Joint health is one of the most important aspects of helping our dogs live a full and happy life. However, there is so much information out there, where do you as your pet’s guardian even begin??
Dr, Laurie Coger DVM of the Healthy Dog Workshop and I got together for a casual conversation to discuss the importance of good joint support for our pups.
Did you miss our live Clubhouse chat in the Dog Lovers Club? Here is a quick recap of what we talked about!
Do you have questions about supporting your dog? We’d love to hear about it!
Connect with us over on Instagram @_luckypup and send us a DM!
If you do a Google search for “joint support for dogs” you will get about 81,900,000 results. Literally. That’s how many Google gave me. And, most of those results were trying to get me to buy something indiscriminately. *insert eye roll here*
Now, I know that we don’t have time to visit even 0.00001% of those search results, and, even if we did, the likelihood that they had much expert-advise is pretty slim. Thankfully, Dr. Laurie Coger brought all that and more to our hour-long chat. I can’t possibly include everything we talked about live (#YouHadToBeThere), but here is a summary of the highlights:
- Start earlier than you think. Prevention is the best medicine for joint support! For dogs that do repetitive movements, are larger breeds, breeds prone to joint or spine issues, working dogs, high-impact sporting dogs, retrievers, or dogs that do any sort of repetitive motions, it is wise to start joint support in dogs while they are still very young. Even dogs as young as 6 weeks old have shown to benefit from research-backed joint support.
- Look for quality + quantity. Supplements are not beholden to quality control measures because they are not regulated by the FDA. One way to help determine the quality of a supplement is by looking for the National Animal Supplement Council’s Quality Seal on the supplement packaging. When comparing joint support supplements, Dr. Coger recommends finding a supplement that contains glucosamine + chondroitin + MSM, and she prefers capsuled support over soft chews. While Dr. Coger loves using natural food sources for joint support, she does not recommend relying solely on kibble diets – even those claiming to contain joint support ingredients – to provide enough of a benefit for your dog.
- Feeling fishy? Omega-3 fatty acids can be another great source of joint support. Dr. Coger reminds us that air and heat quickly degrade fatty acids. As such, she recommends sourcing fish oil that comes in glass or metal bottles or in capsules, because plastic containers accelerate their degradation. Also, make sure you are providing enough mgs for your dog’s size. Colorado State University has a great resource for this!
- Integrate holistic and rehabilitation techniques. There are many different therapies and holistic supplements that can be beneficial for supporting our dog’s joints. Laser, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and PEMF therapies are all wonderful arthritis support. In addition to more holistic practices, do not discount the benefit of checking your dog’s Vitamin D levels and supplementing as needed, as well as including medication for pets in pain. Dogs are very good at hiding pain – so good that it might be necessary to try a medication or a therapy for a few weeks. If you notice an improvement, that is an indication your dog was previously in pain.
Lastly, we want to stress the importance of having a good relationship with your veterinary team. The more you can collaborate and work together to support your pet’s health – especially before problems arise – the more full and happy a life you and your dog can have together! Looking for a holistic veterinarian near you? Check out AHVMA.org.
Ready to give your pet their best life? Check out our Lucky Pup Explorers program. This is our special online community for Lucky Pup Families. Members get additional support and resources to explore how to live their best lives together with their pets! Join our program today!