[Eve-Lynn]

I have a 5 month old male GSD and he is eating Acana large breed puppy food (made in Alberta, Canadaby Orijen) it has Glucosamine and Chondrotin in it. This is what it says in the Nutritional Information Glucosamine (min) 450 mg/kg Chondrotin (min) 75 mg/kg

Link currently weighs 54 pounds and is eating about 3.5 to 4 cups a day. Is this enough Gluc. and Chon. for a growing puppy? Should I be supplementing him? And if so with what? Dog grade or human grade supplements?

 

[debbiebrown]

my thoughts are that for a puppy its probably enough. personally, i don't think you need to supplement theraputically unless there is an issue, or for older dogs. if there is a problem, or the pup may have predisposed genetic issues or has issues now, i would definitely supplement theraputically.

debbie

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

I agree I would NOT supplement with any additional Glucosomine and Chondrotin.

And keep an eye on your pup's condition, we want a lean and healthy puppy. I found I had to adjust both my GSD's amounts of food quite a bit the first year, adding and then taking away. So using the amounts on the bag as a general guide to start with the amount, and then when my pup would seem heavy to cut back a bit, or too lean to add a bit....

Some breeders are recommending much less exercise the first year for our pups than I feel is appropriate for a normal working breed dog. I personally think it's so they can blame the puppy owner for hip/joint issues (I told you NO STAIRS the first year

) rather than the breeder taking the responsibility for hip dysplasia being a GENETIC issue they need to work with. This article gives good info on proper exercise and why Click Here

The only other supplement I know people add for their pups is Esther-C to help with their joint health. Here's articles about why:

http://www.tropicokennels.com/vitamin_c.htm

 

[Eve-Lynn]

Thanks for the info. How much Esther-C would I give him and in what form?

 

[Fodder]

my dog is 8 and has HD, she is on 2000mg of ester-c in (2) pill form. i also add a teaspoon of asorbic acid to the communal water dish - its a powder form, i'm unsure of the dosage but prefer to keep it low.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Originally Posted By: Link's MomThanks for the info. How much Esther-C would I give him and in what form?

Make sure it's Esther-c, not just regular C....

And read thru the articles, there are dosages recommended for maintenance as well as dogs with problems.

http://www.yourdoghealth.com/dog_ester-c.htm

http://bajaokla.com/dachback/ester_c.htm