RiverStar-Aura Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I'm just after some advice regarding joint care. Zeus is 5 1/2 now and we're both just getting into agility trialling -- have been to classes for just over a year now. Whilst I keep him on the lighter side and nice and muscly, he's still quite hard on his joints -- he often pelts high speed up and down our retaining wall (about 1.5-2 metres high) :/ I've been reading some older threads about the pros and cons of Glyde, Joint Guard and Rosehip Vital but wanted a little bit more info. I've used Glyde in the past with Poochie who did have full blown OA in her back legs but from reading it seems that Joint Guard is a better product for preventative measures. Where does the RHV fit in to this? I has a confused :/ He does get tuna in oil twice weekly -- I've read that mackerel is better as its a more oily fish but is harder to source. Should I just give him a fish oil supplement and at what dose? He's just under 14 kilos. Thanks for any help and info you guys can give me. I'd like to help Zeus out before he gets bad (if it happens at all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have been giving my older girl RHV now for the past 18 months....she is 7, purely as a preventative. Both mine get dried sardines on their dinner every second night & on the other night they get an egg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-o Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 What's his regular diet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Both of mine are on RHV as I have one with early onset arthritis in his hips & his improvement in movement has really blown me away to be honest. He is moving so much more freer now & I have my girl on it as a preventative really. Also there overall condition & coat have improved dramatically as have their energy levels. They are both on a mainly raw diet which includes Roo meat & fresh fish that we catch our selves each day. Plus 25% KiwiPeak dry food. Venison & fish, which they love plus eggs, yoghurt etc 3 times a week :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Both my BCs were on Joint Guard as a preventative for several years, but I switched them over to RHCV last year after getting some good reports from people I trust. Neither have had any particular problems, and both are still going well. They need the occasional tweaking from their acupuncture/massage vet, but I'm happy with how they're going. My 6 year old boy is a big solid BC - though kept very lean - fast - does agility, obedience, rally, occasional DWD and conformation, and track & search. My girl is a light framed but tallish girl - again, kept very lean - much to her disgust. She is 12 and 3/4 and is still competing (with approval from both 'normal' and acupuncture/massage vets) in T & S, agility - though with a lighter load, and rally, and occasional DWD. The last time she saw our aupuncture vet for a check up, he said "There is nothing I need to treat on this dog." So I can't say for sure whether I'm just really lucky, or whether the preventative supplements have been beneficial - can't prove a negative easily. Oh, and they're kibble (Black Hawk now) fed primarily, and also have fish oil/vitamin E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I use the PAWS chews because they are easy to give. Poppy does have issues and there was a marked improvement with the chews. I have also given her Joint Guard but don't think that was any better for her than the chews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 What's his regular diet? I knew there was something I'd forget! :laugh: He is fed 1/4 cup Royal Canin Medium twice daily with a dollop of Jalna Low Fat Natural Yoghurt at dinner. I supplement with frozen turkey wings, tin of tuna with Virgin olive oil and raw egg (she'll included). Occasionally he has apples and carrots too. So his week might look like: Monday: breakfast of RC, a frozen turkey wing midday-ish, then RC + Yoghurt dinner Tuesday: breakfast RC, dinner RC + yoghurt + tuna Wednesday: Breakfast RC Dinner RC + yoghurt Thursday: Breakfast RC + egg Dinner RC + yoghurt Etc I do tend to mix it up depending on who's home to feed him. Some nights I don't finish until late so my youngest brother is comfortable feeding just the dry with yoghurt. Sounds like RHV is worth a try then for preventative measures. My vet nurse friend just mentioned the PAW osteo chews too so will have to look into them as I've never heard of them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 You feed runny stuff so would be ok with a powder at least. I mainly feed dry or a bone so found it annoying which is why I use the chews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakkjackal Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I feed MSM powder, glucosamine and a reasonably large dose of fish oil daily. You can't really overdose on fish oil, the only issue would be possible weight gain but you'd really have to feed a fair bit for that to happen. Wanting to add pure chondroitin sulfate and rosehip too. In general I like to steer away from expensive brand names and look for the ingredients in a more pure form to keep costs down as my dog, whilst not being giant, isn't small either and it can get expensive. He's around 28 kg's and is currently getting 1000mg of glucosamine, 3 g of MSM and 6-9 caps of fish oil per day. Sadly he has reasonably bad HD with signs of arthritis at only 3 years old but you could never tell; in fact it was an absolute shock for me to find out as he has never shown a single sign. I have been feeding this combo for a long time too, as a preventative measure before finding out. I have been thinking about trying hyaluronic acid too but some suggest it really only works as an injection, not orally. However I've heard some have had success with feeding HA too. We maintain a very active lifestyle as I strongly believe that his excellent fitness and muscle tone is one of the major reasons he isn't showing any symptoms. Core strength and regular physio/doggy massage visits are great too and I'm definitely going to book him an acupuncture appointment some time in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 (edited) Its a bit of personal perference and what works for one dog might not work for another dog. I have had both of mine on joint guard and swapped them nearly two years ago over to RHVC. I wasn't sure I'd see any difference but did with both dogs. Possibly a bit of trial and error involved but I am happy enough with the RHVC. My oldie was showing signs of being lame in her front end while on joint guard but within a month of swapping her to the RHVC there was a huge difference. They both also get fish oil in addition to there RHVC. Mine have both had orthopaedic surgery - one a patella and one for a cruciate repair. The old girl is still tolerating twice daily walks of up to 1.5 hours despite being 12 months post a cruciate repair. You may have seen videos of my girls in the RHVC thread on DOL if you have read through the previous threads. Edited November 27, 2014 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightstar123 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have seen some great results from Dasuquin and there is some encouraging research on ASU (one of the ingredients in Dasuquin), particularly in horses but the small animal stuff is coming too. Apart from the ASU it's pretty similar to other joint formulas though. But yes, you can definitely buy most of the ingredients as human supplements and combine them, it can be cheaper. Wild krill oil seems to be an interesting alternative to fish oil too. A lot of my friends in the USA swear by SAM-e, especially for older dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianca.a Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I give this to both my dogs http://www.amazon.com/Glyco-Flex-III-Soft-Chews-Dogs-120-Count/dp/B002LVTTYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417077535&sr=8-1&keywords=glyco+flex+iii Cooper has had 2 total hip replacements and two specialists we saw thought these sounded pretty darn good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 (edited) My Shar Pei has had some issues recently with both left side legs, vet has ruled out knees and tendons, so I started him on Rose Hip Vital but the costs were crazy as I wanted to start my Kelpie X on it as well as a preventative then I saw some Animal Health Solutions Rose Hip at the Feed Barn for a much more reasonable $35 for 1kg so have him and Jesse on that on that. With some rest and no more jumping in and out of the car its finally looking better although he still lifts the back leg up and 3 legs it from time to time. Anxiously awaiting the Yumove I purchased so I can see if that helps. I feed Blackhawk with yoghurt in the mornings and with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil,2 scoops of Rose Hip and half a can of sardines in oil at night. Edited November 29, 2014 by Canetoad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Please be careful with high levels of fish oil without adding vitamin E. This can be catastrophic to a dogs health. Having said that I do think fish oil with vitamin E is great, I also am also a fan of coconut oil and there are increasingly positive reports on supplementing with turmeric for arthritic dogs. Alternating daily between fish oil and coconut oil is probably a good balance :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakkjackal Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Please be careful with high levels of fish oil without adding vitamin E. This can be catastrophic to a dogs health. This is true as feeding oils increases their vitamin E needs. I give a vit. E supplement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Please be careful with high levels of fish oil without adding vitamin E. This can be catastrophic to a dogs health. This is true as feeding oils increases their vitamin E needs. I give a vit. E supplement. Excellent I had a feeling that you were savvy to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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