Do Supplements Work Against Dog Arthritis?

Dietary supplements are commonly used to treat dog arthritis. However not all dogs respond to such treatment. In cases where the damage is too extensive to the cartilage, supplements may no longer be helpful.

Dog arthritis is surprisingly common, about one in five dogs will suffer with it. Elderly and large dogs are especially susceptible. Dog arthritis causes deterioration of the joints, which can severely impact your dog’s quality of life.

Therefore you should observe your dog’s mobility and behavior - there may be signs that your dog is suffering from dog arthritis.

Listed below are some symptoms of the disease:

• lameness
• difficulty getting up after resting
• irritability
• licking at the joints by your dog

Supplements

More pet owners and vets are first opting for dietary supplements to treat dog arthritis, since they are made from natural ingredients. This makes them less toxic to your dog’s liver. They also work in the natural restoration of damaged cartilage.

In situations where the cartilage has been significantly damaged to the point where the two bones of the joint are in contact with each other, a more aggressive treatment is needed. However, supplements can still be of some use in this chronic stage of the disease since supplements can preserve what cartilage is left.

You know that a supplement is good when it contains chondroitin and glucosamine. Dasuquin contains the said components, plus avocado and soybean unsaponifiables which helps in cartilage protection and growth.

Adequan and cartrophen are other effective supplements. They are administered by injection and cartrophen is not available in the US.

Welactin is another good example of supplements. The supplement with its omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can greatly reduce the inflammation.

When supplement don’t work on your dog, it’s probably best to use a more aggressive approach. Non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pain killers are medications that reduce the joint pain and swelling associated with dog arthritis.

Pet owners should realize that there is a variety of ways to treat dog arthritis. Giving supplements to their dogs can improve your dogs condition; nonetheless, people should remain open to other forms of treatment the your vet would suggest, if giving supplements is no longer sufficient.

Dog Arthritis Supplements (PDF)