Are bone supplements safe or harmful for a dog's non-union fracture?

Hello. Joint supplements are designed to aid in the inhibition of the degenerative enzymes that break down the cartilage in joints, therefore they are chondroprotective. If the old pelvic fracture did not actually involve the joint, & most specifically the coxofemoral joint (hip), then joint supplements will not help in this situation. But joint supplements may be beneficial to all the other moving joints in the body, so knees, elbows, hips & hocks can be helped. In general, for the bigger dogs, like Husky's, I think starting a joint supplement around 7 years of age is ideal, unless radiographic signs of arthritis, or pain in the joint begin earlier. Hope this helps. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Happy holidays to you, too! Joint supplements can be helpful to support the joint and minimize further damage, but they won't make current joint issues go away. I would discuss other medications with your vet. In a young dog with hip pain, I would do x-rays to look for hip dysplasia or other bony changes. Your vet may also have a recommendation for a different supplement for long-term use.

If it is the same area that is broken then it could be due to the bone just being weakened from the previous break. If it is a different bone, it could just be coincidence or due to brittle bones. You could keep him on a dog multivitamin long term. I would also make sure he is on a high quality dog food like science diet or royal canin which have all the nutrients he needs. Since he is over 7, I would also consider putting him on a senior formula dog food and possibly some joint supplements like dasuquin. Your vet will be able to give you more information on the best treatment for this fracture once he has seen the x-rays. Until then, keep Jack strictly confined. I hope this helps!

If supplements alone haven't helped, it may be time to add in a pain medication or other joint medications to help relieve Halo's discomfort. Unfortunately, these do require a trip to the vet in order to be prescribed, but it's a good idea to schedule a vet visit anyway to monitor Halo's joint health and any progression of disease. Your vet may recommend regular bloodwork and X-rays to watch the hips for any additional deterioration so that medications and joint supplements can be adjusted as needed. Changing supplement types in addition to this, such as adding in fish oil and vitamin E, Green-Lipped mussel, or another glucosamine/chondroitin combo may also help, however, consulting with your vet first to make sure there is no interaction with other medications is best.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Halo and your other dog are on a good quality, balanced diet there is no benefit to giving calcium. I'm assuming you mean that they are already on a glucosamine supplement. Glucosamine supplements vary in quality so make sure they are on a quality veterinary product like Dasuquin. Adding in an omega-3 supplement may also be helpful. Nordic Naturals pet products offers a good omega-3 supplement for pets. Finally, it would be a good idea to ask your veterinarian about Adequan injections. These injections can be very helpful managing hip dysplasia and are very safe!

I would recommend checking with your vet on this one. I'm not familiar with a reason we'd be starting a dog on calcium supplements and there are so many different doses of human supplements, so I'd want your vet to clarify what they have in mind.

Hi and thanks for posting on PetCoach! The first thing I'd make sure Willow is eating is enough calcium. Be sure Willow is eating a kitten food until she is about 9 months to a year of age as kitten food has more calcium and other minerals in it that is required for healthy bone growth. A great supplement you may want to consider is DHA and EPA. Both are types of omega 3 fatty acid that are excellent for healthy development for multiple organ systems such as the heart, brain, skin, and bone/joint health. I have a product I'd recommend below: # I hope this helps!