Keeping strength and muscle tone in the golden years for our dogs: - Page 2

Thank you GSDNewbie that was very enlightening.  My girl does collect all the feed bowls and brings them to me every morning, doesn't do it at night feeding just AM feeding.  Go figure.  I notice though that her first part of the AM is really good, it's later in the day that she becomes stiff and by bedtime hubs has to help her get up to go to bed.  She fell in the street on our walk the other day, freaked me out.  Thought OH NO, here it comes but massaged her and gave her a Tranadol that night and one last night and probably will give her one tonight (the last one) and those seem to snap her out of it.  Her left front shoulder went out from under her and smack down on her face with whole body down, I thought shit; but she got right up and thank god was able to get up and went on, she also is a very determined bitch, for which I am glad.  Don't know if you have tried the Vetronix arthritX on your guys but it is an herbal arthritis formula which I leave my girl on, gets it in her breakfast every AM.  I really have noticed it helping her and she also gets a raw diet.  Honest Kitchen with raw ground meats of various kinds in AM and chicken/pork/beef/fish of some sort at PM feeding and I have started measuring her food as she has put on some weight which I do not think has helped her at all.  It must come off so we are working on that.  I walk her every other day l/2 mile, sometimes less if she is struggeling but am trying to get more mileage for her to keep her muscle tone. 

I truly agree with you as far as their mental/physical motivation, very, very important and necessary and that is why I think I am going to try the above physical therapy and more walking for her.  Push her a little harder and further as long as she can tolerate.

Thank you all for sharing, this really gives me some good ideas for her and future seniors for which I also have a male that is almost 12 and is starting to struggle a bit;  think I will try some on him also.

Great days everyone,  Nan

PS:  All get Happy Hips duck jerkey (she gets 2 per day which is about 600-800mg of glucosamine); 2000 mg salmon oil with Vit E (400 mg).  That is all the supplements I give.  I could up her salmon oil though and I might start giving her 2000 mg at night also.  We'll see.  Thx again,  Nan

Kudo's to you Abby for taking such good care of your girl.  Yumove sounds good, however I am not a great believer of the Glousamine/Condrointant (SP) sorry;  but in the seniors case, maybe it is a good thing.

As far as the salmon oil I just bought capsules and they are 1000 mg each;  I just wanted the ease of giving pre-measured rather than the salmon oil in the liquid form (it's a mess);  BUT be sure to give it whatever form you use with a Vit E capsule, probably 400 mg for your girl.  Somehow the E activates the Salmon oil in the system so the body uses the salmon oil/E both.  Can't really explain it very well but according to studies they need both.???  So I give both 2,000 mg salmon oil with 400 mg. Vit E at the same time, daily.  And for my old girl I might double that.  I will see how this week goes.  The capsules I bought of both the oil and the E I found at WalMart;  so any drug store and even some grocery stores all carry this stuff now so should not be hard to find.  On line also, any vitamin shoppe should carry both.

As far as the green lipid muscle extract I am not sure but I don't think it can hurt.  As far as helping keep the muscle tone I will try to read up more about it and see if that is what it is intended for amongst other things.  Did your girl have any upsets when starting this formula?  Just curious? 

Well best of luck for all the seniors;  can't hurt to share into.  Nan

Just to let you know I did some reading on the green lipped mussel and went ahead and ordered some.  Thx  Nan

Hi Nan

Thanks for the info on the salmon oil and vitamin E, I am going to order some. I will get capsules, as I dont fancy getting all 'fishy', it's bad enough when I open a tin of sardines for them, I always seem to manage to get some splashback LOL.

Let me know how you get on with the Green Lipped Mussel extract, my girl did not have any tummy upsets, but she seems to be made of cast iron with anything she consumes! I am lucky in that respect. She is fed raw BTW.

I think it's great to share ideas and try and do the very best for them, especially in their golden years bless them.

Yeah Abbey;  The salmon oil capsules are definitely the way to go;  I also did not realish the idea of trying to figure out with the squirt bottle how much they were getting.  And I don't think doubling my girls salmon oil is an option for her as you feel down to her skin thru her dense coat you can feel a layer of oil near her skin;  tells me she is getting enough at this time.  So for now the 2,000 mg will have to do.

I should be getting the green lippid mussel soon and will start her on that as well as myself;  that tells me if for now it is going to agree with everyone.

Anyway, I hope others will share as a post online this past week had a big 14 year old GSD boy having a birthday cheeseburger;  he was so cute for 14,  man asked them what they have been feeding, etc.  Really would love to know.  But of course my guys all get raw also and I did notice a vast difference when I change over to raw for a while but don't notice so much difference now as it has been over 2 years.  BUT when I made the change this girl was limping pretty bad and all that went away after a few months on raw, so tells me something is right.

Have great days,  Nan  and thanks for sharing. 

Love the site. Thanks for sharing it!!

I have a 9 year old black Labrador and the bottom of the page made me cry. I have so much respect for people that do the best for their animals at all times. Those are my heros.

Good luck with your dogs.

Thank you GSDNewbie for your extensive input on this topic.  

thanks, but I think everyone put in as much