Joint issues are extremely common in dogs. Many people believe this is strictly due to old age and only affects elderly dogs, however, this is not the case. Although age is a common reason for poor joints in dogs, there are many other contributing factors. Here are vet’s top 5 key reasons for your dog’s poor joints:

1. Age: As stated above, the most well-known reason for joint issues in dogs is age. Glucosamine is a natural compound found in cartilage. As dogs age, the natural production of glucosamine in their body slows. This causes joint pain and stiffness, and can lead to more serious problems such as osteoarthritis.

2. Weight gain: When a dog is overweight, an excess load is placed on their joints. This force impacts the health and mobility of the cartilage within the joint, and as a result causes joint pain and swelling.

3. Ligament trauma: Injury to ligaments is common in dogs, especially damage to the CCL, or cranial cruciate ligament, which is located in the knee. When a ligament is torn, it forces your dog to put more weight on their joints which leads to joint instability and excess wear on the cartilage.

4. Inflammatory joint disease: The most common types of inflammatory joint diseases are Immune-mediated polyarthritis and osteoarthritis. Immune-mediated polyarthritis is a disorder of the immune system, where the immune system is inappropriately activated to send white blood cells to the joints, leading to inflammation. This condition is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in humans. Some symptoms of this disease include pain, swelling, and difficulty walking. This differs from osteoarthritis which is commonly caused by injuries or old age. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease known for causing loss of joint cartilage, and a thickening of the joint capsule spurring new bone formation around the joint. This formation causes pain and limb dysfunction. Some symptoms include stiffness, lethargy, reluctance to jump or play, and pain when touched.

5. Leaky Gut Syndrome: You might be asking yourself “what does my dog’s gut have to do with their joints?” It turns out many animals suffer from something called Leaky Gut Syndrome, where the gut lining is made so weak that holes start to form. This can be due to artificial, indigestible food and toxins tearing holes in the lining of the gut. Toxins are able to get into the bloodstream through these holes, which causes the immune system to defend the body against these “intruders.” When the immune system goes into defense mode, it causes inflammation to pop up all over the body. The joints are especially prone to inflammation because they are numerous and in constant use.

Taking care of your dog’s joints is extremely important in protecting their health, which is why Felix + Fetch created Joint Strength Chews.

Our chews help dogs with hip and joint aches and inflammation due to their amazing all natural ingredients such as:

1. Glucosamine: Naturally found in the fluid around joints, helps with pain from arthritis.

2. MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane: A naturally occurring sulfur compound in foods such as fresh vegetables, meat, and dairy products. It has many healing properties such as alleviating arthritis symptoms by reducing pain and stiffness, speeding recovery after exercise by reducing muscle damage and stress, decreasing joint pain, and reducing inflammation.

3. Dried Yucca Schidigera Extract: Used to help symptoms such as osteoarthritis, inflammation, and poor circulation.

4.  Ascorbic Acid: Found in bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and skin, aids in the maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

Pick up some Joint Strength chews today to get your dog feeling like a puppy again!