Lottie again.........supplements advice, please!

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keeperscottage

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Thank you everyone for your posts about our lovely Lottie! I've been to Tescos and bought human-strength two a day glucosamine and chondroitin capsules plus one a day cod liver oil capsules. Also, my daughter found an unopened jar of Osteoflex Prolonged Release glucosamine with chrondoitin tablets (which I bought for myself but never used). Lottie (at her last weighing session at the vet) weighed 40kg. As has been pointed out to us, she's quite tall for a Goldie bitch, hence her weight which, although we want to her to slim down, does not mean she's a great hulking over-weight dog!

So my question is.......what should the dosage be?
 
I would ask my vet - have used alternative medicines in the past and would double-check with them.

ETA - that should be 'complimentary' rather than 'alternative'
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Would agree about checking with the vet about doses. Please don't go mad with the supplements, sometimes they can do more harm than good. You have said that Lottie is fit and well and showing no signs, so really at this stage I would think the most important thing is to slim her down a bit (I know you say she is tall but 40kg does seem quite heavy for a retriever, my big GSD only weighed 37 kg), and keep her well exercised. Maybe just a very low dosage of glucosamine etc as a maintenance, and hard as it is, don't worry too much, she is the same dog she was before you got her hip scores, she hasn't suddenly become crippled.
 
I popped into the vets today (not specifically to discuss Lottie) and three of the nurses said how sorry they were about the hip score result, what a lovely dog she is, it always happens to the best dogs etc etc. I asked them their thoughts about supplements and they all said not to give her anything as she's fit and well.

Yes, we do worry about her weight but this is a difficult one since we don't give her titbits, we don't overfeed her (she has mainly raw) and she has plenty of exercise (loves swimming) and often goes out running behind my daughter on her bicycle or on her horse. She goes gun dog training every week for about three hours but the weight just doesn't seem to shift! She's not "podgy", just "solid", if you know what I mean!

Everyone sympathising at the vet surgery made me even more upset!
 
Sounds like you are are doing everything right with her, I do know what you mean about the weight, my old GSD was like that, was too heavy, weighed as much as a male, but didn't eat much, and in fact if we did get weight off her she looked really gaunt and tucked up.
It is a shame when an otherwise lovely bitch has poor hips (I have been there with the vet sympathy bit and you are right it doesn't help
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), but as long as she is kept fit there is no reason for her hip score to affect her life with you. If you want to have another dog why don't you do what I did and get another one with similar lines to Lottie.
 
Thanks! I know she's such a lovely girl but we have four other dogs (springy springers x3 plus dopey, wonderful Munsterlander) so, although we dearly wanted a "Lottie puppy", we're not in the market for another puppy just yet! (Oldest dog is only 4!!). Might start a thread asking whether anyone else has offspring from her dam/sire, as would love to know what her close family's hip score is! (Think dad had 4/7!) I'm still GUTTED!
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It's just so unfair that a much loved dog, with (potentially) much-wanted puppies (so much local interest!) now can't be bred from! Never mind! Lottie's a star and is very, very much loved!
 
Just to say what my vet said to me....... human grade glucosamine is different to dog grade.

Something to do with humans utilising sulphate and dogs needing hydrochloride??? Would be interested if anyone knows more about this as Zak could eat them if they will work... but they are the sulphate.


Edited to say...... I have now googled dog glucosamine and it all says sulphate..... so maybe I either misheard or the vet has got confused???

Anyway, Zak is now going to eat Seven Seas capsules till they run out
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See if they are any good
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