Hip and joint pain affect many pets, especially older dogs. Pets with creaky, achy hips have trouble getting up after they’ve rested for a while. Many dog lovers want to learn how to help a dog with arthritis at home. WagWorthy Naturals Hip+Joint supplements can help ease the pain and increase your dog’s mobility.

Thank you to WagWorthy Naturals for allowing me to share this sponsored post. I am being compensated to share this information about HIP+JOINT supplements, but BLING, BITCHES & BLOOD only shares information that is relevant to my readers. (Some images provided by WagWorthy Naturals, copyright as noted)

Symptoms of Arthritis in Dogs

Not all limping comes from arthritis. Pulled muscles can cause pain or bruising when the pet overdoes, often with young athletic dogs. These injuries cause acute pain–yelping, sudden favoring of one leg, limping, or holding up a paw. But most often, hip and joint pain results from age-related arthritis or from a congenital joint problem like hip dysplasia.

Pets with hip dysplasia have a distinctive “bunny-hop” gait to relieve discomfort from poorly fitting hip joints. They often develop arthritis early. Very large dogs may injure the shoulder joints. And senior citizen dogs with arthritis act reluctant to exercise, have trouble getting up from a nap, and may stop jumping up because it hurts. While severe problems require veterinary attention, drug prescriptions, or sometimes surgery, home remedies and supplements designed for hip and joint support can slow down the progression of joint disease and help keep your achy dog comfortable and moving.

What Causes Arthritis in Dogs

The joints of the body are the “hinges” between two or more bones that allow movement by providing a smooth, lubricated surface composed of cartilage. A lubricated fluid similar to plasma coats the cartilage encased inside the joint capsule. The firm but spongy surface offers ten times less friction than any man-made ball bearing system. The synovial fluid feeds the joint, and motion of the joint pumps fluid to the cartilage to maintain joint health and nutrition.

Injury to the cartilage from disease, or damage due to bone, muscle, or ligament injury causes pain. When dogs hurt, they favor the injury, limping from shoulder or hip pain. Since the joint only pumps fluid into the cartilage through movement, refusing to move makes the joint even more painful, creating a vicious cycle that causes arthritis in dogs with the joint continuing to degenerate.

How to Help a Dog with Arthritis at Home

The joint only pumps lubricating fluid into the cartilage through movement, so gentle regular exercise helps reduce arthritis pain and keeps pets mobile. Walk dogs every day. You can also inspire reluctant pets to get off their furry tail by placing food bowls at the top of a ramp.

Slimming down overweight dogs removes stress from the joints. Slow down bing-eating dogs that gobble their food (Beagles and Labradors come to mind) with puzzle toys.

Warmth helps loosen up creaky joints, so a heated bed can help. Hip dysplasia or arthritis pain also gets relief from moist heat that helps loosen up the stiff joints. Drape a damp cloth over the hips, and then use a hair dryer to blow warm moist air into the area. For pets that dislike the noise of a blow dryer, microwave a damp washcloth and apply to the sore area.

Shadow doesn’t have arthritis–yet–but supplements from youth onward can help slow the progression. And he BEGS for this like a treat, go figure!

WagWorthy Hip+Joint Supplements: Best Arthritis Medicine for Dogs?

Always consult your veterinarian for the best arthritis medicine for dogs. In many cases, though, an over-the-counter nutraceutical (nutrition supplement) helps with the discomfort.

When Jane Bernard, the founder of WagWorthy Hip+Joint Supplements, reached out to ask me to review her product, I couldn’t–because Shadow-Pup doesn’t have arthritis. I am happy to share information about the supplement, though, especially after reading the great reviews on the site and also the positive reviews on Amazon.

Goobstercars on Amazon writes: THIS REALLY WORKS!  “My 10-year-old greyhound was taking a prescription medication for arthritis that was $90 for a 30-day supply. I started giving her this supplement in October. She has done so much better, that I’ve discontinued the prescription meds. I’m not saying this will work for everyone’s situation, but it really improved Wilhelmina’s mobility and stiffness. She’s actually resumed chasing the younger dog around the yard on a daily basis. I definitely would recommend trying it out. I wish I had put her on this a few years ago.”

Benefits of Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Dog Arthritis Pain

Studies have shown that cartilage-enhancing medications like chondroitin sulfate and glucosamineglycan (GAG), used at a very high dose early on and for the rest of the pet’s life, can slow the development of hip dysplasia. These substances help slow the progression of arthritis by protecting the joint cartilage.

Chondroitin and glucosamine also have anti-inflammatory properties, and can reduce swelling, and that can help with the pain. These supplements are probably most effective in dogs that have only mild arthritis, and don’t prevent arthritis, but can slow the progression of the disease.Cartilage never heals itself once it’s damaged; the cells do not replicate, so these agents just help the body keep existing cartilage as healthy as possible.

Shadow LOVES the flavor. Oh, and Karma-Kat tried to steal the bottle and wanted a “treat” as well.

How is WagWorthy Hip+Joint Supplement Different

There are many OTC supplements for dog arthritis, but they often include grain, fillers, or processed oils (that can promote joint damage). There are no guidelines for sourcing ingredients or proper dosing, so the effectiveness can vary from batch to batch. Many don’t deliver a high enough dose, or are made overseas with little oversite.

• WagWorthy Hip+Joint includes glucosamine (from shellfish) and chondroitin (porcine source). Chondroitin inhibits white blood cell’s destruction of cartilage, stimulates cartilage synthesis, and helps the absorption of nutrients into the cartilage. But additional ingredients, in the proper combination, offer even more benefits.
• MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) improves immune function, and is a natural and effective anti-inflammatory.
• Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in joint (synovial) fluid and provides lubrication and shock absorption for joints. Both arthritis and the natural progression of aging causes a reduction in natural concentrations of hyaluronic acid.
• Vitamin C: Dogs naturally create vitamin C in their liver, which acts as an antioxidant (sort of a metabolic rust prevention to slow the effects of aging). But stress or illness deplete the body’s supply of vitamin C, which can impact energy among other things.
• Tart Cherry fights inflammation and arthritis pain because of a high content of anthocyanins – plant pigments in red and purple fruit (especially tart cherries) that have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps the body recover more quickly from muscle pain and stiffness after exercise and helps reduce joint tenderness.
• Omega’s 3 and 6 from Flaxseed, and flavored with chicken livers

Image (c) WagWorthy Naturals

How to Give WagWorthy Hip+Joint

Each bottle contains 60 tablets. You front-load the dose–a double dose in the beginning for the first 3 weeks, with the maintenance dose half that amount thereafter. You can crumble the tablet into your dog’s food, or feed as a treat (Shadow LOVES the flavor!).

Manufacturing: WagWorthy’s products are manufactured in the US in an FDA registered facility. All individual ingredients are of the highest quality and are tested 3 separate times for purity and potency. The finished product is once again tested 3 separate times for potency and purity, enabling us to proudly stand behind our products. We use no harmful fillers or additives.

Jane lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband and rescue dog Ollie, a lab/pittie mix. She regularly fosters usually senior dogs–perhaps one inspiration for the product–and has a background in biochemistry.

Your Turn…

Back to y’all–do you have a dog with arthritis? How do you manage symptoms? Have you tried WagWorthy Naturals? The company donates a percentage of every purchase to a senior dog rescue/programs. And you can Order on the website with Zero Risk. Jane says, “We are confident that this will support your dog’s health. If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase,simply contact us within 30 days of purchase and we will issue a full refund. No questions asked.”

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Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!