Category: Pet Health

Dogs are naturally carnivores in the wild, meaning that their bodies are designed to use raw meat almost exclusively. Oh, they’ll eat a few berries, grasses and even eggs when they find them, but meat is a dogs natural food. Not cereal-based “kibble,’ not highly cooked, canned “junk food” meat. A dog misses out on the nutrients it needs when fed these foods. Now, feed these foods for a lifetime, and is it any wonder that dogs develop joint problems that they wouldn’t have in the wild?

I’m sure Nurse Mark said it, but I’ll say it again. WE ARE NOT VETERINARIANS. We are not allowed (by law) to make recommendations for your pet. WE ARE, HOWEVER, DOG OWNERS AND DOG LOVERS. So from the standpoint of a dog-owner, I’ll tell you what we do with our dogs (none of whom have joint problems).

1.) We feed them raw meat. We get this from a local butcher — fat and scraps that aren’t “people quality.” We grind this up like hamburger, freeze it, and feed the dogs a 1/2 cup sized-meatball at least twice per week. When we’ve got more meat, we reduce their kibble (all-organic rice and lamb, not ideal, but we can’t afford pure meat, the ideal diet).

2.) We feed them raw eggs. Most dogs love eggs! Plop a raw egg into their bowl a couple of time per week, especially on a day when they don’t get meat. We put the shell in (high in calcium, and they would eat an egg shell and all in the wild). The essential fats are very healthy for joints, and will give them a beautiful coat as well.

3.) Occasional raw vegetables. Lettuce, broccoli, carrots — use the scraps (raw) from your own food.

4.) NO people food. Dogs don’t do well with most people food (foods listed above are the exception), and some are even highly toxic to dogs. Give them a small piece of raw meat for a snack or training treat.

5.) Plenty of exercise. Our dogs go for walks, runs and 30-45 minutes of high-energy Frisbee play every day. Their vet always seems amazed at what good condition they are in!

Even if your pet isn’t so active, keep their weight normal by decreasing total calories 9if needed) to make them “lean and keen.” Their joints — just like in humans — don’t do well when carrying excess weight.

6.) Supplements for joint health.
        A.) Dog Vites: general vitamin/mineral supplement for dogs. Powdered, tastes great, adds easily to food. Do you really think their junk-food kibble (even the “organic” stuff) has all the nutrients found in the wild? NOT!
        B.) NutriJoint for Dogs: a combination of the supportive nutrients to improve dog joint-health, all in one convenient formula. Like Dog Vites, this adds easily to food. Or you can give the nutrients separately, as listed by Nurse Mark. Personally, I like the easiest method!
 

The Pet Cardio and Dog Vities that we have on our website are a great start – we have them there because we keep them for our own animals.

Much of the troubles that our animals have can be traced back to their high-carbohydrate diets – our pets (dogs and cats) are primarily carnivores – they eat mainly meat – and that is what they are genetically designed for. A return to a high-protein, high-fat diet will likely help. Ask your butcher for “cutting scraps” – fat, gristle, and non-people-grade meat bits – and cut these up into cubes and try feeding that to your dog – I’m betting she’ll love it! The increased protein will give her the raw materials her body needs for healing, and the increased fat intake will provide the raw materials that her body will use to naturally produce such things as steroid hormones. Beware of feeding “trans-fats” to your animals the same as you would beware of eating them yourself – they are poison in our opinion as they so adversely affect cellular structure.

Next, when it comes to joint care, many of the same supplements that we would suggest for us humans will be helpful for your dog. Glucosamine Sulfate, (be sure you get the “real deal” – the fully reacted molecule as found in products containing “Glucosapure” – a patented form of glucosamine), MSM, flax oil, and fish oil are all very beneficial for the joints. Nutritional brewers yeast is also reported to be very good.

Rimadyl is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that seems to have some serious concerns surrounding it – some people have had excellent experiences with it, while many others have had less happy outcomes with the drug – some even attributing the death of their pet to the use of the drug. All the NSAIDs (and Metacam is also a NSAID and shares the same possible side effects) have the potential to produce some very serious side effects including G.I bleeding, nausea, loss of appetite, blood clotting problems, liver or kidney problems, and others. The FDA has issued an informational brochure discussing NSAID use in animals – find it here: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/506_nsaid.html

Personally, I would avoid the use of NSAIDs in any animal of mine. I would be more likely to use Bromelain for our animals if they needed an anti-inflammatory, and it also has the happy side-benefit of aiding digestion. Better yet would be the product Nutri-Joint For Pets.
Though 12 years old is certainly going on being “senior” for many dogs, there is no reason that you cannot improve her health and stiffness with some careful diet changes and supplementation. As her stiffness improves she will be more willing to play and exercise, which will strengthen her muscles and improve her health and mobility even more.

Let me know how she does!

Cheers,
Nurse Mark