which joint supplent to use?

[Heather]

One of my trial dogs will be ten in a few months and is showing signs of slowing down when I run her on a course; the other one is four and has one hip that looked a little iffy on x-ray (she shows no symptoms of anything at all yet). I'd like to put both of these dogs on a joint supplement. I've used Cosequin on my dogs in the past, with good results, but there seem to be so many new products on the market now that I'm wondering if there's something better (and possibly cheaper) out there for my needs (which are mostly preventative, since my dogs aren't showing signs of more advanced arthritis). What do most of you use, and why do you use it? What are the minimum doses of ingredients that I should be looking for in a supplement? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Wasi]

Hi there!

 

I know there are a lot of pet supplements on the market, but I just give my guy glucosamine and glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, the same stuff I would take. He gets a 300/200mg gluc/chon in the am, and 500mg of gluc in the pm with his meals. I've seen a HUGE improvement in his strength and mobility since he's been taking them. He's a Samoyed mix and has hip dysplasia and arthritis in his back end, and you'd swear he was a 2 year old pup again!

[Root Beer]

For cost effectiveness, I've never seen a match for Dogzymes (Nature's Farmacy).

 

Their newest joint supplement - Phyto Flex - is an excellent product. It seems pricey when you first buy it, but it lasts a long, long, long time.

 

Might be worth consideration.

[Bo Peep]

For my old gal, I used Rimadyl. Also, massage is a great tool. I think it bonds you and your dog together also. I try and feed anything with glucosamine in it (just in case) I also teach my dogs sign language, as one went deaf. I'm a "just in case" kinda gal.