[r0ckah0l1c]

Alrighty so I've come to the conclusion that my dogs need more exercise ( apparently fetch, tug, springpole/tire thing I made & walks aren't enough), but they don't turn 1 until november and there isn't much grass around here to run them on. I carpeted some of our backyard since its mostly dirt/cement so they could play outside at night; is this okay? I had been giving them joint supplements I received free with their fish flex but they ran out yesterday. Do joint supplements really make a difference? If so, what are the best ones for dogs at just about a year of age so I can order some more? Help is greatly appreciated

 

[k8nkane]

You can post an ad to Craigslist to see if anyone in your area has a large field you can run them around in (of course, you'll pick up after yourself, etcetc). I did this with Kane, except to find a place where he could swim for his rehabilitation. I found a great spot not too far from where I am that the person said I could come out any time I wanted, as long as I called ahead.

The only joint supplements you really need are glucosamine and/or chondroitin. You can grab them at Petsmart/Petco.

 

[NateDieselF4i]

There's a good deal of debate as to the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin.
Most studies have pointed to neither of them being effective, however Glucosamine studies have been somewhat conflicting.

With that said many people feel they have benefited from the treatment on themselves or their animals. Its worth trying.

There is no medical debate however that fish oils have natural ant-inflammatory effects and I would highly recommend you adding some fish oil, either in capsules or a liquid (I use Grizzly salmon oil myself) to their food.

EDIT: as for them running on carpet being ok? Suuuure as long as its not a safety / tripping hazard. Dirty is fine for them too. Unless its not safe for some reason. If you could run on it, they can run on it.

 

[k8nkane]

There's a good deal of debate as to the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin.
Most studies have pointed to neither of them being effective, however Glucosamine studies have been somewhat conflicting.

With that said many people feel they have benefited from the treatment on themselves or their animals. Its worth trying.

Glucosamine and chondroitin have been proven to work -- depending on what you get. Store-brands are debatable, but if you were to get Glyco-Flex or Dasuquin/Cosequin, you should be okay. These brands are less processed than what you get in store-brands.

And fish oils are great for an anti-inflammatory, among many other things.

 

[NateDieselF4i]

Glucosamine and chondroitin have been proven to work -- depending on what you get. Store-brands are debatable, but if you were to get Glyco-Flex or Dasuquin/Cosequin, you should be okay. These brands are less processed than what you get in store-brands.

And fish oils are great for an anti-inflammatory, among many other things.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin are highly debated for their effectiveness, especially in regards to arthritis and joint repair.

They have never been proven to work. There are TONS of studies with conflicting data some positive / others negative. Lot of them point towards Chondriton being useless on its own. There are positive ones though and I certainly hope it works. Glucosamine's best studies indicated that it allowed for a reduction in the amount of NSAIDs being taken. This study was geared towards arthritis joint sufferers.

I'm speaking from a human medical standpoint, so I don't know if there is additional canine information, data, studies etc that indicate they are more effective.

I don't think you can say they are proven to work though. But if they are working for Kane then that's awesome! My father takes glucosamine/chondroitin supplements for his hip and he swears by em so i'm certainly not a naysayer.

 

[k8nkane]

We will have to agree to disagree then, because the studies I've seen for canine glucosamine/chondroitin supplements all suggest they work for dogs with arthritis, as long as you start with a good quality supplement and the right dose.

OP, I would use either Glyco-Flex, Dasuquin, or Cosequin. You can't get any better than those three. It's hard to say if you will see a noticeable improvement or difference in a dog without arthritis.

 

[NateDieselF4i]

Do you have those? I'd be interested to see them. Like I said I have no real knowledge about any canine studies.

I work in the human medical field and find this stuff interesting. I also suffer from a non-degenerative genetic form of arthritis myself (thanks mom and dad). So I keep pretty up to date on this sort of thing. A couple years ago 09 I think - the national institute of health did a very extensive study of glucosamine and chondroitin. It showed promise in one pain subset but thats it. Overall it was shown to have no improvement.
It specifically did a study of osteoarthritis of the knee though.

Anyways i'm going off tangent sorry OP ! Like I said can't hurt to try and give em Fish oil too!