Does My Puppy Need Any Supplements?

When to start giving supplements to my puppy?

Perhaps the most frequently asked questions are when one should start giving supplements to their puppy? Do puppies need supplements at all? Or is it better to wait until the dog is older?

When we were developing our Growing Puppy supplement, we discussed this question with veterinarians and nutritionists and came to the following conclusion.

Young puppies up to 6 months should get all the nutrients that they need from high quality food. After 6 months puppies grow and develop amazingly fast. They become highly active and the muscles often grow faster than bones.

Many puppies of large and giant breeds may already have problems with hips, lower back, or elbows. These problems are not usually visible to the average dog keeper and do not become apparent until conditions worsen.

Lio’s story.

Take for example Lio, one of the dogs in the Pawsomely Healthy family. Lio is a gorgeous German Shepherd and it is common knowledge that German shepherds have various problems with lower back and hind legs. Many are also genetically more prone to hip dysplasia.

But Lio looked healthy and was an active puppy. Lio’s parents were first time dog owners and they wanted only the best for their puppy – they found the most nutritious food for him, bought him a lot of toys, started with basic obedience training and took Lio to the park regularly.

When Lio was 10 months old his parents found a very experienced trainer who was also a German Shepherd breeder to start training Lio to become a well behaved obedient dog. He looked at Lio and immediately noticed an abnormal stride and evident hind leg issues. He recommended checking Lio for hip dysplasia.

It appeared, Lio was free of dysplasia, but was diagnosed with Lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LTV), a common hereditary spinal anomaly that predisposes to premature degeneration of the lumbosacral junction. It is a frequent cause of an early progressive arthritis in the joint at the bottom of the spine.

Large breeds (German Shepherd, Great Danes) and dogs with long spinal cords (Beagle, Dachshund) are most susceptible to this disease.

Lio’s parents faced two options: a long term conservative health management that would include weight management, plenty of controlled strengthening exercise, anti-inflammatories as needed, and good dog joint supplements or an expensive surgery and long crate rest. They were not ready for a major surgery for a 10 months old puppy!

Luckily, the dog trainer recommended starting Lio on high-quality hip and joint supplements for dogs right away to avoid the highly likely possibility of becoming disabled by 6 years of age.

So, this story has a happy ending. Lio’s parents found high-quality dog supplements that are keeping him happy, healthy, and active despite his congenital anomaly.

As we can see it is evident that starting your puppy on quality puppy supplements can prevent the onset of numerous conditions, and greatly lessen the effects of existing ones.

Most people think that large breed dogs are the only pets susceptible to joint issues, but this is far from the truth. The fact is almost any dog can develop joint pain as they age and it’s important to keep in mind that it’s never too early to start caring for your pet’s joints.

Growing Puppy by Pawsomely Healthy is the best puppy supplement for your young dog!

So, we concluded that it is best to start giving your puppy supplements at 6 months of age. Realizing that the puppy should develop naturally we did not want to overload their bodies with too many ingredients.

That is why we selected three unique, natural, and bioavailable ingredients for our Growing Puppy supplement. With only these three ingredients, multiple body functions are accounted for. And unlike most hip and joint supplements on the market, our Growing Puppy was formulated specifically for puppies from 6 to 18 months.

Green Lipped Mussel is a true gem of our formula. This mollusc is native to and harvested in New Zealand only. The native people of New Zealand, Maori, have known the health benefits of these mussels since the early 1900s, but they have only recently been introduced to the Western world.

Green Lipped Mussel contains high levels of glucosamine and chondroitin. They are also a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial in fighting inflammation.

Bear in mind that the concentration of the desired ingredient is crucial since an insufficient concentration might not be enough to make a therapeutic difference. Green Lipped Mussel has become quite popular in the last 2-3 years.

However, if you look at the concentration in most of the supplements, you will see that it is usually around 30-50mg, due to its high price.  Our Growing Puppy supplement has 250mg of pure Green Lipped Mussel sourced from New Zealand because we know that this concentration will deliver the desired results!

Aquamin (derived from Lithothamnion Sp. Algae) is a unique, natural, multi-mineral complex which is derived from the cytoskeleton of the red algae Lithothamnion calcareum.

Over the course of the aquatic plant’s life, minerals are accumulated from the seawater and stored as carbonate salts in the plant’s cell walls. It contains bio-active calcium, magnesium, and 72 trace minerals.

Other than washing and milling, Aquamin is unaltered from the raw material and thus offers a range of minerals from a single, natural source. The product is very bioavailable, meaning a puppy’s body absorbs the nutrients with ease.

Vitamin C is a particularly important vitamin in our Growing Puppy supplement. It promotes a strong immune system which is crucial for a developing puppy. Vitamin C helps form collagen which is essential to keep the growing bones and developing joints healthy.

How can one purchase the Growing Puppy supplement?

The whole process of ordering Pawsomely Healthy supplements is simple: you answer a few questions about your furry friend and based on your answers and years of research, we will recommend supplements for them. Introduce your puppy and get your recommendations here.

Our products are custom-tailored to each dog’s specific needs and are designed to be most effective when taken on a regular basis. To get the most out of our recommendations and never interrupt your puppy’s regime, subscribe to your supplements, and save with free shipping.

The more we have learned about pet nutrition, the more we have discovered extra support is as beneficial for dogs as it is for us, particularly when it comes to joint health.

Osteoarthritis is a debilitating, progressive disease that causes cartilage destruction and, ultimately, joint failure leading to pain and disuse. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis with an estimate of 20% of middle-aged dogs and up to 90% of older dogs affected.

Preventing should be a top priority with any dog! Start your puppy early on the right supplements to help build a good foundation and avoid joint problems later in life.