Supplements for puppies

Hi all .... Just wondered if any of you used any supplements for growing pups since they can be prone to hip dysplacia (sp)?

thanks

i think any animal that has joint problems can have cod liver oil added to their diet and also glucosamine is good for the joints for the purpose of lubricating them.

giving puppies suppliments doesn't prevent HD. you need to restrict there exercise & give them the best nutrition possable. we restrict ours to 5 mins exercise for every month they are in age. we also give them small amounts of sardines/mackeral in oil along with a raw diet. once they reach about 14 month old they get their hips scored & then they get evening primrose oil added to their diet iff they need it..ie for coat. as dogs get older we add glucosomine & chondronatin also to help them with their joints. once again iff the puppies are from a reptubable breeder you should have no problems as every care has been taken to try & prevent any health problems

Too much cod liver oil in young puppies will actually do harm as well. It can actually make their bones too soft.

Do look into it first before giving anything.

Supplements are purely supplements!! To be given as and when needed and you must be very careful when giving any supplement, especially over the long-term as more damage can be done by over-compensating.

Pups shouldnt need anything extra if they are being fed correctly and already recieving the correct ratios of vits and mins and EFA's etc etc.

Supplements are there to assist in times of need, and can be successfully used to treat both chronic and acute problems, but proper advice from someone qualified should be taken before adding anything to a dogs diet.

Mine dont get cod liver oil, because its one of the more volatile oils and it goes rancid very quickly, unless its been extracted and then stored correctly, and the dosage can be hard to get right. I tend to give a blend of different oils, then the hard work has been done for me. Giving just one oil isnt ideal as many of these things work synergistically with other things and for instance giving oils for the EFA's is fine, but if the dog is short on certain vitamins you are wasting your time and the vitamins are needed for the oil to do its work once inside the body.

Also supplements shouldnt be given every day. 5 days out of 7, or week on week off, or month on month off is a much better way to do it. The body needs a rest from the supplements so they can work better.

There are lots of things to be taken into account, and this is why its best to seek advice from someone qualified.

i just give my two fish once a week, they seem contented with that.

Hi and thanks for all the replies. There is nothing wrong with Cola but was just curious as I know as few people who give their pups glucosamine (recommended by the vet) as a precaution.

Cola is a rescue pup therefore I do not know the history or breeder, thanks.

Even if a dog does not have any joint problems, you can still give your dogs the added extra of some form of oil whether it is from some fish once a week or oil suplimwnts such as cod liver oil and glucosamine. As long as they are used sensible and in small quantaties then your dogs will be fine with the added supliments. By our dogs having these supliments it can help our dogs in later life, as they will develop arthritis and other possible joint problems, we can help them by giving these for extra lubrication, thus helping prevent severe joint problems in our animals.