This last April – newsletter I guide you on looking for supplements that objectively help improve your OA-pained pet’s quality of life
Gentle morning stretches, massages and warm wraps in the morning, and magnesium oil solution at night, with weekly “spa” EPSOM salt baths or soaks are the basis that cost you next to nothing to help your pet.
Now, let’s dive today into supplements, the latest ‘trend’
according to social media advertising & veterinary product sellers
How to find worthwhile Supplements for Osteoarthritis – no empty promises
My 3 professional strategies to locating supplements
that work and are worth their price
1. “Know your enemy”
Which nutrients could your pet be short of (lacking) that might help against osteoarthritis? Processed foods keep our furkids alive but they contain only a defined minimum of vital ingredients. This is a problem for ‘special needs pets’ like those with osteoarthritis.
Great supplements to look out for are:
• Green Lipped Mussels (extract) for hip joint pain,
• Boswellia (frankincense) for inflammation in knee, hip and elbow joints, and
• Hyaluronic acid with manganese and MSM. Chondroitin and Glucosamine are most efficiently used by the body as natural food such as soft bones and chicken feet.
• Krill oil or Astaxanthin are anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
• Vitamin A & E, Vitamin D3 & K2 nourish membranes, soft tissues and bones.
2. “Know thy ingredients”
Rather choose a supplement with a few select ingredients that make sense to you (see above) than one that contains a myriad of “mystery ingredients”.
Beware of chemical additives that do nothing for your pet like
• corn starch
• magnesium stearate
• silicon dioxide
3. Define one or two of your pet’s major problems that you want to see improving Know which effect you want from the supplement set a realistic ‘deadline’ to achieve what you want. As an example: start with a higher ‘theapeutic dosage’ for the first 4 to 8 weeks before lowering the daily dosage to a ‘maintenance level’ for another 2 to 4 months.
Avoid to overloading your pet with supplements without a clearly defined reason for each supplement! – And, have a timeline for when you want to see signs of pain relief and improved mobility!
Last but definitely not least…
… the price of a supplement doesn’t define a product’s quality or effectiveness
… remember to provide a “therapeutic break”. This is the professional name for a temporary pause of feeding a supplement! A therapeutic break can range from a few days to a few weeks. Pausing your supplement provides the body’s detoxing organs like liver and kidneys and the gut a much-deserved break. And this break can significantly enhance your pet’s response, after restarting a supplement!
I sincerely hope our April series of Osteoarthritis information helps you to help your “OA plagued” furkid at home!
As I always say to my paw-parents
“If you don’t give up on your furkid, I (and my team) definitely don’t give up on your pet, either!
See you next Monday, May 5, with our info series on gut health!
Dr Susanna
