I have a 6 year old female shepard mix & she also has some rotweiler in her too. Both breed are very suseptible to arthritis, so I’m worried about her getting arthritis in the future. I take her for daily walks and to the dog park occasionally (usually weekends) so she can run around with our other 1 year old pup. She also swims a lot in the summer. So what can I do?
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Since it is genetic there isn’t anything you can do about that part of it. One of the best things you can do to help if she does have arthritis is keep her weight under control. Surgical joint repair is a possibility of course, but you are talking about a lot of money with that.
Here is a helpful link with practical suggestions. Best of luck.
Glucosimine is a good option. You can get the kind that you sprinkle on food or there are chew treats. Here’s a web site that helps you figure out which is right for your doghttp://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+58+910&pcatid=910
Glucosamine is really the only thing that I can think of that is a preventative for arthritis. Its a supplement to promote healthy joints. My dog is on a tablet form, vet prescribed, for her knee condition.
At the high-quality pet store in my area, they sell a variety of treats and chews that contain glucosamine. I’m sure you could find some online.
Feeding a speices appropriate diet, is your best bet. keeping her active and at a healthy weight, while feeding her an appropriate diet so she has a strong healthy immune system. Swimming and walking are the best exercises you can offer her, so you are off to a great start!
here are some links on feeding
http://www.mypetcarnivore.com/rawfeeding_basics.htm
http://www.rawlearning.com
http://www.rawmeatybones.com
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
Also limiting her vaccines with the theory “less is more”. This will help prevent vaccinosis which can manifest itself in arthritic conditions. Heres info on that
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM
You can feed shark cartiledge and a gluc/chondroit supplement both of which can be found here
http://www.puritan.com/
Another great supplement can be found in Nzymes, more info on them here
http://www.nzymes.com/
Hope this helps
Avoid high impact work outs,running on cement,jumping etc.Feed high quality food but keep them lean,joint supplements should help.
This answer might seem a bit off the wall…
Try feeding your dog one can of sardines a day. If she’ll eat it – it may be the solution. There is a dog food which contains fish but if it is salmon it has to be wild salmon to work. The reason is that ONLY fish from the ocean contains the 72 trace elements needed to work. [Not to mention that farm raised salmon is high in toxins.]
This is why shark cartilage might work but I think that the whole food would be best. Seafood from larger fish like tuna and shark are much more heavily tainted with mercury.
Reference the web site below to see why I suggest this.