what supplements do you use to prevent injuries/arthritis?

[Katilea]

I'm just wondering after struggling with my 13yo dog who has arthritis and her back end is going. I didn't start her on supplements until she was around 10yo and she had to go on medication for it at 11 and a half.

 

I also have a 2yo who's really active and forever jumping around and constantly wanting to play ball, he does alot of running alongside my mobility scooter on pavements round the village (as fields tend to get waterlogged in rain and snow so can't get him on them).

 

I'm wondering if I should start him on supplements younger? I looked at Yumove Working dog but its £69.99 which is a bit out of my budget for a monthly outgoing from 2yo.

 

I've been reading about Turmeric I've tried it on my older dog but I think hers was too advanced before I started her on it as only found out about Turmeric Users group this year.

 

Wondered what others used for their active dogs either to help with recovery after an injury or to prevent arthritis setting in young and has it worked??

 

Thanks

 

Kate

[Alchemist]

ALL my dogs (even the pup) get a Dasuquin (a glucosamine/chondrointin supplement) daily. The older two get Adequan injections each month.

[mum24dog]

In answer to that question, is there anyone giving supplements who can come up with any decent independent research that clearly demonstrates the efficacy of any of them?

 

Anyone who can supply proof that spending a fortune over the life of a dog prevents or diminishes the normal effects of ageing?

[Smalahundur]

In answer to that question, is there anyone giving supplements who can come up with any decent independent research that clearly demonstrates the efficacy of any of them?

 

Anyone who can supply proof that spending a fortune over the life of a dog prevents or diminishes the normal effects of ageing?

Nobody can because there is no scientific support for the hypothesis that these supplements delay or diminish arthritis, arthrosis etc.

Needless to say,I don´t spend a penny on it.

[Liz P]

There are many excellent studies showing that fish oil, given at the correct dose and with Vit E, has many benefits. Among others, it reduces inflammation (inflammation leads to arthritic changes) and extends survival time in mammals with conditions like heart disease and kidney failure. We are also finding that omega 3 FAs are critical for brain development and health. More and more we are realizing that a western diet (higher ratio of omega 6 FAs) is harmful.

 

Are glucosamine/chondroitin supplements beneficial in young dogs? I think the jury is still out on that question.

[mum24dog]

Nobody can because there is no scientific support for the hypothesis that these supplements delay or diminish arthritis, arthrosis etc.

Needless to say,I don´t spend a penny on it.

Me neither. I would consider fish oil if a dog had an inflammatory condition but that's about it. I'm not really a "just in case" sort of person. All my dogs have done very well without add ons, just reasonable food, enough but not excessive exercise and a good proportion of good luck.

[Shetlander]

There are many excellent studies showing that fish oil, given at the correct dose and with Vit E, has many benefits.

What would be the dose for a 40ish lb dog and any particular brand or type that you recommend, Liz? Thanks.

[simba]

Agree with Smalahundr and Mum24dog.

 

The reason glucosamine started getting used in pets is because there seemed to be logical theoretical reasons it might maybe work in humans. When it was studied, it turns out it doesn't. There's very little research in dogs and what there is shows little or no benefit- and remember, when it initially became popular it was based on the supposed useful effects in humans. The evidence doesn't seem to be great for fish oil as a treatment or prevention for arthritis in pets, either. But it's good for their skin.

[RemsMom]

There are many excellent studies showing that fish oil, given at the correct dose and with Vit E, has many benefits.

I give my GSD fish oil and would like to give him Vit E but have no idea how much. I noticed a huge difference in the condition of my GSD's skin once I began giving fish oil. Would fish oil and Vit E supplements be good for my 8 month old BC?

[5Bordercollies]

Zorro injured his back a few months ago. Not very serious, but I could see it dies bother him. He would look around to his hind end hip area like a flea was biting him, but he was flea free and never followed through with biting the area like he would if it truly was a flea. I'm currently giving him Mobiflex, two tabs a day, it seems to help. He's stopped doing that look around thing. His tail still won't curl, but that's ok, he moves more freely. He's seven years old.

[alligande]

Liz I am also curious as what the amounts of fish oil and vitamin e would be. I use fish oil now for his coat but had read in a number of places that it had been proven to help with joints. Thanks

[D'Elle]

I at one time did spend a small fortune giving my dogs Dasuquin, and I never saw any difference as a result. Fish oil, on the other hand, has been exhaustively tested in humans and dogs, and is shown to be beneficial. I am going to start all of my animals, dogs and cats, on salmon oil as soon as my order arrives. I will be interested to see if it makes any difference in Kit's mobility. But even if it doesn't help with that, I am sure it will be good for all of them.

[GentleLake]

Remember that fish oil deplete Vit. E so it should be added if you give fish oil.

 

I really don't know the recommended amounts of Vit.E to give. I give my old dog a 400 IU capsule daily, and the other 2 one every other day. My vets just nods when I tell her that, so I'm assuming she approves.

[Gideon's girl]

I've read twice on here that fish oil depletes vit E, but never heard that anywhere else. I know that vit E is used to preserve fish oil, but fish oil depletes E? I'll have to look into that.

[mum24dog]

I thought it was fish liver oil that was worse for vit E and that you would have to give a lot to have an adverse effect.

[TEC]

Do not overlook the benefits of healthy exercise to build muscle mass. Muscles support joints and help prevent wear and tear that lead to arthritis.

 

If a dog is diagnosed with arthritis, low impact exercise is important -- things like swimming, treadmills, walks, and stairs. I have seen a horse hot walker modified for dogs. Nothing more natural than exercise. -- TEC

[waffles]

I've read twice on here that fish oil depletes vit E, but never heard that anywhere else. I know that vit E is used to preserve fish oil, but fish oil depletes E? I'll have to look into that.

I have only read that if you are giving a very high, therapeutic dose of fish oil, that you then need to supplement with vitamin e. I give fish oil but not a high doose and never saw a need to worry about vitamin e.

[GentleLake]

How high a dose is considered a therapeutic dose?

 

I give 2 of my dogs approximately 50% more then is recommended for their weight. Dunno if that qualifies or not.

 

OTOH, even if I don't need it to offset the fish oil, I think Vit. E is a useful antioxidant to supplement my dogs with.

[Gideon's girl]

The regular dose for fish oil is 100mg of combined DHA + EPA per 10 lbs of body weight. One of the sites I saw today said that the problem was the increased oxidation that fish oil causes and vit E is an excellent antioxidant. The dose they listed as being problematic was twice the normal dose.

 

Unfortunately, one of the sites I went to loaded spyware, or tried to, on my computer, so I've spent the last 2 hours running thorough scans to make sure I don't still have garbage on my computer. Don't go to Dog Forum if you decide to check this out yourself.

[GentleLake]

I'll take your word for it, GG. Thanks for the warning.

[Liz P]

It's not a simple answer. The dose of fish oil + vit E depends on the condition you are trying to treat or prevent, the size of your dog and it's diet.

[alligande]

I have another question for you Liz. I was talking with my new vet about supplements for joint issues, her background is South African educated, and worked in the UK for a number of years, and is now in Spain and when I mentioned that I had read that fish oil had been proven to have some value, she said that her reading of material in the UK was that it had not, but the vote was still out on glucosamine. Do you have any professional grade links I can share.

[simba]

Alligande- here, if she has access to that particular journal she can get full text.

 

The same author also wrote an article on pet supplements for laypeople here. It links to both of the two clinical trials in dogs she found- apparently there aren't many out there.

 

The larger, more recent studies on glucosamine in humans have found no benefit.

[Pearse]

Below are the abstracts from four studies reported in the literature. Three report significant improvement in the symptoms of osteoarthritis in dogs fed a diet supplemented with salmon oil high in omega three fatty acids. The fourth reports no significant changes. I have not read or evaluated all four articles so I can't comment on the quality of the science.

 

I do know that speaking with several veterinarians at a university veterinary medical center, the one thing they all agreed on with respect to managing dogs with osteoarthritis is that fish oil has beneficial effects in reducing inflammation.

 

 

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2010 Jan 1;236(1):67-73. doi: 10.2460/javma.236.1.67.

Evaluation of the effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on weight bearing in dogswith osteoarthritis.

Roush JK1, Cross AR, Renberg WC, Dodd CE, Sixby KA, Fritsch DA, Allen TA, Jewell DE, Richardson DC, Leventhal PS, Hahn KA.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the effects of a food supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis.

DESIGN:

Randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial.

ANIMALS:

38 client-owned dogs with osteoarthritis examined at 2 university veterinary clinics.

PROCEDURES:

Dogs were randomly assigned to receive a typical commercial food (n = 16) or a test food (22) containing 3.5% fish oil omega-3 fatty acids. On day 0 (before the trial began) and days 45 and 90 after the trial began, investigators conducted orthopedic evaluations and force-plate analyses of the most severely affected limb of each dog, and owners completed questionnaires to characterize their dogs' arthritis signs.

RESULTS:

The change in mean peak vertical force between days 90 and 0 was significant for the test-food group (5.6%) but not for the control-food group (0.4%). Improvement in peak vertical force values was evident in 82% of the dogs in the test-food group, compared with 38% of the dogs in the control-food group. In addition, according to investigators' subjective evaluations, dogs fed the test food had significant improvements in lameness and weight bearing on day 90, compared with measurements obtained on day 0.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:

At least in the short term, dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids resulted in an improvement in weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis.

 

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J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2010 Mar 1;236(5):535-9. doi: 10.2460/javma.236.5.535.

A multicenter study of the effect of dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on carprofen dosage in dogs with osteoarthritis.

Fritsch DA1, Allen TA, Dodd CE, Jewell DE, Sixby KA, Leventhal PS, Brejda J, Hahn KA.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the effects of feeding a diet supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on carprofen dosage in dogs with osteoarthritis.

DESIGN:

Randomized, controlled, multisite clinical trial.

ANIMALS:

131 client-owned dogs with stable chronic osteoarthritis examined at 33 privately owned veterinary hospitals in the United States.

PROCEDURES:

In all dogs, the dosage of carprofen was standardized over a 3-week period to approximately 4.4 mg/kg/d (2 mg/lb/d), PO. Dogswere then randomly assigned to receive a food supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids or a control food with low omega-3 fatty acid content, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks later, investigators made decisions regarding increasing or decreasing the carprofen dosage on the basis of investigator assessments of 5 clinical signs and owner assessments of 15 signs.

RESULTS:

Linear regression analysis indicated that over the 12-week study period, carprofen dosage decreased significantly faster among dogs fed the supplemented diet than among dogs fed the control diet. The distribution of changes in carprofen dosage for dogs in the control group was significantly different from the distribution of changes in carprofen dosage for dogs in the test group.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:

Results suggested that in dogs with chronic osteoarthritis receiving carprofen because of signs of pain, feeding a diet supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids may allow for a reduction in carprofen dosage.

 

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J Vet Intern Med. 2010 Sep-Oct;24(5):1020-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0572.x. Epub 2010 Aug 12.

Dose-titration effects of fish oil in osteoarthritic dogs.

Fritsch D1, Allen TA, Dodd CE, Jewell DE, Sixby KA, Leventhal PS, Hahn KA.

Author information

Erratum in

• J Vet Intern Med. 2011 Jan-Feb;25(1):167.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Food supplemented with fish oil improves clinical signs and weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).

OBJECTIVE:

Determine whether increasing the amount of fish oil in food provides additional symptomatic improvements in OA.

ANIMALS:

One hundred and seventy-seven client-owned dogs with stable chronic OA of the hip or stifle.

METHODS:

Prospective, randomized clinical trial using pet dogs. Dogs were randomly assigned to receive the baseline therapeutic food (0.8% eicosopentanoic acid [EPA] + docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) or experimental foods containing approximately 2- and 3-fold higher EPA+DHA concentrations. Both veterinarians and owners were blinded as to which food the dog received. On days 0, 21, 45, and 90, serum fatty acid concentrations were measured and veterinarians assessed the severity of 5 clinical signs of OA. At the end of the study (day 90), veterinarians scored overall arthritic condition and progression of arthritis based on their clinical signs and an owner interview.

RESULTS:

Serum concentrations of EPA and DHA rose in parallel with food concentrations. For 2 of 5 clinical signs (lameness and weight bearing) and for overall arthritic condition and progression of arthritis, there was a significant improvement between the baseline and 3X EPA+DHA foods (P=.04, .03, .001, .0008, respectively) but not between the baseline and the 2X EPA+DHA foods.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE:

Increasing the amount of fish oil beyond that in the baseline food results in dose-dependent increases in serum EPA and DHA concentrations and modest improvements in the clinical signs of OA in pet dogs.

Copyright © 2010 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

 

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BMC Vet Res. 2012 Sep 6;8:157. doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-157.

An un-commissioned randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study to test the effect of deep sea fish oil as a pain reliever for dogs suffering from canine OA.

Hielm-Björkman A1, Roine J, Elo K, Lappalainen A, Junnila J, Laitinen-Vapaavuori O.

Author information

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

An un-commissioned randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical study was planned using a deep sea fish oil product for pets. Seventy-seven client-owned dogs with osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to supplement the food with either the fish oil product or corn (=placebo) oil. Our main outcome variables were force platform variables peak vertical force (PVF) and impulse, the validated Helsinki Chronic Pain Index (HCPI) and the use of rescue NSAIDs. Secondary outcome variables were a locomotion visual analog scale (VAS), a Quality of life VAS, a comparative questionnaire, a veterinary assessment, owners' final assessment of outcome and guessing the product given.

RESULTS:

When comparing the two test groups at the end of the trial (16 weeks) there was no significant difference in any of the main outcome variables but owners of dogs that had taken fish oil were significantly happier with the treatment at the end visit and did significantly better at guessing what group their dogs had been in, compared to the placebo group. When comparing variables within the fish oil group as change from baseline to trial end, there were significant positive changes in PVF, HCPI, NSAID use, Quality of life VAS, as well as in all three scores in the comparative questionnaire (locomotion, every-day situations, and skin & coat). There were similar positive trends in force platform impulse and in the veterinary assessment variables, although they did not reach significance. Within the placebo group there were significant positive changes only in the HCPI and a significant deterioration according to veterinary assessment.

CONCLUSIONS:

When compared to placebo, there was not a major statistically significant benefit in using deep sea fish oil as a pain reliever in our study population of dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. However, the fish oil treated patients improved significantly in many of the variables, when comparing baseline values to the study-end values within the group, indicating a true but small relief in symptoms. Deep sea fish oil supplementation could be considered a part of the multimodal pain relieving approach currently recommended for dogs suffering from OA, especially for individuals that do not tolerate anti-inflammatory drugs.