in her supper and she can move.

[wendy]

I tried the Smartpak line of dog supplements, and my dogs would not eat them. Even if you covered them with liverwurst, they’d manage to spit them out. Which is shame, because the ingredients look excellent.

Another option is HA gel- buy a bottle of Conquer or Hyaluronex liquid and squirt a little on the food- it’s tasteless (yes I tried it).

You might want to reconsider the free-feeding: one of the easiest, cheapest ways to make an arthritic dog move better is to trim a bit of weight off. Even if the dog isn’t obviously fat, you can usually manage to trim some weight off and even an extra ounce can affect how their joints feel. Dogs always weigh more when free-fed than when you control their food intake. Plus there was that pesky study demonstrating that dogs that are free-fed die, on average, 2 years younger than dogs that are fed controlled appropriately-sized portions of food.

[4Martini]

I used Fluid Action horse joint liquid for our old dog (apple flavored- there is dog dosage on the side too.) It was cheap and worked well for her. I just squirted it on, let it sink in and then gave it to her.

[yellowbritches]

You might want to reconsider the free-feeding: one of the easiest, cheapest ways to make an arthritic dog move better is to trim a bit of weight off. Even if the dog isn’t obviously fat, you can usually manage to trim some weight off and even an extra ounce can affect how their joints feel. Dogs always weigh more when free-fed than when you control their food intake. Plus there was that pesky study demonstrating that dogs that are free-fed die, on average, 2 years younger than dogs that are fed controlled appropriately-sized portions of food.

You assume she is overweight.

I’ve actually struggled over the years to keep enough weight on her. She is not a good eater, and after battling with her years and years ago on getting her to eat when I put food in front of her, I gave up and let her choose. I realize this is not the best way to feed a dog, but she, unlike most dogs, considers eating a chore and not the meaning to life. She eats about 1.5 to 2 cups of food a day (which is about right for her size and her immense activity level). Thanks for the thought.

[freshman]

All 3 of mine eat their Cosequin DS chew tablets right up when tossed whole on top of their regular dry dog food, no problem. Even when I first introduced them, they never even blinked. Never tried to feeding them alone as treats or trying to pill them, but they be pretty palatable.

FWIW on the Cosequin, it makes a huge difference for one of my dogs. I got broke and took all 3 mine off of it at one point, and my older lab got super creaky/painful after a just few weeks. Improved again after restarting and being on it again for month or two, but I won’t make that mistake again! The other dogs do notably better when on it, but not so dramatic, so do note that your milage will vary per dog–it is very individual as far response, etc.

Also FWIW, I am already looking at Dasuquin and/or injectable Adequan if/when my very arthritic girl shows signs that she needs anything more than the Cosequin to be comfortable. She’s cool right now, but I’m already exploring/pricing my options to start now or be ready when I have to try something else.

[Bacardi1]

I’ve been using this product for a number of years now:
https://secure.positive-works.com/prodpage.cfm?cat_selected=59&Product_Selected=31.

It’s beef-flavored, and even CATS will eat it squirted on & mixed into canned food. Tried it with my vet’s blessing on my elderly cat who developed crippling arthritis in both hips, & it made an entirely new cat out of her. She went from barely being able to walk to bouncing around, playing with toys, etc., etc., after just 2 weeks.

Have had the same results with my geriatric Coonhound who was getting a little weather-related arthritic aches & pains.

Great stuff, & a little goes a long way.