Hiya Karan here. Ive had a lot of good advice about my 5 month old Labrador and his "stiffness" maybe due to over walking him, thank you all. My next question is I have cut down his exercise but can anyone reccommend anything that I can give him to supple his aching bones!! He has not got dysplasia or anything nasty like that, just growing pains from excessive walking. Ive been advised not to use cod liver oil as it is fattening and I dont want to upset his tummy. Has anyone got any advise please?? Many Thanks. Karan

Can anyone help Karan at all?

Melody :)

HI Karan,

I have heard that Glucomsimine has been used on dogs with success but I'm not sure of the doses for a puppy.

I'm sure someone will be along soon with more advise.

TTFN

Ruth:)

Thanks for that, thought I was never going to hear from anyone!! I will look it up, also can I just confirm that it is for general stiffnes, aches and pains as opposed to arthritis or dysplasia as he does not have that. Many Thanks. Karan

Not quite the same for us as Dylan doesn't have arthritis, but I do make sure he has plenty of fish oils to try and help keep him supple - tins of sardines/mackerel (with the bone in) and very occasionally fresh oily fish - like yesterday when I found the fresh tuna at the back of the fridge for Tuesdays dinner, then we had a takeaway!!!

All the best

Hayley (and fishy breathed - but very happy - dogs!)

It's supposed to be a good general joint 'tonic'. Well, in humans anyway!:) It's reputed to maintain healthy joints and I know that for myself at least, i take it for joint 'aches and pains' as opposed to arthritis and it does the trick.

TTFN

Ruth

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I am currently looking into Glucosamine but cannot find the dosage for a 5 month old puppy. Can anyone advise me please?? I know where to purchase the stuff but would like some general advise on the dosage. Many Thanks. Karan

Hi Karan
I have been giving Glucosamine to my young dog for several months. The tablets I give are each 750mg in strength and my dog weighs about 5.5kg so I give him a third of a tablet a day. I based this on info I found on this Forum but can't remember how to work it out now !

Perhaps someone a bit brainier will jump in with the answer :D

Joyce

Thanks Joyce, will look into that but my dog is quite heavy!! He is a steardy lab puppy!! Thank you

Hi Karan,

My Murphy - a lab too, you may remember:) is pretty sturdy too.
We went to see his mum and sister today and I couldn't believe how much smaller his sister was! She seemed so slight and had a much smaller bone structure than Murph. His breeder said that he may be carrying a bit too much weight. I guess compared to his sister he is. He's 43 lbs now at 17 weeks.

TTFN

Ruth

Hi Karan

I read on this site about some liquid Glucosomine supplement called Syn Flex. I ordered some from the manufacturer,in America, and it came a few days later.Costs about £20 for a bottle, which would last a pup a long time, depending on his weight. If you do a search on this site, and look for Syn Flex, you will get the web site address, and can look up the correct dosage.
I am giving it to my 13 year old cavalier, to prepare her for her first ever holiday away, where she will be having lots of nice walks, and may get a bit stiff. She has only been taking it a week, and yesterday was running about with a squeaky toy, playing with our young cavaliers! Don't know if it's a coincindence, but she seems to have lost about 5 years!

It says you can use it as a preventative measure to stop joint degeneration, (in humans and pets), so it may be worth trying it on your pup.

Thanks to everyone on the board who wrote about this stuff previously, 'cos I would never have heard of it otherwise.....even husband may start taking it for a dodgy knee!!

Sami

Hi Karan

The Synflex site is www.activexamerica.com. There are also a couple of distributors in the UK if you want the addresses.

My Lab is 31Kg and has 3ml every other day, bit more if he is working hard.

Super stuff.

How do you KNOW the pup hasn't got slight hip problems??

Rgds

Julia & Hooligans