Peggy was a 100lb Akita that lived just a few months past her 9th birthday. Shortly before she passed, she had started showing signs of sluggishness. She had rickety legs from when she was young, but now anyone could see that the pain was getting unbearable.
The owner Maggie Walker started using a liquid glucosamine product that was marketed to be effective against canine joint pain and arthritis.
The irritability only increased, and the pet developed more issues from chronic diarrhea to itchy skin all over. Over time she became aversive to the supplement and wouldn’t eat or walk around.
Maggie was too engaged to notice the increasing fragility and sickly nature of her dog. One day she came back from travel to find Peggy stiff and lifeless in her kennel.
Max was an 11 year St Bernard that had survived a car accident when he was little. His youthful years were full of vim and vigor. No one could tell that he had survived several bone fractures. But his later years seemed to restart the pain and the weakness in his back and legs.
Max could no longer climb stairs. He had to be strapped to a wheelchair during walks and hoisted for bowel movements. The owner Bob Danny saw a vet that recommended physical therapy together with a few supplements.
One thing that escaped the vet’s attention in the diagnosis stage was Max’s allergy to shellfish, which had hitherto remain unknown even to Bob.
After several weeks of vomiting, diarrhea, and poor coat quality, Bob went back to the vet. Max was put on a diet elimination process that revealed his allergy to shellfish. The vet had to readjust his supplement prescription to a type of glucosamine for dogs with shellfish allergies.
The difference in Max’s health was noticeable in a few days. Although old age has now got the better of him, he is out of the wheelchair, and he can manage most activities unassisted.
Bella, a five-year-old amputee, was prescribed a regular glucosamine supplement to help her live a normal life. The owner, Michelle Turner, quickly realized that Bellas was not responding well to glucosamine.
She was a labradoodle, smart, quiet, and with that luxurious coat, but it was sad that she was experiencing joint pain at five years.
Michelle tried dasequin advanced, but that seemed to worsen her health in significant ways. She was no longer eating, and she was scratching non-stop. The owner had to address the allergy symptoms with Benadryl.
The joint pain is back because they have temporarily stopped her on glucosamine. Michelle is at a loss. She doesn’t know what to do, and she knows that she cannot touch on NSAIDs whatsoever. She knows that they are even more harmful.
These are all real stories, and they reveal the agony that joint pain and arthritis can have on a dog’s life. A once healthy dog starts to wobble the older they grow.
A young and jumpy pet starts to wince in pain during walks and play, and the childhood bone trauma that a healthy pet overcame seems to come back out of the blues.
Sometimes the homeowner is at a loss and doesn’t know what to do. Sometimes the vet goes on a prescription spree that leaves your furry friend hyper-medicated, but their arthritis and joint conditions linger on. Sometimes it haunts them to their end. How sad!
Most vets prescribe NSAIDs for managing the pain and inflammation. Even so, most dog owners have now become knowledgeable about the many health risks posed by these drugs, including liver and kidney toxicity, ulcers, diarrhea, and intestinal bleeding.
Several pet owners are now increasingly choosing natural methods of managing and treating canine joint pain, from physical therapy to food supplements such as glucosamine. Pet Meds reports that this supplement significantly assists in building cartilage, reducing inflammation, and improving mobility.
However, the efficiency of glucosamine for canine joint pain only works in pets that do not have shellfish food allergies. Two-thirds of the canine glucosamine products in the market are made purely from shellfish or contain shellfish as an ingredient.
That makes the products contraindicative in dogs with a shellfish allergy, leading to symptoms such as:
- Skin rash
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Hives
- Digestive health issues
- Poor coat quality
- Excessive toe licking
- Poor appetite
Left untreated, these allergic reactions can be life-threatening to your pet. The right natural supplement against canine joint pain should address their medical history and existing food allergy.
Close monitoring by the owner and the vet is needed to ascertain the efficiency of the treatment approach.
