The muscles in human body weaken due to age. This is the reason some people have a hard time holding things or standing up straight. Such symptoms are also seen in dogs and cats so those who own one should know how to choose the right joint supplements for your pet.
The best to do this is by doing some research on the web, reading a book or asking some tips from the local veterinarian. All of these sources will say the same and that is arthritis is the most common problem that affects canines and felines.
Before buying any supplements, the owner must know first what is causing the problem. It is possible that the dog or cat is overweight. The best solution for this is by making changes in the diet to help it burin the excess pounds.
The pet should eat food that does not have food coloring, no added preservatives. It should also be low in fat and carbohydrates. If you are having a hard time looking for this in the supermarket, there is nothing wrong by preparing a meal with some meat and vegetables. This should also be combined with exercise in order to increase the metabolic rate.
One of the best joint supplements that can be purchased over the counter is the glucosamine tablet. Studies reveal this helps maintain the structure in the cartilage. If possible, it would be great to buy the brand that has chondroitin sulfate. This draws water into the cartilage that provides added nutrition and lubrication.
Another good supplement is called methylsulfonylmethane. This is used on pets that are suffering from arthritis and tests have not revealed any negative side effects.
Humans can treat arthritis by eating foods or taking tablets that are high in Omega 3, which is a fatty acid. The same can be offered to a dog because humans and animals have similar biological characteristics.
Since cats and dogs are often regarded as members of the family, some tender loving care can help ease the pain brought about by arthritis. This can be done by massaging the joints and the surrounding muscles. Some have even applied massaging oil since it does not cost that much to buy from the drug store.
Some herbs can also be used to treat arthritis. Examples of these includes burdock, licorice, shepherd’s purse, alfalfa and yucca extract. This is used to relieve the pain and help the body get rid of excess waste.
The ortho flex joint ease supplement that has chondroitin sulfate, as its main ingredient is another bestseller. This is because it can relieve arthritis and rheumatism.
There are other food joint supplements available aside from those mentioned. Is there one that stands out among the rest? The answer is no because although each of these have different ingredients, it does what it is supposed to do and that is provide relief from the pain.
Some of these are available in pill or liquid form. Many prefer the wet one because this is easier absorbed by the body compared to the one that will dissolve in the digestive system of the cat or dog.
Aside from supplements, you should also buy a small warm bed for the pet to sleep on. Letting it lie on a concrete floor that is cold during most parts of the day doesn’t not make any difference to the measures taken like feeding it supplements or giving it a massage that is supposed to relieve the pain.
Jean Morgan
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/choosing-the-right-joint-supplements-for-your-pet-138640.html
Need help choosing a joint supplement for my horse!!!?
I have a 13 year old Quarter Horse mare. Lately, I have noticed that she is starting to creak, pop and crack in her joints a lot more when she moves around. She doesn’t seem like she’s in pain but sometimes she seems reluctant to move out under the saddle or even just walk on a lead rope. She’s in a stall all night and then (weather permitting) is out to pasture from about 9 am – 5 pm. She used to just be a pasture/trail horse before I bought her but now I am slowly trying to get her back into shape. I am trying to find something that will help with this problem now and be preventative in the future.
I have heard a lot about Cosequin, MSM, Corta-Flex and others but there are so many to choose from, I want to make sure I pick the one that suits my horses needs. Some people say to find something that has Glucosamine in it and some say to find a supplement with Methylsulfonylmethane. I just don’t know!
Anybody have this problem with your horse? What did you use? What worked best! Keep in mind I am on a budget! I would love to buy the top of the line products for my horse, but I just can’t afford it at this point. Any info will be much appreciated!
Any reputable brand with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates, and MSM. Hyaluronic acid is also excellent, and some products have all of these in one.
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I can’t speak for my horse because he just turned 7 and is having no problems, but I (at 41) take MSM for joint pain and stiffness (mostly in my fingers and I get some in my elbow) and when I take MSM the pain is totally gone.
I love the stuff, I think it works great!!
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I think you should take a look at this website. I used to work for Dr. Eric Martin, one of the developers of the product. My best friend’s two QHs are on it, and my dogs are on the canine product. It works great, and it explains on the website why they include certain ingredients and not others. Dr. Martin is not only an equine veterinarian that owns his own practice, he’s also got a masters in nutrition.
I hope you decide to use his product… it REALLY works!!!
http://www.gluquestrian.com/
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http://www.gluquestrian.com/
Dr. Eric Martin
personal experience
I have used Corta-Flex in the past for a horse I had from the time he was 18 years old to 36 years. I tried other things but always went back to it because it worked the best and I could see how well it worked. He could barley get around without it. It was about $30 a month. I think it was one of the cheaper ones.
If I need something to use again, I would use it again.
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NIMBLE!!!!! haha I use Nimble. it contains Msm & other conjointants
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experience
My 11 year old QH/ Standardbred mix has this problem when the weather’s cold… not really a "problem", but she’s alittle creaky. and I like to be able to fix that.
I feed her a glucosamine supplement. I order it from Country Supply, which has cheap but usually great products. Here is the link to this item on their website: http://www.horse.com/Horse-Supplements/Vitamin-Mineral/AniFlex-GL-BWA54.html
I don’t give quite the recomended dosage though, usually just a half- scoop to a scoop every other day. You might feel more comfortable going by the recomended dosage though, being that I am not a vet and am not qualified to give people advice on how to dose their animals (plus, normal dosage probably gives the best, strongest results).
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Being the owner of a horse with similar issues.
MSM is what i give my horse i mix it with her grain and it dosen’t only help with jonts it helps with hoof rot to and helps shine her coat, it helps her sooooooooo much!!!
PS: my vets recimended it
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These are some of the best joint supplements around for any equine athlete.
Polyglycan, Adequan, Oxy-Gen Xtreme, Synergy Complete, Lubrisyn
MSM, glucosamine, etc….. are more of preventatives and maintainers, you will have to spend a little cash to get you’re horse back to being comfortable and then look into the maintenance!
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You can spend literally gallons of $$$ on crappy stuff that only separates you from your money. If your horse has conformation defects that predisposes her to arthritis, nothing really works, I promise you. Bute is as good an antiinflamatory as exists. It’s only downside is that it causes stomach irritation in horses, just as does aspirin in people.
You best consult your vet… some of that stuff works a little, lots of it works not at all.
write if this doesn’t answer your question.
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owned horses all my life… ride, show, train, judge, best friend an equine vet… My last horsr was 26 when he went down, and because of his arthritis could not get up…. after hours of trying, she called me in tears… He had given up…. I gave her the okay to put him down…. a lot of me died too that morning…. He was on everything that was ever invented… age is age… poor conformation is poor conformation which wears out joints. Nothing, hon rebuilds joints, I promise.
Flex wafers! I love them, so do the horses. They eat them like they’re treats!
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First…Methylsulfonylmethane is MSM. A lot of MSM supplements have glucosamine added to them already. MSM is a natural anti-inflammatory and can be used as a daily supplement to help with joint inflammation. MSM doesn’t really add anything to the diet that will extensively help to better the joints on its own. I would go with a joint supplement that has MSM added into it.
There are a few main ingredients in most joint supplements that may sway your decision on which supplement to get.
Glucosamine inhibits free radicals that break down cartilage in the joints (also helps produce Chondroitin Sulfate)
Chondroitin Sulfate inhibits enzymes that break down cartilage in joints (also helps produce Hyaluronic Acid)
Hyaluronic Acid provides lubrication and shock absorption
MSM helps control pain and inflammation.
So you’re obviously looking for something that will help the joints as a whole so go with a supplement with a mixture of all of these ingredients. A few that have all of these are:
Fluid Action, Flex-n-action, Grand Complete Ultra, Grand HA Synergy, Chondrogen EQ, Platform Joint, SmarFlex III Ultra, Absorbine Flex +, Equinyl Combo w/ HA, there may be more but you will have to do your research on what you want to give.
Try looking anywhere online for info. A lot of my info about which supplements contain all four ingredients came from Smart Pak.com. They sell equine supplements like these.
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