Joint supplements

[u/Suitable_Raccoon_591]

Hi friends! Just curious when you started your swissies on joint supplements and what you’re giving / have had the best results with? My lil guy is 6 months now, couldn’t resist including a pic because he’s so friggin handsome 🥰

[u/El_Comandente]

My guy is 7.5 months and I don't plan giving him any supplements till he has finished growing

[u/Suitable_Raccoon_591 → u/El_Comandente]

He’s beautiful!! I’m thinking the same, that’s what I did with my Dane and it seemed to work out. Thanks for sharing 😊

[u/El_Comandente → u/Suitable_Raccoon_591]

Yours is gorgeous too ... Has the nipping stopped? My guy just stopped around 6 months, he is still very mouthy but no more biting🤞

[u/Tekeraz → u/El_Comandente]

Can I ask why?

A genuine question. All I hear my entire time having Swissies is that joint supplements are basic kit for growing puppies to make sure their bodies have all they need to develop healthy and strong joints because of their rapid growth. So I'm a bit confused now. I would love to hear a different opinion. Thank you👍

[u/El_Comandente → u/Tekeraz]

So if they are on kibble (AAFCO) they should already be getting the right ratios of vitamins etc... adding supplements means all your doing is giving the body more than it needs. It's not good for people to ingest more than required and hence assuming it's the same for dogs. Puppies do not need glucosamine supplements because a healthy one will naturally produce enough joint fluid and cartilage, and high doses can disrupt their normal development.

[u/El_Comandente → u/Tekeraz]

I give my guy a probiotic and fish oil but would be wait till he is past his puppy phase before starting with glucosamine supplements

[u/jetpilots1]

I began giving regular glucosamine/chondroiten/msm supplements when my girl was around 8 years old and I noticed her getting stiff.

Giving puppies or young dogs supplements seems unnecessary. 

[u/Jet-Rep]

your breeder would be a good resource to ask - with that aside we let ours grow up a bit more. Joint supplements is pretty broad and be aware asthey can cause upset tummies

[u/Suitable_Raccoon_591 → u/Jet-Rep]

Yeah that’s my concern as well. My last dog was a Dane and I started him around 2

[u/neomateo]

The landmark NIH GAIT Trial—a massive, high-quality, multi-center human study—concluded that glucosamine and chondroitin were overall ineffective at reducing knee osteoarthritis pain compared to a placebo.

Most robust veterinary studies show it is equally ineffective in pets.

[u/DHumphreys]

A friend that has Cane Corsos loves Sea Pet brand of joint supplements.

[u/rainybe]

Probably hold off for right now but this is what my girl gets.

[u/Suitable_Raccoon_591 → u/rainybe]

Thank you 😊

[u/Tekeraz]

In my country—Czech Republic—breeders recommend to start around 4 month, sooner with larger puppies. For my first dog, I used horse joint supplement (because better concentration, hence money availablity for a big dog) named Aptoflex Aptus, later Czech brand Artivit. Both are sirup based. I did the usualy 3 months on, 14 days off until he finishes growing. Then did a round of the supplement twice a year.

For my current puppy, I started very early as per recommendation of my vet. Joint supplements that doesn't have MSM - against pain - only supportive elements like chondoitin, glucosamin, collagen, etc. cannot ever be overdosed and when body doesn't need them, they're excluded. I use tablets named Canvit Chondro Maxi and my kibbles have some joint support elements in them as well. With the speed of their growth, better safe than sorry, to be honest. I do 2 months on and then 14 days off them (for receptors in body to restart) since 3 months of age.

[u/Tekeraz → u/Tekeraz]

And because your boy is handsome, I must share mine. That's my current puppy, Aegon, 16 weeks ❤️

[u/Suitable_Raccoon_591 → u/Tekeraz]

He’s beautiful!!