| Similar to us humans, as pets age they may need supplements to help them stay active and healthy. When it comes to a pet’s joint health, Super Joint Enhancer is a wonderful glucosamine, chondroitan and MSM supplement that I’ve found to be an excellent economic alternative to more expensive supplements of its type often sold at veterinary offices. |
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Super Joint Enhancer has performed wonderfully for me in helping maintain healthy joints in aging pets, plus pets seem to love the beef and pork chewable formulation. Super Joint Enhancer is also available in several forms including soft chews and a liquid for finicky pets. Common concerns from pet owners have included whether it was safe to use super joint enhancer with other prescription medications used for arthritis, and in most cases the answer is certainly yes. Other concerns include whether the product may cause weight gain and/or aggravate sugar control in diabetic pets, and while both are possible, I have not personally seen these to be major problems in pets on this supplement. The only other rare side effect I have seen is occasional diarrhea
Do you give your pets joint supplements? If so, which brand? Do you find them to be helpful for your pet’s joints? Or if you’ve given your pet Super Joint Enhancer, tell us what you think!
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With the arrival of cold weather there are certain health issues that can become more prominent in some pets. As discussed in another post, colder temperatures can cause some dogs and cats to experience arthritis pain and stiffness which can become more intense and problematic. Especially with small dog breeds, we also need to be aware of excessive exposure to ice cold weather leading to loss of body heat and potential low body temperature (known as hypothermia) or frostbite with excessive exposure to frigid weather conditions. |
I always recommend that animal guardians use coats on particular the smaller breeds to help keep their core temperatures warm. Symptoms of hypothermia can include weakness, collapse, and occasionally hair loss and ulceration on thinly haired areas of the extremities. It is important for animal guardians with outdoor living dogs and cats to make sure to provide adequate and insulated areas of housing and shelter. Another problem seen in the winter months is potential exposure of pets to antifreeze. The source can be old leaky cars, or if pets have access to where these products are stored.
Acute kidney failure can occur on ingestion of these products, so it is important to minimize potential exposure. Guardians with outdoor cats also should be warned that many outdoor cats will prefer to be inside during the winter months, and if not given access to an indoor shelter, will often hide in the engines of parked cars in their efforts to become warm. And with the arrival of snowstorms and ice, not only do we need to be careful in walking our pets on slippery icy surfaces, but also with potential exposure of dogs to the salt used on roads and cement surfaces, which can cause irritation, inflammation and infection of the paw pads.
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The arrival of winter will often exacerbate a person’s joint and back aches, especially cold, damp weather, and we often see pets with a susceptibility to back or joint issues often exhibit symptoms in the winter months. This can include varying degrees of limping, stiffness, weakness, and pain. Many pets will often be reluctant to jump up or go up or down stairs, or go outside in the cold weather. |
Certainly if any of these symptoms are present as the cold weather approaches, a full veterinary exam and assessment should be done for proper diagnosis and treatment. There are some wonderful nutritional supplements that can be used by animal guardians preventatively or when these symptoms are present in their pet. Various glucosamine/MSM products can be tried including Super Joint Enhancer from 1800petmeds and the various GlycoFlex products. Antioxidants such as Proanthozone can help decrease inflammation of affected joints and tissues, by decreasing what are known as free radical formation, which are believed to be involved with many of the symptoms.
I also recommend fatty acid supplementation, such as Omega-3 for many of these pets. However, if your pet has pre-existing medical conditions and/or is on other medications for arthritis pain, an animal guardian should check with their veterinarian before starting any supplementation. In addition, using an orthopedic bed or a heated dog bed, can help to keep your pet warm, and can also relieve stress on the joints.
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One of the newer aspects various joint and arthritis treatments in small animal veterinary medicine involves the injection directly into the joints and areas of inflammation. While there are occasional side effects that can occur, such as secondary infections (if a sterile technique isn’t used), I believe the benefit of anti-inflammatories, or other various healing joint medications has a superior advantage in many cases over taking joint supplements. Some of the products that have been used include various steroid formulations such as Triamcinolone, as well as Prednisolone formulations. |
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Also, a long term product named Adequan, uses actual joint components like hyaluronic acid, which seems to slow the progression of arthritis, and decreases joint inflammation. The body’s own natural production of glucosamine and chondroitin-like materials are also increased by using Adequan. Most recently even the use of stem cell therapies have found their way into use for persistent and resistant arthritis, and recent reports have found that injecting stem cell products directly into joints significantly improves the range of motion and lameness. Regenerative stem cell therapy for arthritis usually requires only one dose, however, depending upon whether a steroid or hyaluronic acid is used, the frequency can be as much as once weekly.
