My puppy has small legs. Should I give him joint supplements?

If he is eating a good quality large breed puppy food, he should not need vitamin supplementation. If you want to give him one, you can't go wrong with Pet Tabs ( https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/pet-tabs.aspx ). A joint supplement, such as Cosequin ( https://www.cosequin.com/ ) or Dasuquin ( https://www.dasuquin.com/en/products/ ), can also be started. Additionally, keep Brandy lean and active.

It's fine to start your 1.5 year old dog on the joint supplement, but it's not recommended to start puppies on joint supplements until he is at least a year old. That's because a puppy will be producing it's own glucosamine for his joints, and will not needed the added support. I would speak to your vet about giving your older dog the GI balance supplement to see if he needs it, but again I would not give it to the puppy until he is at least a year old. He doesn't need any additional supplemental while he's growing, as too much can be detrimental to his growth and health. The reason why I suggest speaking to your vet about giving it to your older dog is because, again, too many vitamins and minerals can be detrimental to your dog, and it may not be healthy to give to him.

Great question! Puppies should not need supplements as long as they are on a quality, balanced food. I am not sure what foods are available in Ghana, but I like Royal Canin, Purina One, Iams, or Science Diet/Hills. These diets are tested and their ingredients have the balanced vitamins and minerals Fierce needs. Make sure you are feeding a Large Breed Puppy formula until she is about 1 year of age. The bag will tell you how much to feed daily based on her age and weight. If you are training with treats, make sure she is still getting her recommended about of dog food and not too many treats. Good luck and kisses to Fierce!

It is never recommended to give puppies multi vitamins and calcium supplements. This will affect Fang's growth adversely, and it is not needed. A good quality puppy food will provide all the nutrients he needs. I also advise again feeding him Orijen. It's grain free, and vets are seeing a link between dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. The FDA is now investigating that link. Grain free food is a fad, grains are actually good for dogs. I'd feed him a puppy food from brands such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for choosing Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since glucosamine and chondroitin fall under the category of medications we refer to as nutraceuticals (fancy word for supplements) there is no specific age that is recommended. Generally, we start recommend using these types of medications when pets reach the senior stage (7+ years of age). Since Bella is still young, I would recommend feeding a quality food that is formulated specifically for large breed dogs as it will include all of the beneficial joint health additives. I am personally a fan of Purina foods, but any of the other brands (Hills, Royal Canin, etc) are all excellent foods. This way you don't have to worry about trying to remember giving Bella pills everyday and nothing in her routine has to change. The supplements may be needed further down the road. Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck to you and Bella!

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.

It is vital to have an active growing puppy on a specialised, large breed puppy food, especially if there is evidence of any growing pains or irregularities. A tight balance of minerals (especially calcium and phosphorous) as well as vitamin d, protein levels and energy levels will promote healthy growth and development. An unbalanced or inappropriate diet can lead to over rapid growth of bone, cartilage or muscle and development of muscle and bone development issues. If there is any pain or discomfort you should have a full vet check arranged as soon as possible to rule out inflammation or injury