We are doing an article in the next issue of the magazine on supplements and I'd like to ask you some questions - I hope you don't mind!
What supplements - if any - do you give your dog and why?
My old Mum had an enormous number of extras she gave our dogs and I'm just wondering if anyone else has some tips they swear by?
Tell us a bit more about your dog either on here in the comments section or email me with a photo - if you have one. But don't forget put 'Supplements' in the subject so I don't lose them - I do have a very full in box!
So if you have a row of bottles, I want to know what they are and why and what you feel they do for your dog! Or if there's just one addition to your dog's diet you couldn't be doing without I'd like to know all about it!
Best wishes
Beverley Cuddy
Editor, Dogs Today
My email address is beverley@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk
'Mobile bones'; we swear by that, our dog is older and has problems with her joints. Just sprinkle it on their food every day. Seems to help, its a mix of minerals & joint supplements.
ReplyDeleteOne of my cocker spaniels is on Yumove for joints, 'Get Over It' herbs by CSJ plus Kronch salmon oil. She came into rescue less than a year ago as an ex breeding bitch estimated at 10yrs old and was in the worst possible condition with bad arthritis, rotten teeth, scaly thin coat, mammary tumours etc but is now fit as a 5 yr old and has a glossy thick coat. The Yumove helped her joints a lot but her coat was still dull and flaky, within a fortnight of giving salmon oil her coat improved ten fold. All my dogs are on a half raw diet which also helps with general health.
ReplyDeleteI GIVE MY LAB WHO HAD A TPLO[CRUIATE LEG OP 4 YEARS AGO ] VITVETS[HEALTHSPAN] CHLODROYTAN AND GLOUSIMINE AND DEVILS CLAW [GOOD AS A NATURAL ANTI- INFLAMATARY SWEAR IT HELPS ALONG WITH CORRECT EXERCISE AND FOOD
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 English Springer spaniels, a 10 year old female and a 16 month old male – Picture attached.
They both get VetVits Glucosamine/Chondroitin for their joints - so do I, not VetVits but the Glucosamine/Chondroitin J The previous spaniel was quite badly arthritic and the Vet said there was evidence it can help in humans, it could do no harm to the dog and it was an area we could economise on if the need arose! Our vet’s like that! He also said he had some anecdotal evidence from other clients that it can be effective in dogs – dogs condition worsening when the tablets are stopped that sort of thing though of course the dog might have got worse anyway. Both Springers are very active dogs and I’m sure the extra support for their joints can’t be a bad thing. The old lady’s arthritis was I suspect exacerbated by doing agility with her when she was quite young, younger than I think is advised now and we have not done that with either of the current dogs.
They also get VetVits Glossy Coat & Skin Conditioner, an Omega3/fish/evening primrose oil supplement which is supposed to keep their skin and coat in good condition. Again we started giving this to the previous spaniel who tended to be itchy on the basis that it might help her itchiness and what one dog gets the other one gets. It’s a very democratic household!
The dog who was the original reason for the supplements is sadly no longer with us, but the one who remains and her ‘replacement’ carry on with the regime.
Finally in the last month or so they have both started getting Dorwest Garlic & Fenugreek tablets in an attempt to stop the fleas and ticks finding them quite so attractive. This does seem to be working, I now only find one tick a week instead of the 4 or 5 a day I was taking of the youngster.
Frankie Watkins
Hi
ReplyDeleteI am emailing to tell you what suplements my GSDs are taking and we wouldnt be without ....
My black and tan four-year-old GSD, called Fred, takes Yumove which amongst many things includes green lipped mussel and glucosamine which are good for his joints. He also takes calcium tablets which are good for his teeth and bones, alongside these he also takes malted kelp tablets to help his digestion and he occasionally has ''save our skin salmon oil'' sprinkled over his dinners.
My black six-month-old GSD, Bella, has the same as Fred apart from the malted kelp tablets - she doesnt need any help with her appetite lol
The change in my four-year-old since taking them is amazing.... he's like a different dog, I only wish I had started him on them when he was younger
Thanks
Shelley Pirie xx
Dear Beverley
ReplyDeleteLast year we spoke via Twitter on a direct message, regarding my lovely Lurcher dog Alfie, being diagnosed with spindle cell. This was in November of last year. The vet said he had weeks. I still have him.
Having done some research on the internet, I am giving him daily a spoon of organic turmeric spice, with high grade 1000 ml fish oil, and one ultimate nutrition tablet, (which the vet Nick Thompson advocates I believe). An excellent product. Also a spoonful of tomato paste, recommended by a well known dog food nutritionist.
I also give the Ultimate Nutrition tabs to my Whippet who last year was very poorly and a 17-year-old Lurcher, who bounces about like a puppy. She also has fish oil and tomato paste. I can only say I have the proof in the pudding as so to speak, as no real scientific evidence. I have also used in the past and had good results for dogs with travel sickness, (Ipecac) a dog that the vet said would need her tail amputated if it didn't heal, I used silicea for that andit has healed at the tip, and a certain amount of success with other homeopathy products.
Hope this info may help.
Kind regards
Jan Ellis (Greyolady on Twitter)
Hi Beverley!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of giving supplements for the sake of it as I believe that a dog should get everything he needs from a properly balanced and wholesome diet. That said, certain conditions can be supported/improved by the addition of a suitable supplement. As you can image, I get LOADS of free samples. While the vast majority end up in the bin, I do try those that I believe are safe, and may benefit my boys. After five years in the industry, these are the ones that have lasted the longest.
1. Billy No Mates: A herbal preparation which claims to deter fleas/mites/and ticks. As it doesn't contain garlic (which can be toxic in large/prolonged doses), and you don't give it all year round, I decided to give it a try about three years ago. I was so impressed by the reduction in ticks that I've kept using it. I still find the odd one, but they practically fall out when touched. I've also noticed that flies, and other winged pests leave the boys alone, but make a beeline for a friend's dog who is not on it. Not scientific research by any means, but good enough for me. More details can be found here: http://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=3&idproduct=57#details
2. Plaque-Off: Love this product. Keeps the boys' breath fresh, and teeth nice and clean. Was recently told by our vet that James (my 8yo), had the teeth of a 2 year old. While Patch's teeth (my 5 year old) have improved as he has gotten older as well. To be fair, the boys do get a lot of chew time, but their teeth were never as white as this when they were on bones alone. Highly recommend.
3. LupoSan Joint Power Pellets (30%): This is my new secret weapon in the ongoing battle for James' back health. We are big supporters of Markus Muhle, and Beate (our rep) did an in store day where she brought me some sample of LupsoSan Joint Power Pellets. I was a bit hesitant to try them, as James can't tolerate any of the high strength mainstream joint supplements (barf city, and I don't mean the diet!), and he also has bad reactions to prescriptions. However, desperate to give James all the support I can, I tried them. He only gets a tiny amount, so the pot lasts for ages, and I was really pleased that he didn't "blow chunks" after his first dose. One week later, and his massage therapist asked if I was doing anything different as he seemed a bit "looser". I told her about the supplement, but we both decided it was too early to have any improvement. Fast forward 2 weeks later to our next appointment and his therapist couldn't believe the improvement in his movement. He actually let her stretch him. He NEVER lets Tracey stretch him (and she's been seeing him for 2 years). He's also keeping up with Patch, and is more eager to play. It's like I've got my old dog back. I can't recommend them enough - especially for dogs with sensitive tummies.
Claire :-)
In October last year our 11-year-old Flat Coated retriever Charley was
ReplyDeletebecoming increasingly short of breath so a trip to the vet was
necessary. We live in France but had every faith in the local
practice.
An x-ray showed an enlarged heart with excess fluid in his lungs,
diagnosed as cardiac insufficiency.
Charley was prescribed diuretics to help remove the fluid and Vetmedin
to help with the insufficiency. The vet warned us his chances of
surviving more than a few weeks were low, and we visited the surgery
fortnightly for check ups. Charley seemed to stabilize. He missed his
walks with our other two dogs but appeared content.
In January we moved from south west France to Normandy. The vet was
not convinced Charley would survive the 600 km trip. It proved to be a
nightmare as he was very stressed and gasping for breath continuously.
We stopped the car every hour to give him a rest. It took 15 hours to
complete a trip which normally takes about 9 hours.
Eventually we arrived at the new house and managed to get him out of
the car and settled in his basket.
The following day we visited a local vet, thinking this was the end for Charley.
To our surprise she said that despite his very serious condition she
would like to try some herbal medication to compliment the Vetmedin
and Prilactone tablets. Of course we agreed and started a regime of
5mls a day of dandelion, red vine, olive and other plant extracts.
This combination helps drain excess fluid in the lungs and improve his
circulation.
The vet told us she had kept another dog alive for a further five
years with these treatments. There are vet surgeries in every town in
France so the number of vets must run into many thousands, but only
about 200 are qualified to prescribe herbal therapies.
We were amazed, within 48 hours Charley was less breathless and more
interested in life.
The combination of herbs is changed regularly, especially if his cough worsens .
It is now six months since he started the treatment and although he is
limited to staggering out to the garden to do his business and
staggering back to his basket he is happy and content.
No one knows how long he will go on, but as long as he wags his tail
and is interested in the contents of the bread bin we know he is happy
and not suffering.
Without these herbs we are certain Charley would have left us months ago.
Diana Newnham
I started using two products from Nupafeed after I saw an advert in your magazine last year. I have a lab who suffers from hip dysplasia so I started him on Flex GLM (Green Lipped Mussel with anti-oxidants, magnesium, calcium and zinc). It has made such a huge difference - I really didnt think any supplement could do much for a problem like his but after boring myself to death reading about various ingredients it seemed that this was by far my best option before turning to medication. Doing my research I also came across something called L-Carnitine (said to be an anti-oxidant and to help build muscle strength). Having a search around I found that Nupafeed also do an L-Carnitine supplement, Stamina-Extra, which they seem to advertise for energy, but it is the same ingredient and seemed like a far better quality of product. So he is now on a combination of the two products and is definitely better than ever before despite going for longer walks. Thanks for telling me about it!!
ReplyDeleteJennie Wise
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy first line of defense against arthritis in my dogs is Devil's Claw and Green Lipped Mussel. When my 10-year-old Dobermann first developed arthritis these helped her for quite some time and definitely staved off her needing painkillers. My eight-year-old dobermann dog was diagnosed with arthritis and hip dysplasia two years ago now and to date has never needed painkillers for either, the supplements are more than enough.
I give them also to my six-year-old Labrador (arthritis in knee and hip) and 12-year-old mongrel (arthritis just about everywhere!) and while both dogs need painkillers, the supplements do make a considerable difference to them - neither dog had had any treatment prior to coming to me and both dogs are severely affected so any improvement was obvious very quickly.
On a different note; when my Dobermann boy was growing up, I was recommended a whole range of supplements to help him that breeders and owners swore by; principle among those was omegas, vitamin E and zinc, all designed to help his body fight skin infections and encourage hair growth (he is an isabella/fawn, bred from an isabella and a blue, so his coat is atrocious due to colour dilute alopecia and now mostly gone). Many of these people had had great results with these - Remy's genetics unfortunately were against him but my next dilute dobe will be on a similar regime (Remy is, so far, from the only litter bred from two dilutes that I know of so any future dilute should have a better chance genetically to improve). The same people also swore by certain foods for the same problem.
Yours,
Nikita Norman
Hi Beverley,
ReplyDeleteAs a vet I recommend supplements to dog owners everyday and I think they can be very effective alongside medical therapies. However I will only recommend supplements that I am convinced have the correct active ingredients to be effective - and I found it quite hard to find products that met my expectations as so many supplements seem to be very poor quality and unlikely to have any beneficial effects at all.
It was for this reason that I developed my own range of supplements called Vet's Kitchen Active Sauces. These products - Active Joints Glucosamine, Healthy Skin Omega 3 and Healthy Digestion Prebiotics - are all made with high levels of natural active ingredients based on scientific studies on efficacy. They are also delivered in a natural chicken sauce making administration far easier than with tablets or powders.
To find out more, please take a look at our website, www.vetskitchen.co.uk
Best wishes,
Joe
Are supplements an important addition to the dog’s diet? The simple answer has to be yes.
ReplyDeleteFor many dogs with a particular health issue, it is usually beyond the scope of a standard dog food to provide the necessary nutritional active ingredients required to address the particular problem, unless, of course, it is specially fortified and designed with a purpose in mind.
For this reason, specialist feed and supplement company, GWF Nutrition produces a range of products to target common health concerns that can affect the wellbeing of our animals. For example, Joint Aid for Dogs provides a painless, economical aid for maintaining healthy joints; Condition Aid for Dogs + Verm~X maintains health, digestion and parasite control and Immune Aid for Dogs provides nutritional support to maintain a healthy coat, bright eyes and good respiration.
Each of these three supplements contains carefully selected active ingredients which have been formulated for a particular reason. They contain no medicinal ingredients, so can be bought without prescription and are so effective that Joint Aid for Dogs, for example, is sold with a full money back guarantee and a customer satisfaction rate of over 99.9 per cent.
GWF Nutrition is confident the ‘Aid Range’ answers the needs which arise in dogs on a daily basis; being able to target these issues is crucial in keeping happy, healthy dogs.
For more information please visit www.gwfnutrition.com or call 01225 708482.
I like your blog. I got a couple dogs myself at home. I use dog carriers in the car to keep them safe and keep them out of the front seat. Its just a simple barrier that allows them to see what is going on with out them getting in the way.
ReplyDelete