If you have come to a thought that your dog needs joint supplements, by now you will know that there are thousands of them available in the market… How do you choose the right joint supplement for your dog? 

Our veterinarians advise to consider these factors when choosing joint supplements for dogs: 

• age of your pet, 
• the correct  combination of ingredients according to physical needs and amount of daily activities,
• the size of your pet

Age of your pet 

In each stage of a dog's life you need to provide certain nutritional elements to support the biological functions of its body because just like for humans, sometimes the food alone is not enough. 

When looking for joint supplements for puppies, you need to provide natural calcium and sodium fluoride to support the development of bone and joint structure. By providing good nutritional support for joints and bones when your dog is growing up, you increase the chances that your furry friend will have less problems and feel better in senior days. With the correct feed supplement you will also help the development of ear cartilage and help thus helping them to be upright faster. 
 

During adult years it is recommended to provide the dog with joint and bone health supporting supplements that contain glucosamine, marine chondroitin and MSM. It will help to maintain the body in better health on a daily basis and also provide a good foundation for joint health when the dog will be older. If your dog feels well, it will keep it active and lower the chances and expenses for medical treatments down the road.

For senior dogs – you need to pay special attention to joint lubrication, as with age the body stops producing the necessary amount of glucosamine. Glucosamine promotes the synthesis of hyaluronic acid that is the main lubricant of joints. With not enough lubrication, the joint cartilage wears down by rubbing against each other. Therefore creating joint pain and restrictions in movement. 

The correct combination of ingredients

The  most common ingredients in joint supplements you will find is glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and some form of chondroitin. However, what most people don’t know is that for glucosamine and chondroitin to be effective it needs the support of MSM, a natural source of sulfur. MSM acts as a carrier substance and helps the ingredients to be absorbed into  the cells and do more efficient  work. Without MSM the elements in the supplements are barely absorbed by the body, therefore not giving the expected joint health results.

If your dog is already suffering from joint pain, look for a joint supplement that contains Boswellia extract.  Boswellia extract is a  natural pain  relief remedy with anti-inflammation properties. 

Do more active dogs require different joint supplements?

Every dog should have at least 30 min of physical activities twice per day to stay healthy. However, if your dog is participating in increased physical activities on a daily basis , you should look for joint supplements that support joint and ligament health.  They will compensate for the additionally consumed nutritional elements and support the body with required supplements. 

If your dog is participating in races, it causes additional stress which also consumes more nutrients than on a daily basis and also increases the wear and stress on joints, bones and muscles. In these cases you would need to look for joint supplement with stronger doses and more ingredients that support the increased stress on the body

GIGI VET solutions for dog joint supplements 

At GIGI VET we have created five dog joint and bone supplement products. When developing them, our veterinarians tried to cater  the joint supplement formula to individual needs. They took into consideration the dog's age, breed, amount of physical activities and convenience for the owner to give his dog the supplement. 

All our Joints & Bones products contain Glucosamine, MSM, Boswellia extract, Marine Chondroitin and Vitamin Ester C. Whichever product you choose for your dog, it will support overall joint and bone health. If your dog has a more serious case of joint pain or inflammation, our dog joint supplements will naturally help to relieve that too. 

For a more special care and higher health demand, our specialists created a special joint supplement for senior dogs with additional Hyaluronic acid to help with joint lubrication. 

But for dogs with high intensity physical activities – Max Strong Joints & Bones with Hyaluronic acid and Collagen for the support of ligament health. 

You will find our dog joint products in the form of tablets and powder. Our experience throughout 15 years shows that at least 9 out of 10 dog owners will confirm - their dogs loved the taste of the supplements. This made it easier to support their dog’s joint health on a daily basis.