Do you take your daily vitamins to stay healthy? We all know you should, but your dog actually needs them too, especially as they get older and start to feel the pain of old age, just like humans.
“He was on the couch and he couldn’t get off the couch. My couch is low and he was just crying and I didn’t know what was going on so I went over and I realized he was just screaming and crying and he couldn’t move,” said his owner, Mikey Verdugo.
Toby, a 10-year-old rescue dog, wakes up one day as a completely different dog.
“I literally had to help him off the couch and I saw he was limping so I took him to the vet,” Verdugo said.
Dr Alison Birken of Victoria Park Animal Hospital unfortunately sees cases exactly like Toby’s every day.
“Their joints start to hurt, they become slower to get up, walk less and don’t want to play as much. This is usually due to osteoarthritis, also known as pet arthritis,” says Berken.
Pets are not that different from us humans.
“She has limited range of motion in her hips,” says Berken, “and I think the most important thing we can do to prevent arthritis and osteoarthritis in pets is to start her on glucosamine chondroitin sulfate early and keep her down, which is very important!”
Weight is also an issue.
“In just eight months, he’s gained 13 pounds. I don’t know why. I’m going to blame it on whoever was taking care of the dog,” Verdugo said.
Weight, age and joints – three concerns that can be overcome by addressing them one at a time, starting with glucosamine.
“It promotes joint health, it promotes cartilage growth and is just overall very good for your joints. I think of it like vitamins for your joints,” Berken said.
Taking a daily vitamin like this is normal for humans, right? But dogs need them too. In fact, since Toby started taking his daily vitamins, he no longer has to use the stairs to get to his bed, which is his favorite spot.
Toby was able to lose the excess weight by running on rollerblades while pulling his dog, his father.
“He would take me around the block on skates and just pull me along. It was night and day difference, a different dog,” Verdugo said.
And finally, age:
“They’re running again, they’re playing again, they’re going on walks with their owners. We’re extending not only their lifespan but their quality of life,” Berken said.
So when should you start giving your dog Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulfate?
Dr. Birken says it was as a puppy!
Taking joint supplements at a young age can help prime and prepare the body for a more positive ageing process, so it’s never too early (or too late) to start giving your puppy the vitamins they need.
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