[Luna-Blue]

So I live in a 3rd story unit (top floor) and the concrete stairwell outside and is somewhat steep. Up until about 3 months old Luna was too small and scared to walk up and down the stairs so I carried her. Since then (the past 5 months) she has been every day climbing up and down 3 flights of stairs, numerous times a day! Sometimes she races me up them while other times she seems like she is so tired from the walk that her joints are taking a beating just making it up to the unit! Her diet/feed is very high protein and nutrient rich as I'm feeding Orijen and grain free treats all around. My question is...should I be worried about joint/bone health with all this daily non-stop climbing? I live in AZ and as soon as she's about 12 months I will be taking her on BIG hikes up numerous mountains here in the valley. I'd like to condition her for this while in the same have the piece of mind knowing that I am not harming her in the process.

As it is, with the Orijen nutritional content, I feel like a supplement is not needed and would be redundant. Am I wrong in assuming this? She is currently not fed any supplements as I've never really been a fan of additional vitamins and minerals (bc she is already getting them in her feed/kibble.) Buuuut if there is something out there that is safe and that she can benefit from then I may be open to it! Thanks!

 

[Charity]

This is a great question, and I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts on the topic as well. I also live in an upstairs apartment, and poor Sasha has to trek up and down those stairs several times a day too. She's just over a year old now, but I worry for when she gets older and her joints aren't as young and flexible as they are now!

So, is this type of situation hard on a doggie?

 

[RedNoseAPBT]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, however, some good supplements for bone/joint health would be vitamin C, glucosamine/chondroitin, flax seed oil, fish oil, vitamin D and a good quality calcium supplement. Don't go cheap or buy anything from Wal-Mart or a grocery store because those aren't high quality supplements. Go to a health food store to buy the supplements.

 

[Luna-Blue]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, however, some good supplements for bone/joint health would be vitamin C, glucosamine/chondroitin, flax seed oil, fish oil, vitamin D and a good quality calcium supplement. Don't go cheap or buy anything from Wal-Mart or a grocery store because those aren't high quality supplements. Go to a health food store to buy the supplements.

What about these? I have 2 huge bottles of them (aside from $100's of dollars of other FREE ish) from a PetsMart corporate vendor picnic (my ex works for them)

Are these even necessary though? Seeing as she is already getting tons of this stuff in her Orijen kibble.

 

[RedNoseAPBT]

What about these? I have 2 huge bottles of them (aside from $100's of dollars of other FREE ish) from a PetsMart corporate vendor picnic (my ex works for them)

Are these even necessary though? Seeing as she is already getting tons of this stuff in her Orijen kibble.

I would say that's alright for now.

 

[Luna-Blue]

I decided against the supplements as I currently feed Orijen kibble and treats which seem to have more than enough nutrition and supplemental minerals etc.

As a side note; I did give her a tab in her food once and she threw it up...it was the weirdest thing :snow: This chit is expensive too, I saw this bottle at Petsmart for like $35

 

[bahamutt99]

The GNC supplements are too spendy for me, so I never seriously considered them. There are some great glucosamine-heavy treats out there these days that my elderbull has been doing very well on. GNC's "hiptastic" treats are like 1500 mg of glucosamine per tab for about $5-6/bag. And Dogswell makes the Happy Hips treats which are 2000 mg per strip and can be broken up easily.

Just some other options for you. I don't supplement my 6-year-old but my older girl needs them. I am not convinced the amount of joint sups in dog food is enough.

 

[Luna-Blue]

The GNC supplements are too spendy for me, so I never seriously considered them. There are some great glucosamine-heavy treats out there these days that my elderbull has been doing very well on. GNC's "hiptastic" treats are like 1500 mg of glucosamine per tab for about $5-6/bag. And Dogswell makes the Happy Hips treats which are 2000 mg per strip and can be broken up easily.

Just some other options for you. I don't supplement my 6-year-old but my older girl needs them. I am not convinced the amount of joint sups in dog food is enough.

Do you suggest I supplement a tab in her kibble 2x/day? If so, why? Below is the complete break down of the Orijen Regional Red she's on. I don't see any Glucosamine in the ingredients, supplements, vitamins and minerals, amino acids nor botanical inclusions sections. Is a supplement like this really even necessary or beneficial?

Regional Red | Orijen

* FRESH AND PRESERVATIVE-FREE

INGREDIENTS
Boneless Angus beef*, boneless wild boar*, boneless lamb*, beef liver*, boneless pork*, pork liver*, whole herring*, lamb liver*, beef meal, lamb meal, herring meal, salmon meal, Pollock meal, beef tripe*, bison*, lamb fat, whole egg*, red lentils, chickpeas, green peas, yellow peas, green lentils, herring oil, pea fibre, yams*, sun-cured alfalfa, pumpkin, butternut squash*, spinach greens*, carrots*, Red Delicious apples*, Bartlett pears*, cranberries*, blueberries*, kelp, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, Enterococcus faecium.

SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast.