Joint care for dogs

YorkiePud_3

Well my vote would always be for a product called Runaround by a company called Stock Nutrition, trading on a website called doghealthdotcodotuk (not sure if I can post links, haven't been here for ages ... !!)

I had a greyhound who, whilst standing still, was bowled into by a dog that was running full pelt. Poor lad was flung in the air and down and it completely smashed his back leg.

He had a pioneering operation where they had to insert metal plates and screws and then wrap the muscles around them to hold everything together because his leg was so badly mashed up. Then, his leg was put in a plaster cast but, with a greyhound's leg, the worry was that the time in cast would see his leg wither and there was a good chance when they removed the cast, his leg might be completely useless and we'd have to amputate or the leg could even come away with the cast.

Well, we got by that and he had the cast off, his leg was okay, but two years later (at the age of 4) he started with arthritis so bad that he would cry getting up and down and was like a little old man, hardly daring to walk ... we tried all kinds of injections and tablets at the vets (very little joy), then someone told us about Runaround.

It's got shark cartilage, green lipped mussel, (natural glucosamine and chondroitin), vitamin C and vitamin E.
It comes as a powder and what I would do, I'd measure his dose out and butter some bread ... then I'd put the powder onto the buttered bread (so it would clag up with the butter and we wouldn't spill any powder), folded the bread and he wolfed it down no problem!

Hand on heart, within two weeks we saw a difference in him ... he was jolly again ... (it really affected his mood and he was just not with it at all with the pain) ... then he started walking round without limping ... within a month he was ... well, I can't say back to normal, he was BETTER than he normally was ...!! It was like having a little pup around the place again!

He was happy, his tail spinning round in full circles, and he was bouncing about, running around and jumping up and down ... I'd read the reviews about it (and Ideal World used to sell it too for a time when Steve Whattley presented with them, so I'd heard people say how brilliant it was and what a QUICK difference it had made to even their golden oldies who were slowing right down) ... and let's face it, you try anything don't you .. ?!

I'm going to put the link in to the page and hope it posts ... all I can say is that it is 100% natural, it did the trick for us and quickly, too ... when my greyhound's sister started showing her age and having mobility problems, I put her on it too and my God, it made such a difference to her, too ... my old lad though, he went on to the ripe old age of 16 years and that leg didn't bother him again ... nor did the arthritis ... it really is worth a go ... it's marvellous stuff ... think I could do with a crate for myself .. !!

(Sorry to write such a long post ... !!)

http://www.doghealth.co.uk/products/runaround

Btw, it is also for cats, too ... I haven't given it to any of mine so I can't say how they go on with it, but having 4 rescue cats all around the same age, as soon as they start hobbling and if the vet says it's a mobility problem, they'll all go on it too ... !!

cavework

Mills is back from the vets after xrays... no problems with her shoulders or joints (which is common with Labs) Really good news
Now we have been told she is over weight ( not hugely over weight by any means) .. well yeah! because she could not exercise at all for 2 weeks on the advice of the vet.
This dog is used to 1 hour off lead exercise daily.
Now she can have 3 times 20min walks a day on lead and we have to wait another month to see if things improve
She is going nuts as she is an 18 month old Lab that spent 4 months of her life on restricted exercise when we first got her after the broken hind leg was healing ..
sorry , just really not sure where to go with this.
I want to take this poor dog out and let her loose .. she loves it and is doing loony fast figure of 8s in the garden because of her pent up energy

krlyr

Fab news Hope she's beetter soon. In the mean time, reduce her calories by reducing her food - she'll need less when she's on restricted exercise. Being a Lab, she'll probably hate you for it! But counteract the hunger by bulking the food out with vegetables. Green beans are quite filling and can be fed lightly steamed, or perhaps blitz in a blender or food processor.

Deal with the excess energy in alternative formats. See if your vet will refer you for hydrotherapy for a few weeks, perhaps, so she gets some exercise without the impact.
Work on mental stimulation. Give her all her meals in some form of food dispenser, like a Kong. If she's on wet food, mix with the blended veg and stuff in a Kong. If you feed dry food, a good food processor and some warm water will make a gooey paste that will mix well for a Kong stuffing. Gradually make it more difficult by packing it more solidly and then start freezing it and feeding it frozen. Not only will it entertain her and tire her out physically too, but eating it slowly may help her feel more full too.
Make her walks more stimulating. You may not be able to play fetch, but as a retrieving breed, she may cotton on to you throwing a toy in long grass and expecting her to sniff it out. You can make it more complex by hiding more than one toy, or hiding them out of sight (get someone to distract her while you hide them).
Look up tricks and commands you can train that don't put too much strain on the joints. Targetting with her nose is a good one - buy a target stick, you can use it for many things. At first, teach her to touch it with her nose, but once you've got that down you can use it as a lure - to teach her to spin clockwise, anticlockwise, close cupboard doors, etc.
Teach her to differentiate her toys by name. "Fetch your teddy", "Fetch your ball", etc. Teach her to stack rings on a pole, like the kid's toy (teaching her to hold the rings is one trick, hooking them over the pole another). To "count" by barking how many fingers you're holding up (neighbours tolerance/sound insulation allowing!)
http://www.youtube.com/kikopup and http://www.youtube.com/pamelamarxsen will have some fab inspiration.
An exercise-restricted dog does not have to be a bored dog with no release for its energy, it just takes a little more work!

cavework

krlyr
Thank you so much .. that is the best advice I have had since the problem occurred.

PudseyDB

My 13 y old has improved loads since I tried her on Vetzyme high strength flexible joint tablets.

Theyve got glucosamine, chondoitin MSM & omega 3. Not sure what all those do, but she's capable of amazing leaps for such a little dog!

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I give my dog Pedigree Joint Care sticks. Far easier than feeding them a multitude of joint care products.