[NAGDU] arthritis

[Debbie Gabe]

Marj, Good luck with the fish oil supplements. I wouldn't take them myself because they are probably  very contaminated with mercury and other toxins from the ocean. If they come from farmed fish, they are contaminated by other man made pollutants/plastics from petroleum. These are toxins that the FDA does not have to test for and they do not need to be on the ingredient lables. So please beware.
Debbie Gabe

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Marj Schneider via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 3:46 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Marj Schneider <marjschneider at bellsouth.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] arthritis

Hello All,


I started my shepherd from Seeing Eye that I was matched with in February on supplements right away, both fish oil and glucosamine.
Rather than using the more costly veterinary supplements, I've looked at the amounts of active ingredients in those and found comparable ingredients in supplements for people that cost far less.


I'm opening up three capsules a day to sprinkle on my dog's food of a Vitacost product with glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. The amounts of those three main ingredients are pretty comparable to the amounts in the Dasuquin chews for large dogs. Dasuquin also includes a few other ingredients like avocado, soy and boswellia extract in forms that are intended to promote joint health. While those minor ingredients may be helpful, it's the main three that are most important. My cost is about
$6 a month, as opposed to around $16 a month if I were to buy Dasuquin from Chewy. Certainly chewables are convenient, but to me, since my dog will be on this supplement throughout his life with me, it's worth the cost savings.


As for fish oil, I'm using up some capsules that I had in the freezer since my last dog died and I don't recall how much omega 3 they contain.
I do know that my dog's coat is very soft and in good condition, so I think the amount is helping. Because the dog I have now is a lean 75 pounds, less than he weighed at school, I'll be figuring out how much fish oil to give him when I buy more. I've only had 50 pound dogs in the past, so this is a big change.


I've been giving dogs fish oil for more than 30 years and never had an issue with any of them simply eating it along with their food. I even had a cat that would eat whole fish oil capsules. I suppose there will always be exceptions, but most dogs won't leave the capsule in their bowl or on the floor.


The general rule I've learned about giving dogs supplements is that you would give half the dose recommended for people, but it's always best to do your own research based on your dog's size, individual needs and vet recommendations.


I decided to start my dog on glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM based on the recommendation that starting this at age two is the most effective way to promote joint health, along with exercise and keeping dogs at a lean weight. I sure hope this proves to be the case.


Marj and Verlin


--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com/

_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/debbiegabe%40live.com