Hip & Joint Support Are Important At Any Age

Posted on 15 July 2019
By Dr. Jill Tack
Posted in chrondroitin, gjucosamine, herbsmith sound dog, hip and joint pain in pets, hip and joint supplements, hip pain, inclover connectin, joint pain, remedies hip joint pain
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Hip and joint support aren’t just for old dogs anymore. Most often we begin to think about hip and joint support supplements as our large breed dogs become seniors but you can start hip and joint support at any age.

Hip and joint support aren’t just for old dogs anymore. Most often we begin to think about hip and joint support supplements as our large breed dogs become seniors. However, you can start hip and joint support at any age as especially large breed dogs that are notorious for hip issues would benefit from starting a supplement early in life. Even our kitties who are actively jumping and finding higher elevations could benefit from a hip and joint supplement.

Determine The Source Of Hip And Joint Issues

Before jumping into types of supplements, it is best to find out if there is an ailment that correlates with your pet’s behaviors. If your cat or dog is acting stiff and has a hard time getting around, you will need to determine if it is the hips or is there arthritis or both. Although these present similarly, there are different supplements to consider. Stiffness, lameness, looseness, decreased activity, decreased jumping, obesity, avoidance of stairs, and foot-dragging could all be signs that supportive measures are needed. Many times your veterinarian can give you a better idea of what is happening internally whether it’s hips, joints, or arthritis from x-rays and other diagnostic testing. Hip dysplasia can be very common with our canine friends. Hip dysplasia is a malformation of the bones, degeneration of the joint, decrease in joint fluid, and or chronic joint inflammation. On the other hand, arthritis is a demineralization that happens over time along with chronic inflammation. In reality, your pet could have both and they may be difficult to distinguish.

The Right Combination Does The Trick

Here’s the tricky part… finding the right combination for your pet that offers relief. You have food, treats, and supplements to choose from but where do you get started? Let’s start with food. More often than not your “senior” formulas will have added glucosamine and chondroitin in the food to help with the aging of your pet. However, depending on the size of your pet, I don’t know of a food that has the supplements at a therapeutic level. Treats often fall into this same category. Treats will have a smaller amount of glucosamine and chondroitin but again, your pet would need to eat too many treats to see therapeutic benefits.

InClover Connectin and Herbsmith Sound Dog both have a therapeutic amount plus they add herbs to help reduce inflammation and pain. We have many customers who have remarked about the quality of their pet’s life improving within just a few days of starting these supplements. They have also mentioned if they run out of the supplement for a few days they can tell the difference when the supplement has been stopped.

At times, you may need to combine a few supplements to offer the most relief and improve quality of life. In addition to glucosamine and chrondroitin, MSM, essential fatty acids, fermented fish stock, and improved nutrition could all play a role in your pet’s structural support. Supplements are a great everyday supportive measure, but you may also want to consider chiropractic care and laser therapy. These therapies are both offered at The Pet Beastro. If you aren’t sure where to start or need help navigating the differences with supplements, our staff members are happy to help!

Determine The Source Of Hip And Joint Issues

The Right Combination Does The Trick

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