supplements for kumas recovery

well now that there is a definate diagnosis i guess i should start asking about supplements for joints. ive done some researching into elbow dislocations. apparently the bigger the dog, the longer it takes to heal. usually there is some arthritis once healed etc etc. so i thought adding some joint care formula into her diet would make sense. what supplements does everyone give their dogs for their joints and bones? and how much? do you give human or animal brands? should i keep kuma on them for the rest of her life?

i really cant wait until she comes home!

 

I would definitele get her on a joint supplement, have read one breeder of large dogs gives her dogs joint supplements early on for the rest of their life because large dogs has the propencity to get join problems

I give Jake a regular OTC glucosomine/msm suplement, also check into whether you need chondrontin too, much cheaper than dog supplements, what I did was to look at what the ingredients and dosage recommended for pets and found the same dosage in a regualr supplement

 

I would definitely try a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement, and maybe include some fish oil for the omega-3s. I've heard that liquid joint supplements have a much higher rate of absorbtion -- many people have a lot of success with Flexicose and Synflex (both of these are marketed to people and pets, with just the dosage changed according to weight). If you want a very concentrated liquid supplement, Liquid Health makes one for pets that's extremely high in joint-supporting ingredients (Level 5000) in addition to their regular pet joint health product.

That said, I have to admit that I've had the most success with Joint Care Plus (Drs. Foster & Smith), which is not particularly concentrated and is not in liquid form. I buy it as tablets, and it's a lot easier for me to administer because I just hide it in some cheese instead of having to pour liquid over the food. My dog doesn't have a huge appetite and sometimes refused to eat food that had been doctored with a liquid supplement. Your mileage may vary though!

There's normally a "loading" dose that you reduce off to a daily dose after a while. If she does well on the supplement but you want to reduce the dosage, you can try to reduce the amount little by little until you find the minimum dose that she does well on. The liquid ones tend to be more economical, so hopefully cost won't be too big of a factor.

 

I have my dogs on Restor-a-flex. I ordered it from Valley Vet Supply online. I was looking for something without the MSM and a bunch of other stuff though because the Joint Care Plus from Drs. Foster and Smith made Zoey throw up. (They did refund my money--however.) I wanted just the glucosamine and chondroitin.