dog hip problems and food additives

[roscoe11]

I have seen a lot of different suggestions about food additives that somehow help with dog hip problems. Do any of these really work, if yes what would you suggest

 

Thanks

[Gideon's girl]

HA and chicken necks are my go to joint supplements.

[roscoe11]

HA and chicken necks are my go to joint supplements.

 

 

Sorry for my ignorance but what is HA and do you feed the chicken necks raw?

 

Thanks

[Sue R]

Hyaluronic acid - "an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues" (Wikipedia). In other words, a supplement that supplies a material found in joints and other tissues.

 

Whether or not a supplement would be helpful for a particular issue/condition would depend on the issue and the supplement, I would think.

 

All poultry that contains bones should be fed raw, not cooked. Well, you can say that about all bones because they are better for dogs raw rather than cooked, but it's particularly important for poultry and other bones that tend to splinter when chewed if they are cooked.

[roscoe11]

Is there something specifically in the chicken necks that is good for joints or is it bones and marrow in general? He gets a steady supply of raw beef soup bones from Publics

[Gideon's girl]

I'm glad Sue beat me to it because I would have had to go searching to find out how to spell hyaluronic :rolleyes:/> And as Sue said never feed any bone cooked, that changes their structure and they splinter, which can cause all kinds of problems. Since I've started feeding raw my 11 year old JRT is acting young again. They get chicken necks or turkey neck pieces for breakfast every third day. I say turkey neck pieces because one turkey neck is enough for all 3 of my dogs.

 

It's the cartilage in them that is supposed to be so good. Lots of small bones with cartilage on either end is LOTS of cartilage.

[mum24dog]

I have seen a lot of different suggestions about food additives that somehow help with dog hip problems. Do any of these really work, if yes what would you suggest

 

Thanks

 

As for the multitude of commercial supplements on the market, according to the orthpaedic consultant we all go to round here there is so far no convincing evidence that any of them work for joint problems and he will not sell them because he doesn't want to be thought to be endorsing something unproven.

 

I defer to his professional opinion especially since he is foregoing the chance of a profit.

 

At best no vet I have spoken to on the subject has said any more than that they are unlikely to do any harm.

 

Anything that has been proved to have an anti inflammatory effect may help, such as fish oil.

[rushdoggie]

Its not a hip thing, but when my BC had pano as a growing pup we were given ester C for help with inflammation. Just because, I started giving it to my elderly small dog who had pretty bad back arthritis and was taking several other things and pain meds when he seemed sore...in two weeks Old Dog had a noticeable uptake in energy and moved faster.

 

I also have read fish oil can help with inflammation.

[Gideon's girl]

So can turmeric.

[simba]

I have seen a lot of different suggestions about food additives that somehow help with dog hip problems. Do any of these really work, if yes what would you suggest

 

Thanks

 

I'm going mad, I could have sworn I'd replied to this ages ago.

 

NSAIDs were the biggest thing I ever saw make a difference to my dog when her hips were bad. It got rid of the inflammation, reduced the pain, and she was bouncing around the place like a pup again. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. I don't know if you can give them long-term though.

 

 

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-top-ten-pet-supplements-do-they-work/ There's a good article here on some of the more common supplements for pets.

 

 

What kind of hip problems has your dog?

 

I'd agree with Mum24dog on this.

[roscoe11]

Dexter is only 1 1/2 years old and there is no hip problem in his lineage. Three times he has had mystery limps, on his right back leg, that did not seem to have a cause. He would wakeup limping but after a walk he was putting weight on it. After a couple of days in the crate and some rimadyl he was fine. No sign of trouble at all. After the third time I decided to have his hip x-rayed just to eliminate that from the list of possibilities. The right hip (the hip he was limping on) was not as round as the left. There was a flat spot on the back of the joint. Both hips are well seated it was the flat spot that was causing concern with the vet.

 

I will have the hips X-rayed again when he is two and have them rated. The Vet said he did not know for sure but it was a possibility that the hips will not be rated as high good. I was just wondering if there is something I can do to help. There are a lot of (unsubstantiated apparently) food supplements that claim miracles. This tends to be a down to earth group of folks, if there was something that actually worked you guys would know.

 

Again thanks for your help

[gcv-border]

It is possible that there is a joint problem, but I would also be thinking about a strained ileopsoas muscle. (or maybe another muscle) A good rehab vet should help diagnose if there is a strained muscle or other cause. What you describe [repeated limping after a short rest] is characteristic of a strained muscle that has not been allowed time enough for rest and rehab (but there could be other causes too ). When my dog had a strained ileopsoas (diagnosed around 15 months of age, but I don't know how long he had been suffering with it), the rehab vet recommended 2-3 months of crate rest, leash walking and specific exercises. I returned for a couple of appts until she declared him 'cured'. Note: not enough time for healing means that it is easier to strain the muscle again.

 

Also, have you tested for tick-borne diseases? - which can cause intermittent limping?

 

Jovi

[roscoe11]

Wow 2 or 3 months in a crate, Dexter would be bouncing off the walls. I hope that's not the cure

 

Thanks

[Sue R]

When and if you have an injury that requires rest, it's up to you to enforce that. And it's not easy with an active dog, especially a youngster. There are ways to occupy the patient, though, and a lot has been written about it in other topics.

 

Dogs are not like us - we get an "ouchy" and are generally quite happy to scale back on life and let things heal. These dogs keep going through illness and pain - if they hit the point where they don't, they are really badly off.

 

You might want to consult a vet or orthopedic vet or rehab therapist to see what you might be able to do to help him recover. Rule out tick-borne diseases, first, if you haven't already.

[gcv-border]

Wow 2 or 3 months in a crate, Dexter would be bouncing off the walls. I hope that's not the cure :)/>

 

Thanks

 

Well, it is not strictly crate rest. What I mean by crate rest is some time in the crate, some time tethered to me while I walk around the house doing whatever, and of course, leash walking. The major goal is to NOT allow the dog to do the wild and crazy antics that gave them an injury in the first place - no jumping onto or off of furniture or beds, no jumping the last 4 steps when going down the stairs (my dog's personal favorite), no stretched out running after a ball or frisbee -- you get the idea. If you can stop/limit any explosive movements, a strained muscle will heal better. And specific exercises prescribed by a rehab or orthopedic vet will help the healing process.

 

Of course, your dog's limping may not be caused by a strained muscle, but if it continues, I would certainly think about checking it out.

 

Jovi