There are numerous products on the market that claim to be a cure all for canine joint problems. There are anti-inflammatory drugs such as Carprofen to biscuits baked with a pinch of glucosamine. While drugs typically offer the quickest tangible results for many dogs, several potentially harmful side effects associated with these types of drugs do exist. Therefore, for relief of canine joint pain relief, increased flexibility, and even prevention of arthritis and other diseases that give your pet pain (and in turn, you too), we recommend only a small number of proven safe holistic remedies.
What Works
While there are countless products on the market that claim to “cure joint pain and joint disease”, very few have been independently researched, let alone shown to provide any tangible results. You will find scores of articles written by those tied to marketing firms that claim specific products containing yucca, boswella, pomegranate, and even red seaweed cure joint problems. Well, our independent and non-biased opinions shown that only five non-drug ingredients currently available are worth trying for your dog’s joint problems.
Those ingredients are:
· Glucosamine
· Chondroitin
· Methylsufonylmethane (MSM)
· Hyaluronic Acid
· Buffered Vitamin C
While there are unresolved discussions as to the benefits of these five ingredients amongst experts around the world, we have found that these five are the only joint care ingredients for dogs that have any substantial independent research studies currently being conducted.
Furthermore, many firms are marketing products with ingredients that have been purported to be beneficial for humans as safe and effective for pets. Not only is this technically non-compliant with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is also dangerous and potentially lethal assumption.
Dosage Levels
Veterinarians and researchers vary in their opinions as to what is the ideal therapeutic dosage for specific “active ingredients” found in supplement type product for dogs. However, most agree that there is a specific minimum therapeutic dosage of glucosamine. This is considered to be 15 mg per kg of your dog’s body weight (or approximately 6.8 mg per lb). Unfortunately, even for the other four top ingredients we recommend here, there is not enough definite research as to the ideal minimum therapeutic dose and as such, you will find levels in products vary significantly.
Dosage Forms
While there are numerous dosage forms out there for canine joint care remedies and supplements, our research concludes that the best formulas are available as liquids or softgels as a distant second.
Liquids have several advantages over solid dosage forms such as pills, capsules, and even biscuits/treats. One advantage is absorption rate. Liquids tend to enter the gut faster than their solid form counterparts. Even more importantly for your dog, is the amount of absorption. Solid forms such as pills require 'binders' and other inactive ingredients in order to keep the pill stable and in a pill shape. These inactive ingredients bind to some of the 'good stuff' such as the glucosamine and MSM and do not allow full absorption of the intended dose of these 'actives'. So, basically, your dog is excreting some of the good stuff with the inactive ingredients and not getting the full amount you thought he or she was. For this reason mainly, we recommend easily digested liquid dosage forms. As another bonus, liquids can are much easier to feed than pills.. Despite the fact that liquids can be expensive to ship, that cost is often negated with the products that contain several 'active ingredients' in the same dosage. Hence, there is no need to buy several bottles of pills at one time.
While there a several liquid joint care products for dogs currently on the market, it is often difficult to see the product inside the bottle. Manufacturers typically put dark product in dark bottles to disguise settling that occurs. Therefore, the bottom of the bottle may contain much more the 'actives' than the top of the bottle. Manufacturers also use dark bottles and artificially colored dark product, so that consumers do not see potential impurities (known as foreign matter in the manufacturing world) and decide not to pick the product off the shelf. For the product development folks at NaturalCuresforDogs.org, product settling and presence of foreign matter/impurities is considered poor product development and overall process control. To our knowledge, there is only one liquid joint product on the market that exceeds the recommended levels of glucosamine and is brave enough to show its purity by using a clear bottle. This product is COOL DOG Joint Care Holistic Joint Care Formula and is 100% manufactured in the USA by COOL PET Holistic Remedies. The company used to sell direct on television networks such as Animal Planet and Planet Green. However, you can save money and buy direct from the manufacturer by going to www.yourcooldog.com.
If you are looking to stick with the less absorbable pill form supplements, we recommend Cosequin DS which is offered in many online and brick and mortar stores.
In Summary
So, when your dog is currently having joint problems or is a breed that is subject to joint issues, here are the key things to look for in a top quality holistic joint care product:
Contains Glucosamine (15 mg/kg or greater), Chondroitin, MSM, and Hyaluronic Acid
Is Available in Liquid Form
Is in a Clear Bottle, So Purity and Uniformity Can be Assessed BEFORE You Buy It
