At Dogs In Motion, owners of arthritic dogs often seek advice regarding appropriate dietary supplements. Most will have received advice regarding the use of glucosamine or fish oils but more recently green lipped mussel (GLM) has come into vogue. So what is the evidence for the use of GLM in arthritic dogs?
GLM is known to have anti-inflammatory components and its powder is shown to contain glucosamine components and omega 3 fatty acids, all known to be beneficial in arthritis. As with most supplements, initial studies have been done in humans. Such studies have shown conflicting results dependent on the type of arthritis. Significant improvements were seen in clients with Osteoarthritis (OA) whilst GSM had a less positive influence on Rheumatoid arthritis clients (RA) in the majority of studies. In dogs, though arthritis is known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), it shares osteoarthritic traits in the majority.
Studies in dogs with DJD have indeed been quite promising. Dogs treated with GSM for between 6 weeks and 6 months have showed significant improvements in measurements such as joint pain and swelling as assessed by a vet. Measurements looking at joint movement did not show a significant improvement. It can however be argued that treating arthritis is in the main part about achieving pain management and that altering the physical changes within a joint through the use of a supplement are unlikely.
Some owners may question why GLM is not just included within their dog’s food. It has been shown that the heat treatment involved in food production markedly reduces the beneficial effects of the supplement.
Another common question is there any point using GLM in combination with the anti-inflammatories my dog is already on? The answer here is yes. There is evidence that GLM reinforces the activity of some anti-inflammatories but also markedly reduces gastric ulceration associated with their use, which whilst much less common in the dog is a possible side effect of long term use.
Finally evidence suggests the powder form is more effective than the extract. Many dosages can be found online but a study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2002 states that small dogs that weigh less than 50 pounds should be given 450 mgs of supplement per day. Medium sized dogs that weigh anywhere from 50 to 75 pounds should be given 750 mgs per day. Large dogs that weigh more than 75 pounds should be given 1000 mgs per day. It is advised to cater for your own pets needs by for example using a higher dose in the winter months and reducing same when your dog is doing well.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
This is a question we regularly get asked at Dogs in Motion, and just like human diets, I don’t know that there is one perfect answer for all pets. There is so much information out there it can be very confusing for pet owners. But there is no doubting that the incidence of diseases related to diet and nutrition have increased in dogs and cats dramatically in the last 15 years. Things like diabetes, obesity, skin disease, irritable bowel syndrome are now commonplace. These health conditions of course are multi-factorial, but there’s no doubting diet contributes to their expression and severity.
Here at Dogs in Motion, all the staff feed their pets raw food diets – interesting coincidence when we have all come from different backgrounds and experiences.
The reason we like raw food is that we believe if you take a bit of extra effort to feed your pet healthy food, the way mother nature intended, you get a healthier pet, that lives longer, with less disease.
This is no different from what I would tell my human patients. To recover fully you must adhere to your rehabilitation program, maintain a healthy weight through regular moderate exercise and you must eat a healthy diet, eliminating processed and junk foods wherever possible. Why should I then suggest anything other than the same advice to my animal patients?
Take a look at Dr Bruce Syme’s website. I really like his products and they are now packaged for convenience so its easy to feed raw.
Please note if your pet has a particular health condition, you need to be guided by your pet’s vet as to an appropriate diet for your pet.
Please contact us if you would like more information.
Balance and proprioception retraining is an important component of the rehabilitation programs of most of our patients.
But fit, able bodied pets can really benefit from this too! Just like us going to the gym, balancing on wobble boards, sitting on fitballs and peanuts, or even standing on one leg, to improve our awareness of our body and assist in injury prevention, our pets can perform similar exercises, modified to account for them being on four legs.
These exercises can also provide mental stimulation and engagement, and most dogs really enjoy them, particularly if there is a great reward at the end.
If you have a sporting dog that particupates in flyball, agility, lure-coursing or the like, you should make balance and proriocetion training part of their weekly exercise routine.
Check out this video of balance and proprioception training in a dog who is super clever and very body aware!
We stock a whole range of equipment from fitPAWS for purchase so you can set up some exercise routines for your dog. Please note that if your dog has had an injury, illness or surgery, your program should only be devised by one of our animal physiotherapists.
Please dont hesitate to contact us for further information. On 03)9793 6188
What would you do if your dog ruptured their cranial cruciate and couldn’t have surgery?
This is something we deal with every day at Dogs In Motion. We get regular email enquiries and pets coming to see us, with an injured or ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, and for a variety of different reasons these patients are not surgical candidates.
In the past, we would try to manage these patients, in conjunction with veterinary management, with rehabilitation including attempts to strengthen and stabilize the knee joint. If you read our page on cranial cruciate ligament problems you will see that often biomechanics and the disease process are working against us. Conservative management of these patients is not often successful.
But since working with OrthoPets we have been able to offer custom stifle braces to these patients, to stabilize the stifle joint and allow them to live a more normal life. A custom OrthoPets stifle brace is made specifically for each individual patient, and prevents cranial tibial thrust and rotational instability, making the stifle stable and comfortable.
Once a custom stifle brace is fitted, therapies become more effective. Anti-inflammatories can control pain swelling and inflammation as instability is eliminated. Strengthening exercises and hydrotherapy can now be effective and muscle can grow, lameness reduces and exercise tolerance increases.
These devices are really well tolerated by the patients too!
Don’t live nearby to Dogs In Motion? Don’t worry! We can send all the relevant instructions and details to your pet’s vet, so they can help you and your pet get a perfect cast impression of the limb, and later fit your pet’s device and guide you through rehabilitation.
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