Supplements to Naturally Treat Your Dog's Arthritis

March 20, 2017

Arthritis supplements for dogs can offer a natural way to treat your dog’s arthritis and slow down progression of the disease. Sounds simple enough, but when I started looking for a good supplement for our hunting dogs I was disappointed by the available selection. Hunting dogs are true athletes that give so much out in the field. It’s easy to see why they have different nutritional needs than your average backyard dog, just like human athletes vs. occasional gym-goers.

There isn’t one cure-all supplement; a variety of supplements packed into one source will offer your best results. For instance, while glucosamine is one of the most effective natural supplements to treat dog arthritis, it can work so much more efficiently when paired with another natural supplement called Chondroitin. I learned this, and so much more, by working with pet nutritionist Susan Lauten PhD to create the perfect arthritis supplement for hunting dogs. You will find all of the beneficial ingredients outlined below, plus more.

Glucosamine For Dogs With Arthritis

Glucosamine is a natural ingredient found in your dog’s body. Normal healthy dogs produce enough glucosamine to repair and maintain existing cartilage. As your dog gets older, or if they have a certain condition or previous injury that impacts joint cartilage, the body cannot produce enough glucosamine to fix damaged cartilage. This tends to be why middle age and older dogs see the best results from adding glucosamine to their diet.

Chondroitin For Dogs With Arthritis

Chondroitin is also naturally found in your dog’s body, mostly in cartilage. Chondroitin works with glucosamine and actually enhances its overall effectiveness. The benefits of using these two supplements together are so promising, that it’s surprising a number of dog supplements for arthritis only include one or the other.

How Chondroitin Works With Glucosamine

There are several different cells in cartilage, including chondrocytes, which are in charge of creating new cartilage. As dogs age, they do not always have the necessary chondrocytes to rebuild new cartilage as it breaks down. This can be a direct result of not producing enough glucosamine needed to produce glycosaminoglycans. Glycosaminoglycans combine with hyaluronic acid to make proteoglycans. Cartilage is mostly made up of proteoglycans and collagen.

So what about chondroitin? Just like glucosamine, chondroitin is another necessary component to create glycosaminoglycans. Perhaps even more importantly, chondroitin is capable of removing damaging enzymes in joints. While all joints contain some negative enzymes, negative enzymes increase if your dog is injured or experiencing abnormal wear due to inflammation or an underlying condition such as hip dysplasia. If your dog has arthritis, it’s clear to see the importance of reducing negative enzymes with chondroitin.

MSM For Dogs With Arthritis

MSM is a sulfur compound that offers a vitamin-like normalizing process in your dog’s body. MSM is capable of rejuvenating cells and healing joints, plus it’s an antioxidant. It is becoming more and more popular as a supplement used to treat dog arthritis.

Sulfur is stored in nearly every cell of your dog’s body (and your body too!). The highest concentrations are located in the skin, hair, nails and joints. Without the right amount of sulfur, your dog cannot form blood proteins, amino acids, healthy skin or connective tissue. The older your dog gets, the less sulfur their body naturally produces. Unfortunately, sulfur deficiencies can lead to joint pain and arthritis.

Benefits of MSM:

Reduced joint pain caused by arthritis, hip dysplasia and joint problems
Added support to joints and connective tissues

It’s not so easy to just give your dog MSM though; it’s very water-soluble, quickly evaporates and is easily destroyed during storage or in the cooking process.  Finding a dog arthritis supplement that includes MSM is the easiest way to ensure your dog is producing enough sulfur.

Benefits Of Using Supplements For Arthritis

#1. They reduce damaging inflammation and help rebuild cartilage.

Pain medications for arthritis block the pain but do nothing to slow down the progression of arthritis. Supplements reduce pain and inflammation while slowing down deterioration of your dog’s joints, helping them naturally feel better as opposed to just blocking the pain.

#2. Natural supplements tend to be safe and come with no negative side effects.

While NSAIDS and steroid injections are great at reducing pain, they eventually contribute to worsening of arthritis and further break down of important tissues. They are also full of other potentially negative side effects such as ulcers, gastric bleeding and so forth.

#3. They can be used at all stages of canine arthritis.

Supplements can be used from the very first hint of arthritic pain and throughout the rest of your dog’s life. The sooner you start feeding your dog supplements for arthritis, the slower arthritis tends to progress.

Are Supplements All You Need To Treat Arthritis In Dogs?

Very mild arthritis is sometimes treatable with supplements alone, so long as your dog maintains a healthy weight and is physically in shape. As arthritis progresses, dog arthritis supplements work best when paired with other forms of treatment, such as massage therapy, pain medications or more aggressive remedies in later stages of arthritis.

The First Arthritis Supplement For Hunting Dogs

Alpha Dog Nutrition was born out of a love for hunting dogs and the desire to give them more good years, more long days hunting side-by-side with their favorite human. Your dog can Maintain Alpha Status for many more years to come thanks to our powerful arthritis supplement made especially for hunting dogs right here in the USA.

Check out our Free Range joint supplement that has been formulated specifically to help your bird dog dodge the affect of arthritis here: https://alphadognutrition.com/collections/nutrition/products/free-range