How soon to give supplements?

Monica · 08-24-2007, 05:41 PM

At what age can you begin giving your dog the supplements and other vitamins without causing any issues?

We have a two year old GSD who was just recently radiographed and unfortunately the vet diagnosed her with HD. She currently takes Curaflex and I am looking in to other supplements for her.

I am now of course paranoid about our Dobe. I know that HD can affect them and she is growing rapidly.

Besides her food, what can I give her safely to help protect her?

**greenkouki** · 08-24-2007, 06:03 PM

Look into some glucosamine supplements for your gsd, and don't hesitate to call your veterinary office on dosages. I wouldn't start a dobe under 8 months or so on any major supplements other than maybe fish oil or vitamin E. I would concentrate on feeding healthy balanced meals before you worry about what supplements to give her, especially if she is not showing signs that she needs anything supplementary.

Monica · 08-24-2007, 06:51 PM

Thanks! The vet said the curaflex had glucosamine in it and advised me on the dosages for initial introduction and then follow up. Should I be looking for something else instead of the curaflex?

We've got Kade on a feeding routine right now and I am slowly changing her food to Nutro vice the Puppy Chow the 'breeders' were giving her.

SNCBOOM · 08-24-2007, 07:18 PM

I've had dozer on fish oil for quite some time. Probably since he was 4 or 5 months. He's a blue and he's had a few skin issues and the fish oils helps a lot. Thankfully you're taking her off of puppy chow but you may want to look into a "Holistic" food. A lot of members here prefer Canidae or even raw.

Andrea · 08-25-2007, 12:19 AM

Good muscles are very important for a HD affected dog. Swiming is a very good thing!

You should not feed:

Cereals
Potatoes
Tomato, etc.

You should feed:

Vitamin C (rose hip powder)
Ginger (pain relief)
Much gristle
Nettle
Vitamin E (add)

**BackInBlack** · 08-25-2007, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monica

At what age can you begin giving your dog the supplements and other vitamins without causing any issues?

We have a two year old GSD who was just recently radiographed and unfortunately the vet diagnosed her with HD. She currently takes Curaflex and I am looking in to other supplements for her.

I am now of course paranoid about our Dobe. I know that HD can affect them and she is growing rapidly.

Besides her food, what can I give her safely to help protect her?

IMO, I would give her Fish Oil, Vitamin E, and most importantly Ester-C. MSM is another good one.

Here are a few articles about Ester C
http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0039.htm
http://www.arthrix.com/phil_brown.htm
http://bajaokla.com/dachback/ester_c.htm
http://www.yourdoghealth.com/dog_ester-c.htm

I think at 2 years old, she would be fine taking any of the above.

You might also check into some of the glucosomine tablets. My dogs get the soft chews every day as a preventative.

Good Luck

Dobemom2b · 08-25-2007, 09:25 AM

I give my shepherd dasaquin with msm http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products...quin/index.asp
she has no hip problems, my vet sugggests it as a preventative.

Dobes&Hounds · 08-25-2007, 12:01 PM

It is a very high quality, tested source of glucosamine. You can also go a medical route when she starts to feel pain and use adaquan. Good luck.. here is a link to cosequin

http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/products...ointHealth.asp

Linda H · 08-25-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monica

Thanks! The vet said the curaflex had glucosamine in it and advised me on the dosages for initial introduction and then follow up. Should I be looking for something else instead of the curaflex?

We've got Kade on a feeding routine right now and I am slowly changing her food to Nutro vice the Puppy Chow the 'breeders' were giving her.

Try checking out this site for foods. There are a lot of foods out there that are better than Nutro.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

doberboy · 08-25-2007, 02:15 PM

We have used Hyaluronic Acid (HA) for many years for our horses with arthritis and degenerated joints with spectacular results...horses were able to resume competetive work. I believe that HA is now being used to treat dogs as well with similar results...check it out.