Do you have a slightly older dog? You might keep this in mind.

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Steve007
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Do you have a slightly older dog? You might keep this in mind.

Post by Steve007 » Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:30 pm

Cooper the Dog of Destiny -- my fine Wirehair -- is not quite as young as he used to be. We celebrated his 11th birthday recently. We still work every day -- weather permitting -- and compete or do demonstrations in sports that require a fair amount of jumping. My last two dogs made it to 16+ years of age, so I am not concerned.

Nevertheless, I will admit that he is getting up a little slower than he used to and his sits can be slower as well. I do give him carprofin/Rimadyl on extremely cold and rainy days.

However, I am solidly wired into the upper-level competition obedience community and asked for suggestions. We all tend to do the same stuff for years, and it can be a mistake. Thus, I have changed his glucosamine formula from Dasuquin to a different brand (GlycoFlexPlus) with additional properties and additives and have also ordered Medterra Pet CBD Tincture Drops. Some people feel that CBD is very useful and others do not, but the owner of my dog's litter brother (CH MH) is quite decisive that it is useful for his dog. Obviously, it varies by dog, but to the degree effectiveness is genetic, this seemed like a good reference.

If you have an older dog, it is probably worth fooling around with different brands, as it is generally acknowledged that some dogs do better with one than another. Keeping your dog on -- as an example-- – Dasuquin forever just because your vet says so may not be the right thing to do. Jury is out on CBD, but it's worth a try. Admittedly, changing two things at once is not the best thing to do scientifically, but I'm looking for results rather than a test.

My results -- too soon to tell-- may not have relevance for your dog, but trying different stuff probably does.

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MNTonester
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Re: Do you have a slightly older dog? You might keep this in mind.

Post by MNTonester » Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:09 pm

keep us informed. my Oscar is 6 YO and gets glucosamine in in his dry dog food but not as a supplement

Steve007
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Re: Do you have a slightly older dog? You might keep this in mind.

Post by Steve007 » Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:22 pm

MNTonester wrote:
Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:09 pm
keep us informed. my Oscar is 6 YO and gets glucosamine in in his dry dog food but not as a supplement
You might do a comparison of what he actually gets. My understanding is that the glucosamine/condroitin combination that they get in dry food is quantitatively completely insufficient compared to supplements, and is mainly a marketing tool. Won't claim this is true, but look up the quantity in Dasuquin Plus with MSM for your sized dog which is the most common supplement, and do a comparison. There are plenty of hunting-oriented vets who maintain that any dog over the age of five who hunts should be on Dasuquin or similar.

My dog has been on it for years, but I'm making changes simply because some dogs do better on one supplement than other. The one I switched to does have more of the appropriate combination plus a number of other additives as well. I won't claim it's better for my individual dog -- too soon to tell, and I'm adding the other supplement at the same time -- but it is possible and I'll see. Take a look at how much your dog is actually getting his dry dog food.

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