The Benefits of Hip and Joint Supplements for Senior Dogs
As your best friend ages, there are often additional factors to consider when it comes to senior dog care. If you notice your dog slowing down or showing signs of stiffness and joint pain, you’re not alone!
Luckily for all of us, there are great hip and joint supplements for senior dogs available.
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If you are a regular reader here on Shed Happens or have been following our social media accounts, then you already know that my heart belongs to a beautiful senior girl.
Our girl Daviana has always been a high-energy dog.
Last year, at the age of 12, we noticed that she was starting to show signs of stiffness in her day to day, especially at night if she had been overly active throughout the day.
For a dog that has spent most of her life hiking, swimming and generally being active with her pack, this wasn’t easy for our girl. Her body was ageing, but her head still wanted to go. She still firmly believed that she was a healthy, happy young pup.
It was at this point that we began our year-long journey with natural join supplements for dogs.
We have always been firm believers in finding a natural solution, where possible, and knew that there had to be a product out there that could provide the boost that our girl needed.
Dietary Supplements
If you’re getting started, the first thing that you may want to explore is the option of adding dietary supplementation to your dog’s food.
This can come in the form of liquids or powders that are added to your dog’s meals, or simply adding carefully selected natural ingredients as food toppers including fresh fruit/vegetables and protein sources.
There are many great whole food options that can help to reduce both pain and inflammation in your dog. While these won’t slow down or reverse ageing, they will help with your dog’s quality of life in the earlier stages.
Some foods that you may want to consider adding to your dog’s meals or treats include:
- Fish oil
- Turmeric
- Blueberries
- Sweet potatoes
- Spinach
However, this short list is only a beginning! If you are really interested in digging into the world of dietary nutrition and how to make it work for your dog, I recommend contacting a veterinary nutritionist.
Hip and Joint Supplements for Senior Dogs
There is no denying the fact that the supplement market has been on the rise in Canada and the US, as well as around the world, for our own health. In fact, statistics show that the global supplement market was valued at approximately $140.3 billion USD in 2020!
If the use of supplements is working so well for us, why not explore the same concept for our dogs?
Hip and joint supplements, specifically, work to protect and strengthen the cartilage in your dog’s joints including in the shoulders, hips, knees, elbows, and wrists.
Why is this important?
The cartilage works as a shock absorber within the joints, preventing the pain and damage that comes from bone-on-bone contact (arthritis pain). Unfortunately, the body is constantly wearing away at this cartilage through daily activity.
In a younger dog, the body will work to renew and repair cartilage. This already slow process slows even further as your dog ages.
By providing your dog with proper supplementation, you provide the nourishment and support that your dog’s body needs to continue to build strong, healthy joint tissue.
Armed with a basic understanding of the way that a dog’s body works, we set out to find the right supplement for our overly active senior girl.
If you’re also at that stage, then you know that there are A LOT of products on the market. A quick search on Google or Amazon can leave you feeling completely overwhelmed. I know that it did for me.
Luckily for us, an incredible product soon came to our attention…
Wag Worthy Naturals Advanced Formula Hip and Joint Supplement
Wag Worthy Naturals was created by Jane, a dog mom eager to find the best way to provide our dogs (especially her precious Ollie) with a long, happy, healthy life.
With a background in biochemistry and research, she teamed up with holistic veterinarians to create a product formulated to best support the needs of an overly active and/or ageing dog.
The Wag Worthy Naturals Advanced Formula Hip and Joint Supplement is a chewable tablet packed with powerful ingredients specifically selected to optimize your dog’s joint health and mobility.
Plus, it tastes incredible (according to Daviana)!
The tablet can be easily crumbled over your dog’s food as a food topper or simply given to your dog each day as a treat, which has been our approach.
Dav girl knows the sound of the bottle the moment that I take it off the shelf!
For those that have been doing their research, the ingredients included in this product speak for themselves!
Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Hyaluronic Acid all work to help slow the damage to the cartilage in your dog’s body while supporting regeneration and strengthening efforts. In doing so, they help to build strong, healthy joints.
Meanwhile, Vitamin C, Tart Cherry and Vitamin E are all included to tap into the power of antioxidants (a buzz word that you’ve likely heard before). Studies show that antioxidants work to relieve pain and improve joint function. They protect the body against damage caused by free radicals.
Long story short, this is a powerful supplement designed to help your dog look and feel like the young pup that they are at heart!
Daviana first began taking Wag Worthy Naturals Advanced Formula Hip and Joint Supplement at the start of February.
The process begins by taking a higher dose during the first 3 weeks to help boost improve your dog’s joint health. You then reduce to a ‘maintenance dose’ starting in week 4.
As I previously mentioned, before connecting with Jane and discovering this amazing product, our girl was really starting to show signs of ageing.
She would push herself to run and play (her heart believed that she was still a young pup) only to end up stiff and sore. For example, a day spent outdoors in our back yard playing with our other dog meant that she would struggle to make her way up the stairs at night.
Now, don’t get me wrong, we would happily carry her up the stairs every night if that’s what was needed.
However, we noticed a quick change in her overall mobility shortly after starting the supplements. She was starting to act more and more like the young pup that we knew.
By the second month, she was jumping up into the vehicle on her own for our weekend hikes (even after doing the hike) and navigating the stairs up to our bedroom with much more ease than we could have hoped for.
While she would still overdo it sometimes (she’s a little stubborn), it was as if we had turned back the hands of time, so to speak. It brought SO much joy to our house, not only to Dav girl herself but also to my husband and me, seeing our girl play happily once again without regret.
Now it’s your turn! Check out Wag Worthy Naturals Advanced Formula Hip and Joint Supplements for yourself!
With so much research backing the ingredients included in this product, you likely assume that it’s going to cost an arm and a leg. Good news! Jane is committed to not only making a difference for ageing dogs but also to make sure that her product is accessible to dog owners.
The product is priced at an incredibly fair rate, even with the dosage requirements needed for a dog that falls into the highest weight category.
Not that we would put a price on our girl’s health and happiness, but it certainly doesn’t hurt that we can support her well-being with high-quality hip and joint supplements for senior dogs without breaking the bank!
To top it all off, for every purchase made a percentage is donated to senior dog rescue organizations and programs that offer free and low-cost spay/neuter procedures for dogs.
What’s not to love?
Senior dog owners, I would love to hear all about your ageing pups in the comments below!
Share your dog’s name, breed(s) and your journey with the ageing process. Have you tried hip and joint supplements for senior dogs? Feel free to also share your experience.
This would be a great recommendation for my dog-loving friend who’s had her ‘best friend’ with her for years! Thanks for the recommendation!
They come to mean SO much to us, don’t they? Their only real flaw is that they don’t live long enough.
Good to know there are products like these to help dogs when they need it. We were lucky, our old dog didn’t have joint pain, which is good as she thought she was still a pup too.
I love the fact that she still thinks and acts like a young pup. It makes me smile every time I see her start throwing her toys around the house hahaha
This is such a good idea! Supplements can really help with preventative care. I know certain breeds are predisposed to certain conditions – especially hip and joint issues. We have a German Shepherd and this is one of those common issues for her breed. I’ve known quite a few older shepherds that have had to be put down because their decline in their hips was so rapid at an older age. It’s very sad. My pup is a picky eater so I worry that she doesn’t always get all she needs to maintain herself. Supplementing would be a great option for her.
We are SO happy that we found this particular brand for our girl. Being a German Shepherd mix as well, we were well aware that we were likely going to be dealing with hip issues. However, seeing it happen was heartbreaking. I’m so happy to see her running around and playing again.
Another super informative post. It’s great that brands are getting behind this, it’ll defo save on vets bills and pain for pets!
Rosie
There are so many different products on the market which can make it hard to find one that works. However, I can’t say enough about how Wag Worthy Naturals has helped our girl! My only regret? That I didn’t find them sooner.
This is such a great post for any dog owner to read! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you!
This is really interesting to read and something I didn’t really know about before! It’s good there are products out for dogs x
The industry has come a long way!
right on time! our vet suggested us adding vitamins for hips and joints to my dog as well as we do a lot of running this season and he’s already 9 years old. she suggested adding spinach to the diet as well as fish oil as well, with heavy heart I’ll share my spinach
Yes! There are so many great benefits that we can give our pups by adding additional ‘treats’ to their meals. Sardines are a big hit for our dogs, which are packed with the omega-3 fatty acids that you find in fish oil and other seafood options.
I appreciate all your articles about senior dogs on your site. Not only the useful recommendations but also your personal experiences with your own senior companion. As usual, it is so good to know there are such high-quality products available to help senior dogs live their best lives.
Thank you! I love my girl SO much and will do my best to give her the best life possible, including through her senior years. However, it does bring some new challenges that you don’t have to navigate necessarily with a younger dog. I hope that letting others hear a bit about my experiences will help them to see that they aren’t alone. Supporting one another can really help when we’re feeling frustrated, upset or overwhelmed along the way.
I recently (like this bag of dog food) just switched to senior food for my guy….I really didn’t want to, but it’s not about me. Within a few days I could see an improvement in his walk and joint stiffness (or lack thereof). It’s always hard (and sad) when dogs get old. I’ll have to look into these supplements, they might be an added boost we’re looking for. Thanks for sharing this insight with us! Much appreciated!
It’s hard to admit that our best friends are getting old, isn’t it? I know that I struggled with admitting that my girl was starting to show signs of her age.
This is really interesting to know that there are products such as these in the market. I guess like we all face, our dogs too go through this phase during their aged days with joint pain. Thanks for educating.
This product has really helped Daviana. It has been refreshing to see her running around like a young puppy once again.
Oh Britt, this was a perfect post to read today! I have a friend who has an aging service dog, that really is his best friend. But as he gets older, the joint pain is a legit struggle and even I can see him limping around some days. It is so sad when I know he wants to play and run around, but it is obvious that the pain is too much at certain times. I’ll be forwarding this post to my friend. Hopefully it really does help him out.
It is heartbreaking, isn’t it? Seeing my girl start to slow down not because she wanted to, but because her body was failing her, was killing me. I definitely believe that this is worth trying. It has made a world of difference for Daviana, which is why I couldn’t wait to share it on here for anyone else that is caring for a senior dog.
Hip and joint supplements have some amazing benefits for senior dogs for sure! Thanks so much for sharing all this information!
Thank you!
People sometimes don’t believe that supplements can make a world of difference. Our Harvey had his life transformed by Pet Mussel, a supplement made here in New Zealand from local green mussels. He walked more comfortably and became a happier cat.
Supplements WORK!!! Try them on a dog if you feel your dog is not comfortable as it ages!!!!
Yes! Supplements make such an incredible difference, don’t they! There is something so heartwarming about watching our old girl running around like a hyperactive puppy once again.
These supplements sound like a must for older dogs. I’m so glad to read that they have helped Daviana so much! x
I can’t say enough about how much we love this company AND this product. Seeing my girl running around like a young pup again is priceless.
Great post Britt, thanks. My girls Icy and Phoebe are 12 and 13 now. Icy is definitely like Dav in that she thinks she’s still a puppy! I add sweet potato and other veggies to their food these days but something like this, with Glucosamine & Chondroitin is something I’ve been researching myself.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I highly, highly recommend trying this one out if you’re looking for something to help. It surprised me how much of a difference it has made for Daviana. I did quite a bit of research and loved the fact that this one goes a step beyond just to the basic glucosamine and chondroitin combination with other ingredients meant to further help with movement and joint health.
This is definitely something to be mindful about and certainly helpful to older dogs who may be suffering from stiffness. I am glad there are supplements available for them. It is sad that dogs age and have to go through this, but it is good to know we can offer them help that they otherwise may not get.
It is hard to watch our dogs ageing faster than us – I have heard it said that a dog’s only fault is that they don’t live long enough and I tend to agree. That being said, I am relieved to know that one simple product can make such a tremendous difference for my girl!
Joint supplements work. We give our 15 year old blue heeler mix Cosequin and fish oil and she’s still going strong. Daily walks and a comfy bed help as well. Thanks for the article.
Yes, daily exercise and a comfortable bed are great additions to supplements and a healthy diet. Our girl is a little spoiled, she sleeps on our bed every night (and we wouldn’t have it any other way lol)
Such a great post with detailed information! I never bought supplements for my dog. This year they’re going to turn 7 y.o. Seems like I need to start finding the best supplements for them x
Getting started before you notice signs of ageing is key – that way you aren’t working to reverse any issues, you’re merely preventing them