Do you have a dog that suffers from joint issues? Shockingly, joint issues happen to be quite common for all sorts of dogs, no matter what age or breed they are. Joint pain can come about from injuries, lime disease, cancer, arthritis, hormonal connections, congenital disorders, and fractures.
Joint supplements are capable of relieving stiffness and joint pain while stimulating the joint cartilage. We have researched a load of dog products and factored in customer reviews (all of which have been verified) to determine which are the best joint supplements.
Table of Contents
Our Picks for the 8 Best Hip & Joint Supplements for Dogs
1. Zesty Paws Senior Mobility Supplement
This joint supplement is formulated for older dogs. The active ingredients contain MSM, chondroitin, curcumin, MSM, and glucosamine.
Main Features:
- Contains hemp extract, vitamin D, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid.
- Active ingredients: hyaluronic acid, turmeric curcumin, MSM, chondroitin, and mussel (green-lipped).
- Package includes 90 chewables that are quite soft.
Positives:
- Reviewers claim the supplement is quite effective with dogs suffering from hip dysplasia.
- Reviewers claim that their dogs enjoy the supplements under the belief that they are some sort of treat.
- Simple to digest and chew.
- Stimulates flexibility, improves joint and hip health, and reduces inflammation.
- Flavor: chicken.
Negatives:
- Costlier than its counterparts.
- Only one size is available.
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2. Doggie Dailies Advanced Joint Supplement
These joint supplements are highly rated. They contain a bevy of ingredients to reduce inflammation and optimize joint health. They are full of different minerals and vitamins.
Main Features:
- Includes complete product guarantee.
- Flavor: chicken.
- Active ingredients: omega 3 and 6, yucca schidigera, coq10, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, MSM, and glucosamine.
- Package includes 225 soft chewable tablets.
Positives:
- Made in an American factory registered with the FDA.
- Effective for dogs of all sizes and breeds.
- Enhances mobility, reduces inflammation, and eases discomfort.
- The product’s ingredients help to maintain your dog’s coat and skin.
- Tablets are soft, chewable, and simple to eat.
Negatives:
- Only comes in one size (1 pound).
- Only one flavor is available.
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3. Infinite All-Natural Joint Supplement
These joint supplements contain natural ingredients like turmeric that revitalize a dog’s cartilage and joints.
Main Features:
- Safe for all dog breeds and sizes.
- Supported by a lifetime satisfaction guarantee.
- Flavor: no flavor.
- Package includes 90 chewable tablets.
Positives:
- Contains human-grade active ingredients that are capable of treating joint pain. They can also decrease inflammation.
- Ingredients (all-natural): chondroitin sulfate, MSM, turmeric, and glucosamine.
- The product contains zero preservatives or additives.
- Offers relief from arthritis and joint pain.
- Made inside a certified facility within the USA.
Negatives:
- Only one flavor is available.
- Dosage might be much bigger than expected based on the size of your dog.
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4. Nutramax Dasuquin Joint Health Supplement
The veterinary formula in these joint supplements optimizes joint health for your dog.
Main Features:
- Satisfaction guarantee.
- Flavorless.
- Active ingredients: avocado powder, sodium chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine.
- Available in different variations based on the size and breed of the dog.
- Package contains 84 soft chewables.
This formula supplement is veterinary-approved. It offers optimal cartilage support for your dog, alleviating joint pain, and providing them with more mobility.
Positives:
- Stimulates increased mobility.
- Alleviates inflammation and joint pain.
- Supports optimized joint health.
- Veterinarian-approved and recommended.
- Soft chewable tablets are simple for dogs to eat.
Negatives:
- Only one size is available.
- Although they are simple to eat when in soft chewable form, the lack of flavor can make consumption of the supplements difficult, especially for dogs who are picky.
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5. VetriScience Laboratories Glycoflex Joint Support
The supplement offers complete support for your dog’s joint system. It contains a variety of different ingredients that minimize inflammation and pain while strengthening a dog’s legs.
Main Features:
- Only to be used for dogs.
- Contains selenium, grapeseed extract, manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
- Active ingredients: glucosamine, DMG, and MSM.
- Package contains 120 small-size chewables.
Positives:
- Contains Perna canaliculus – which is a mussel (green-lipped). This New Zealand-sourced ingredient is rich in omega fatty acids.
- Veterinarian-formulated and recommended.
- Flavors: duck, chicken.
- Supports joint system health.
Negatives:
- Dosages may be high – MSM and glucosamine amounts are both 1000 mg.
- Only one size is available.
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6. Pets Primal Hip and Joint Supplement
This product contains all-natural ingredients like hemp oil, all of which minimize inflammation and pain while stimulating cartilage and joint health.
Main Features:
- Made in a facility registered with the FDA within the USA.
- Satisfaction guarantee.
- Package contains 120 soft chewables.
- Active ingredients: chondroitin sulfate, organic turmeric, MSM, glucosamine HCL, hemp protein, yucca schidigera, and organic hemp seed oil.
Positives:
- Available in chicken and duck flavor (reviewers claim that their dogs enjoy the taste).
- Optimizes joint and cartilage health.
- Minimizes joint and inflammation pain.
- Alleviates arthritis pain.
Negatives:
- Does not contain CBD oil (though it does contain hemp oil).
- Dosage may be higher than expected.
- Only one size is available.
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7. NutraFitz Hip, Bone, and Joint Supplement
This joint supplement can alleviate pain for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia, ACL issues, or arthritis. The supplement contains all-natural ingredients that are human-grade, all of which offer optimal joint support.
Main Features:
- Effective for dogs of different sizes and breeds.
- Package contains 120 tablets.
- Made in America.
- Flavor: chicken.
- Contains mussels (green-lipped), back pepper, and yucca.
- Active ingredients: hyaluronic acid, MSM, organic turmeric, glucosamine chondroitin.
Positives:
- Helps enhance mobility.
- Connective tissue and joint support.
- Contains agents that are anti-inflammatory.
- Helps alleviate ACL pain, arthritis, and joint issues.
- Includes bone broth.
Negatives:
- Tablet form may prove to be hard for certain dogs to eat.
- Dosage might be greater than expected (as an example, there may be 100 mg of a particular active ingredient).
- Only one size is available in bottle format.
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8. CBD Oil
This oil is derived from cannabis plants. In comparison to marijuana, its THC content is no more than 0.3%. As such, your dog will not get high after taking the oil. It will provide them with a lot of pain relief, though.
All sorts of compounds are contained in cannabis, one of which is CBD oil. Dogs and humans have certain cannabinoid receptor sites inside their bodies. There are notable benefits when those receptors are fed.
Positives:
- Prevents premature aging that comes about from oxidative stress.
- Reduces pain.
- Minimizes chronic inflammation.
View on Amazon >>
A Buyer’s Guide to Joint Supplements for Dogs
A key aspect of your pet’s well-being is optimized joint health. Much like with humans, when dogs begin to age, they exhibit joint pain issues and experience inflammation. Basic supplements are capable of restoring a dog’s usual behavior.
Here are several key things to keep your eyes open for when you are evaluating your pet for potential joint pain. You’ll also learn how to go about choosing a suitable joint supplement. This guide should only be used for information purposes. Speak with your veterinarian about a joint supplement that interests you before you administer it to your dog.
Common Joint Pain Signs in Dogs
Although your dog cannot talk to you, they have unique ways of interacting with you. Here are some signs that are exhibited by dogs experiencing pain in their joints.
- Refusal to jump up on furniture or climb upstairs.
- Rejecting an offer to be touched or stroked.
- Visible joint swelling.
- Unusual bad temper.
- Favoring a single leg.
- Difficult to stand.
- Odd movements.
- Joint stiffness.
Many dogs show symptoms of not feeling well simply by refusing to leave their existing position or exhibiting low energy levels. If such issues are noticeable in your dog, they may be suffering from joint pain. They should be brought to your veterinarian to be properly diagnosed.
Cause of Joint Pain
Several different things capable of causing joint pain for dogs, including the following:
- Cruciate ligament problems that are age-related can result in wear/tear and degeneration of ligaments, resulting in arthritis and joint pain. Cruciate ligament problems are one of the main reasons why aging dogs exhibit joint pain. That’s where certain supplements can come to the rescue, especially if the product is capable of treating the joints exclusively.
- Hyperparathyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, obesity, and Lyme disease can stimulate joint pain.
- Arthritis-like signs can be caused by metabolic disease. This can come about from excessive bleeding within the joints.
- Developmental problems like elbow and hip dysplasia – which are quite common in golden retrievers, among other breeds – might be directly inherited from ancestors. DNA and genetics can cause joints to incorrectly grow, resulting in arthritic pain and discomfort.
Joint Supplement Benefits
Dogs will eventually reach a certain point in life where their mobility is quite limited. When this happens, the animal will experience pain whenever they walk or move. In such cases, joint supplements would provide them with the following benefits:
Boosted Energy
Pet owners are sometimes heartbroken watching their dogs adapt slowly to a lifestyle with less mobility, especially if their dogs were once energetic and vibrant. The eagerness in a dog’s eyes will start to diminish when they experience pain.
When this happens, all pet owners want to do is restore some sense of normalcy to the dog’s life. These kinds of supplements are purposely made to treat joint issues and can improve a dog’s abilities quite rapidly.
Healthy Coat and Skin
Besides the active ingredients that alleviate joint pain, some supplements contain minerals and vitamins that are supportive of a healthy coat and skin. The benefits are vast, ranging from a shiny new coat to the alleviation of dry skin.
Enhanced Immune System
A dog’s immune system protects them from illnesses, fights off diseases, and helps to ward off chronic health problems. Supplements come with nutrients and vitamins that enhance the health of a dog’s immune system, regardless of what stage they are at in their lives.
Ingredients to Keep Your Eye Out for When Shopping for Joint Supplements
The following ingredients can treat cartilage, lubricate joints, and optimize the comfort and mobility of your dog.
- Yucca schidigera
- Turmeric
- Spirulina
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Salmon oil
- MSM
- Hyaluronic acid
- Glucosamine
- Co-enzyme Q10
- Codfish oil
- Claw root extract
- Chondroitin
- Boswellia
Be sure to read the labels on each product you are interested in – results will differ based on the type of supplement you select.
Always Avoid the Following Ingredients
These ingredients are supplement fillers. They don’t offer vitamins or nutrition that would be of any benefit to your dog. Refrain from giving your pet any supplement that contains the following ingredients:
- Artificial flavors.
- Artificial colors.
- Preservatives.
- Soy.
- Grains.
FAQS
Should my dog be given joint supplements?
Dog joint supplements should contain ingredients, including chondroitin, manganese, glucosamine, and MSM. Chondroitin is most effective when it is taken with glucosamine, according to research.
Should my dog be given joint supplements at a certain age?
Dogs of a large breed or ones that are predisposed to osteoarthritis development should be given joint supplements early. These types of supplements are okay for puppies to take as long as they are eight weeks old and up. Such supplements are encouraged if the animal is predisposed to osteoarthritis development (because of injury or confirmation).
Does glucosamine have any side effects?
- Some owners may be apprehensive about giving dogs substances with sugar in them, especially if the animal has diabetes.
- Excessive urination and thirst (at significantly high doses).
- Insomnia.
- Fatigue.
- Allergies (particularly among dogs that have adverse reactions to shellfish).
Does glucosamine chondroitin take a certain time to kick in?
This medication should be administered for two to six weeks (at the very least) to determine its effectiveness on your pet. The medication could take several weeks before its effects are apparent. However, gradual improvements will be noticeable after three days or so.
If the dog has arthritis, should I take it for a walk?
It is imperative that you keep arthritic joints continuously moving to decrease pain and prevent stiffness. An arthritic dog might not be as enthusiastic about walks, and they may exhibit decreased stamina. Nonetheless, they require exercise. Rather than going on a single lengthy daily walk, go for several short ones instead.
If my dog has arthritis, how can I make him more comfortable?
Give your dog a comfortable and warm bed. Arthritic joints need covering support, which can be obtained from orthopedic beds. Such beds enhance the comfort levels of a dog while minimizing their stiffness and pain. Warmth is also capable of alleviating aching joints. For extra comfort, think about giving your dog a small bed heater.
