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Supplement advice needed

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
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  • #12410 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    As some of you know, we adopted a 9yr old sheltie on Saturday. She has no teeth and has been eating Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance chicken since she got here. She loves it, thankfully! Since day one, I have been giving her Mercola’s probiotics and digestive enzymes. She was on amoxicillin but got the last one yesterday morning.
    These are the other supplements my other two get, in addition to the Mercola products:

    apple cider vinegar
    salmon oil (I use one by Vital Choice)
    coconut oil (one of them gets this)
    Bug Off Garlic

    Her coat is disgustingly dry: the dandruff just flakes off & rains down to the floor. She is scheduled for a bath on Monday February 4th (or whatever that Monday is). What is best to use, internally, for her coat? Both the salmon and coconut oil? If yes, both daily?
    Her poops are pretty soft, which I assume is from the dehydrated food. Should I add some pumpkin to her meals? With every meal? I don’t know if I should attempt to add in a dry food or not, with her having no teeth.
    I think she has some hip problems. She’ll be ten in June so can use some type of a joint supplement. Any suggestions for one that is powder or liquid? No teeth, don’t want her to attempt to chew something.
    She does have an appt at the holistic vets in three weeks. She has a little hair loss on her eyelids, that and the icky coat have me wondering if she has a thyroid issue but she seems to be at a good weight.
    Also, when should I start adding more stuff in? I started putting the Mercola stuff in on Sunday morning.
    thanks all!

    #12411 Report Abuse

    HI Marie-

    A few things-Rescues often have nasty dry or oily skin/coat until they have been on a better diet for a few months-sometimes they even blow coat and start to look naked.. But, once the coat starts to regrow, its usually a healthy coat. Dogs with dental disease often rub at their faces because of the rotting teeth which of course hurt. Poor girlie.

    Once her mouth heals(usually 10-14 days) you can add dry in, but soak it a bit. Most actually can eat the kibble once the pain is gone. I have two rescue with no teeth and they not only eat dry, but one still “chews” a rawhide bone : )

    The bathing should help the dry skin as the groomer will(should) use a heavy conditioner, but one treatment may not be enough to remove all the dry skin. I find that briskly rubbing them helps to move the dry skin into the hair, and then frequent brushing(soft bristle brush) removes the dead skin cells from the coat. We also supplement these ones with fish oil etc, but that helps control further issues, but does not resolve the current one-

    #12414 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Ground psyllium or coconut fiber per meal for stool: 25# dog – 1/2 tsp, 40# – 3/4 tsp, 50# – 1 tsp. Or you can try pumpkin.

    If you give both the salmon oil and coconut oil, the total fat content might affect her stool, so just watch that and just give one or the other if needed.

    Dr Harvey’s has a green powder joint supplement as does Only Natural Pet. And there’s also Actiflex 4000 liquid. http://www.coxvetlab.com/products.asp 25-50 pounds: 1 tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days, ½ tsp. daily maintenance dose (Actiflex 4000). The K9 version has “beef flavor” but the horse one does not.

    Are you able to grind up chicken wings or feet? There’s some good all natural joint supplement there. Or you could grind up tablets in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestal!! (sp?)

    #12415 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Marie –

    Welly Tails has some good supplements you might want to check out. They have a powdered joint supplement which I have used on my dogs in the past and liked – it has glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, green lipped mussel, hydraulic acid, tart cherry and omega 3’s. They also have another supplement (haven’t used this one) called senior dog vitality which has glucosamine, msm, hydraulic acid, green lipped mussel, omega 3’s, digestive enzymes and 6 strains of probiotics. I’m also a big fan of Wysong’s joint supplements – they’re sold for people but can be used for dogs too and come in powder filled capsules, you can just open it up and sprinkle it on the food. They have one called Arthegic that helps inflammation, it has boswellia, sea cucumber, turmeric, ginger, devil’s claw, yucca, red pepper and cetyl myristoleate. Their other supplement is called Joint Complex and supports the joints, cartilage and connective tissue, it contains proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans and MSM. I think for a dog with severe arthritis the Arthegic and Joint Complex would be very effective if used together.

    #12417 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Maybe you can give her a couple pieces of the Vital Essentials freeze dried nibblets as treats. They’re small enough that she would probably swallow them. When I give it to my dogs, they have little nibblet sized poops! Even the Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch might work as well since they both have ground bone.

    #12420 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Pug Mom Sandy: the Only Natural Pet joint supplement….I find this:

    BIXBI Joint Supplement for Dogs & Cats

    http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Super-Daily-Vitamins–Joint-Support/999066.aspx

    In Clover K9 Connectin

    did you mean any of those? Yes, I could use a mortar & pestal but to be honest, with three dogs and a cupboard of stuff, I’d just as soon buy one already ground/liquid!

    #12421 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Thank you all for the advice!

    #12422 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    She is such a food hound, I sort of forgot about that with shelties LOL. I have to be careful how many treats I give her. We picked up some Buddy Biscuits soft chews. I’m afraid to give her something crunchy, I don’t know if she’ll gum it or swallow it whole.

    #83141 Report Abuse
    Carrie P
    Member

    Fido Active supplement. Try to surf on it and try and. This is very Effective. And well proven!

    #83144 Report Abuse
    anonymously
    Member

    Anyone who takes supplements or gives them to their pets should see this recent Frontline Special: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/supplements-and-safety/
    .

    #84414 Report Abuse
    Primed P
    Member

    All dogs are different, and some need a little more help than others when it comes to making sure they have enough vitamins in their diet. Dog dietary supplements are prescribed by veterinarians to compliment the diet and maintain optimal health.

    #84454 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    FYI, I started this thread three years ago & that dog has passed away; no need to continue.

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