Dog Glucosamine

Why would a pet owner ever want to use dog glucosamine for their pet? And can you use glucosamine with your dog in the first place? Is it safe to give to them?

One of the questions I get so often about German Shepherds especially, is usually about something to do with their joints. It usually has to do with something like arthritis or maybe an injury or some kind of mal formation that a particular dog may have. And, it might be something that just has to do with heredity. Who knows?

But when a dog ages it often has a lot of the same problems as older people do. Aches and pains are now more common than they were when the dog was a puppy. When your dog gets older there are a lot of changes in its body - and some of the most common are those that affects its joints, ligaments, tendons and even their joint fluids.

So, how do you know when to give a Dog Glucosmine? Probably the easiest way would be just by observing your dog. Have you noticed your dog limping? Does it seem to have a problem getting up when it's been laying down for awhile? Does it seem extra sensitive to touch?

There are other things to watch out for too, such as: is it more lethargic? Does it play less and less these days? Is it sleeping more? When you go for walks does it have a problem keeping up with you?

Hmmmm…. So if you noticed any of the above, it may be just the time for you to start giving your dog glucosamine for its joint health. One of the reasons that glucosamine is so helpful in making your dog more mobile is because this is a normal component already found within your dogs body. Problem is though, it just needs a lot more.

Other things dog glucosamine does includes its anti-inflammatory properties as well as the ability to help joints regenerate. So when you give a dog glucosamine in a pill form you'll often notice a big difference in his behavior in just a few days. In fact, some dogs who have joint problems, once they are given glucosamine for a few days, seem to almost return to a more puppy like state.

You may have never thought about it before, but most pets have a much higher pain tolerance than do us wimpy humans. If you have a headache, or a backache, or stomach ache, then you'll go take something for it. Now your dog on the other hand, when it has a pain it has no way of going to the cabinet and getting an aspirin or some other pill for its ailment. It has simply learned to deal with it.

So if you think about it that way, by the time a pet shows you that it is in pain, real pain, pain that is not going away right away, then you know that it has been hurting for a while. Animals are known for not letting others know about their pains - in the wild this is considered a sign of weakness and we all know what happens to sick or injured animals in the wild - they end up being someone else's meal. So this is often the case why an animal will not let you know that it is in pain before it gets really bad.

And large breed dogs like the German Shepherd in particular often have issues with their joints. For one thing, they are a large breed dog and have a lot of mass. And another thing is the hereditary component of joint issues. And sometimes it might be as easy as a result of an injury, or overwork, or just plain "weekend warrior" syndrome.

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Dog glucosamine has been shown, when given as a dietary supplement, to really help German Shepherds who have issues with joint problems - and perhaps even tendinitis, bursitis, disc degeneration and arthritis. Often times, you begin to notice a big difference in your dog's overall attitude and activity levels in just a few weeks, and in some cases only a few days.

I give my dog glucosamine frequently and have been for years. I usually begin giving it to my dogs when they are about five years old or so and even earlier if they have had any kind of injury or other kind of issue that may cause arthritis or other joint problems. It is a simple thing to do and also one that has quick results, so I feel it's a no-brainer when I've noticed that my dogs are in pain.

You've probably noticed many different kinds of dog glucosamine chondroitin on the market. Now I'm not a vet but I can tell you that I have been giving my dogs human grade glucosamine that I buy at my local CVS drugstore for years. So there's no real need to go out and buy a special kind of glucosamine - unless you just really want to.

However keep in mind too that there are lower quality forms of glucosamine on the market that you want to stay away from. These can often be found at discount stores or maybe even in grocery stores but if you have questions about this ask your veterinarian. Don't waste your money on low quality supplements.

But there are different ways of taking it too. You can buy a liquid form and you can also buy a pill form glucosamine so it's simply up to you which you prefer to give your dogs. If you have questions, talk to your veterinarian about it. You'll also need to read the label carefully to find out how much you need to give your dog per day and how many times per day you will give it to your dog.

Another thing to think about is the amount of glucosamine you will give your dog - and one thing about it to keep in mind is the condition of your dog. Generally speaking, a dog that is in great shape and not overweight will probably need less than a much heavier, less active dog. When you first start giving glucosamine to your dog it is a good idea in the first week or so to double the dose to help get the glucosamine in your dogs system and to give it a head start on healing.

Good quality dog glucosamine chondroitin given to your dog is such a blessing to them in so many ways. It helps ease their pain very quickly but it has so many other beneficial effects too. It can help with their joint issues and is also really good in maximizing their overall joint health for the future. And best of all it doesn't have all the dangerous side effects of most drugs on the market like NSAIDs and the like.

So if you notice your dog is limping or slowing down and you know your dog is over the age of five or so, I would seriously start thinking about adding Glucosmine? to your daily feeding routine. And if you have any dog with some kind of joint injury or maybe a hereditary condition that affects his joints then I would encourage you to give them glucosamine also.

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" Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching." -- Rudyard Kipling


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Laura Page Warden

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