[NAGDU] arthritis

[Joy Relton]

I hope that the fish oil helps. I have used supplements like that in the
past for various dogs. My current dog has some sort of deficiency which made
her long nails split in half length-wise and eventually break off quite
short. They are nicely trimmed now and aren't splitting any more. I give her
a supplement which has fish oil in it. It is for dogs. It has omega 3 in it.
I do not remember the name of it. I generally don't take or give supplements
unless there is some nutrition-related deficiency indicated through some
physical or medical evidence. I have found brushing my dogs' coats and using
various grooming tools to be most effective. The more I brush the more the
natural oil comes to the surface. I generally don't like to use the spray on
their coat either because it feels sticky.   

My first dog was a golden and she had eczema. I used to squeeze a capsule of
oil on her food. The vet also suggested that I could use corn oil since it
was cheaper. I would also occasionally mix in egg but I don't like to feed
dogs raw eggs. At the end of her life that dog was retired to my folks'
farm. She got bacon drippings on her food. She gained a little weight but
her coat was gorgeous.   

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Debbie Gabe via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2023 12:52 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Debbie Gabe <debbiegabe at live.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] arthritis

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


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