Hi,
I have an 11 year old large breed boy.
He has very very arthritic elbows which are proving particularly problematic for him at the moment.
He is on prescribed anti-inflamatory medication but I think he needs a little bit of extra help.
I have him on a senior complete food which has a certain amount of joint supplement in it and we watch his weight.
I was using a fab product called flavourtabs that you pop the anti- inflamatory into but the company has stopped making them!
What joint supplements do people use and how effective have people found them?

Glucosamine with Chondroitin (as sold for people -much cheaper that way -from any health food shop) literally saved the life of an old Golden of mine that had severe HD. Without them his hindlegs did not work at all and the prescription medication had stopped working. I've now put my current oldie (12 yo Malinois with a bit of arthritis but good hips) on it and I'm certain it's helped.

We sell yumove at work and I've heard very good reports about it, it's not cheap but people who buy it say it works and it's been a godsend for there dog

Yumove here too! Recommended it to a girl I know for her Lab 12year old who was really struggling saw him today and he is like a different dog honest go for it !

Hope you don't mind the PM!

I have my old Beardie girl on Glucosamine & Chondroitin.  She is 14 years old in a couple of weeks, and, although looking moth eaten, she is far more comfortable with her tablets.  I was advised to use the supplement that had 500mg of Glucosamine to 400gm of Chondroitin.  So many only give 100gm of the Chondroitin.

When I told my vet that I had started giving one a day, he told me that for a large dog she needed 3 a day.  She's a good eater, so I have no problem mixing with her feed.  I find that Simply Supplements deliver quickly, and often do a BOGOF that I take advantage of and stock up when I can.  Just had to order at full price though :-(

You have nothing to lose by trying - my girl was on them for about 6 weeks before I could see the benefits.  Like Marianne, I feel that my girl is improved on them.  She may be slow, but she is still wagging her tail.  :-)

Jean

I have heard good reports on NAF superflex.
They do a dog and horse version, giant breed owners buying the horse version and this makes it very good value due to strength of the product.

I bought the NAF superflex and found it not to be as good as Flexiwize or Synflex.  The Flexiwize is a bit cheaper than Synflex and some of the ingredients are slightly higher value.

Another vote for Yumove here too.

I use salmon oil for all my dogs of any age, but it is beneficial especially as joint problem prevention and in older age.

My older guys (from about 7 years on) I also give a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement. I use the Liquid Joint Care from Holland & Barratt. I am finding this very effective. My 11-year old lurcher doesn't show any signs of joint problems yet eventhough he had knee surgery two years ago.

And last but not least, from about 10 or so, I also give CSJ Turn Back Thyme herbs, which are just a general conditioner and support for older dogs.

If there are already joint problems as in your dog's case, I also give turmeric and devil's claw to help with the inflammation and pain (my 8-year old saluki gets that due to a damaged disc in his back). I have found particularly the turmeric extremely effective and has enabled my boy to stay off pain killers for over a year after he was in so much pain last year that I thought we'd need to give him drugs. With devil's claw, you have to be careful as it doesn't always go very well with NSAIDs. 
A Bioflow collar might be very useful too and my guys with joint/spine problems wear them.

In addition, McTimoney chiropractic can be very helpful (and I am sure it helps my two guys stay mobile despite their age/back problem) as can hydrotherapy!

I also use YuMove on my 14 year old TT and she acts younger than her daughter who is 9 :o)

Forgot to say - I also use Salmon Oil, bought from Holland and Barretts (for people).  I give 1 x 500mg capsule twice a day.  I also take the same stuff myself, double that amount.

I buy the big tubs of Joint Aid. Its a bit dear but it lasts for ages and really works with my oldies :)

I think you have to try a few to find one that suits your dog, in the past I've tried various joint supplements that other owners swore by, but they did nothing or very little for mine,despite using them for several months. I finally tried Corta-vet which did the trick, I like it as it comes in a pump spray/powder or liquid, so easy to administer too.

I use this as my dogs love the taste of the chicken on top of their food, and ease of use is essential for me. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vets-Kitchen-Active-Sauces-Supplement/dp/B0056YIPNE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_1

I use fish oil tablets and also green lipped mussel extract.

My now ten yr old girl who has severe HD is still very fit and active and rarely has to have metacam.

My two oldies were on this and both lived until just before their 15th birthday.