Keeping your dogs' joints healthy

The right diet for healthy dog joints

You can't start early enough on strengthening the key joints in the dog's musculoskeletal system. The right nutrition lays the foundation for healthy joint development while they are growing.  Having the right calcium-phosphorus ratio and an ideal energy content in the diet are particularly important. High-quality dog food for puppies and young dogs with a high meat content is particularly important at this stage of a dog's life. Even after their growth phase, nutrition continues to play a major role in keeping their joints and entire musculoskeletal system healthy. 

High-quality dog food for optimal nutrient supply

Dogs’ joints need nutrients to maintain their functionality. The following food ingredients, among others, are important for a healthy musculoskeletal system in your four-legged friend: 

• Calcium ensures healthy and strong bones 
• L-carnitine acts as a natural fat burner that converts fat into energy. The nutrient is contained in animal protein sources, i.e. meat.
• The fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6 have been proven to support healthy cartilage

High-quality dog food with a high meat content contains balanced amounts of these nutrients and thus supports the joints naturally. 

A good dietary supplement for your dog's joints should contain the following natural substances, among others: 

• Glycosaminoglycans: This joint nutrient can absorb a particularly large amount of water and, as a result, makes the cartilage tissue more elastic. Glycosaminoglycans act as a "biological lubricant" in the synovial fluid. 
• Chondroitin is a particularly important component of cartilage and synovial fluid from the group of glycosaminoglycans. 
• Gelatine hydrolysate supports the formation of cartilage mass
• Devil's claw: This African medicinal plant is considered to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and is also suitable as a dietary supplement due to its high glycoside content.
• Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) is a traditional remedy that relieves joint and muscle pain and has a soothing, anti-inflammatory effect. 

You can administer these substances as a joint powder for dogs – for example with our DOG'S LOVE Vital Active complementary food – or in another form, for example via treats. High-quality nutritional supplements for healthy joints in dogs already contain the right balance of herbs and nutrients. Precise dosage instructions make it easier to use in your dog’s everyday life. 

Regular exercise to keep your dog's musculoskeletal strong

Dogs have a natural urge to move. If you give them the chance to satisfy this urge regularly and provide your dog with plenty of exercise, you will create optimal conditions for keeping their joints healthy. That’s because exercise strengthens their musculoskeletal system and muscles. In turn, a well-developed musculature in a dog protects their joints, as it absorbs some of the strain. Joints also need to be regularly stressed in order to remain flexible and to keep the breakdown and build-up of cartilage in balance. However, it is important to adjust the amount and type of exercise to the dog. Age, breed and their state of health play a role in this. Because even though exercise is a fundamental part of a healthy dog's life: you can also have too much of a good thing! Heavy, unbalanced or simply excessive physical exertion can lead to signs of overuse. In this case, movement actually damages their joints. If you are unsure about what you can expect your four-legged friend to do, talk to your vet about a healthy amount of exercise.

Avoid excess weight to prevent joint problems

If your dog is overweight, their joints are permanently (over)stressed by the weight. 

Excessive body weight increases the risk of joint diseases, for example osteoarthritis, in dogs. If your dog is prone to joint problems, close monitoring of their weight is particularly advisable. Every excess gram of weight puts additional strain on your four-legged friend's joints! In addition to adjusting their diet, a balanced exercise programme helps to reduce weight in a healthy way. Swimming is particularly suitable as exercise that is easy on the joints. 

Recognising joint problems early 

Even people who make sure they feed their four-legged friends the right food and give them a healthy amount of exercise are not immune. The most common diseases that cause joint pain in dogs include inflammation (arthritis), injuries, and degenerative and hereditary joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Our dogs don't always show us their pain, they often suffer in silence for a long time. It is therefore particularly important that dog owners keep a close eye on their dogs in order to recognise the first signs of pain in the joints. 

Symptoms of joint problems include: 

•  Limping or lame gait
• Stiff posture
• A refusal to move 
• Biting the joint
• Avoiding jumping onto higher objects
• Flinching when touched 
• Difficulty getting up after lying down
• Swelling of the joints 

Fever, fatigue and apathy can also be the first signs of an infection. 

In many cases, joint problems have a good prognosis if they are treated in good time and your four-legged friend will soon be able to run around again without pain. There are also numerous treatment options available today for osteoarthritis, which is caused by the irreversible breakdown of joint mass. These treatments influence the course of the disease and improve the well-being of your affected four-legged friend. Therefore, if you suspect joint problems, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your vet quickly to get to the bottom of the symptoms.