Dogs love to run and bounce around, but all this constant activity takes its toll. Just like their humans, the older they get, the more prone to aches and pains.
Surprisingly though it’s not just age: young dogs can suffer from joint problems too, especially if they do too much exercise, too soon. “Joint pain can occur in dogs of all breeds and ages and can arise from injury, as well as daily wear and tear,” comfirms Dr Karlien Heyrman, head of pets at Pets at Home.
Protecting your puppy’s joints from the start is one way to help prevent problems later in life, so make sure you don’t introduce too much walking too soon and avoid games that involve repetitive and high-impact movements.
How can I tell if my dog has joint problems?
Any signs of limping, stiffness, swelling, not wanting to go for walks, difficulty jumping into the car or onto the sofa and a general slowing down can all be signs your dog has pain in his joints. Large dogs and some breeds are more susceptible than others – German shepherds, for example, suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia, as do golden retrievers, rottweilers and Labradors.
Should I still walk my dog if he has joint issues?
Dogs with joint issues should be exercised, albeit more gently. “Stop high-impact games and replace them with more mentally stimulating games like hide-and-seek with a ball,” says PDSA vet Dr Lynne James. “Take more breaks, reduce walks if your dog is struggling and make sure you factor in the time it takes to walk home.”
Dr Kirsten Ronngren veterinary surgeon at pet insurance specialist ManyPets, agrees. “Regular activity is a great way to keep arthritic pets moving longer. I often hear pet owners worried about exercising their pets with joint problems, but picking low impact and shorter activities can actually be helpful.”
Other practical steps to help your furbaby include ensuring his bed supports him, providing a ramp so they can get in and out of the car, or onto the sofa, and covering your wooden floors with rugs so he doesn’t slip and further aggravate his joints. Okay, so your beautiful oak flooring remains hidden, but hey, look at it this way - it’ll stay pristine for longer.
Can diet help alleviate joint pain?
Being overweight puts extra pressure on your dog’s joints so watch his treat intake and don’t let him hypnotise you with those beautiful brown eyes into feeding him extra biccies!
Make sure his diet is appropriate for his age, feed a good quality food and add supplements to support this. The best joint supplements for dogs contain ingredients such as omega 3 from fish oil and green lipped mussel to counter inflammation and increase flexibility; glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM, which work to maintain and rebuild muscles and cartilage; hyaluronic acid for lubrication; zinc, turmeric and the herbal extract Boswellia for their anti-inflammatory properties, and vitamin C to promote collagen production.
Speak to your vet before adding supplements to your dog’s diet.
Best joint supplements for dogs at a glance
- Best overall: Dorwest MoveWellia - £19.90 for 100 tablets, Amazon
- Best omega 3 fish oil: Vets Kitchen Salmon Oil - £8.70 for 300ml, Vetskitchen
- Best for ageing joints: Vet IQ Senior Care- £6.84 for 45 tablets, Amazon
- Best for tasty treats: Pets Purest Daily Joint Supplement Treats for Dogs - £26.99 for 60 treats, Petspurest
- Best for price: Vetzyme High Strength Flexible Joint - £12.99 for 90 bites, Amazon
- Best for dogs who don’t like tablets: Natural Vetcare Mobility Liquid - £27.92 for 1000ml, Amazon
- Best for puppies: YuMOVE Joint Care for Young Dogs - from £15.71 for 30 tablets (small dog), Yumove
- Best for preventing joint problems: Pooch & Mutt Joint Care Supplement For Dogs - £14.99 for 100g (80-100 tablets per tub), Poochandmutt
- Best for dogs who prefer chews: Zesty Paws Mobility Bites - £26.95 for 90 chews, Amazon
- Best for charity support: PDSA Vet Care Joint Care Supplement For Dogs - £28.24 for 120 tablets, Amazon
- Best for hard working dogs: Riaflex Canine Joint Plus HA - £37.99 for 200g, Amazon
We’ve found the best joint supplements for dogs below.
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Dorwest MoveWellia
Best for: existing joint problems
If you’ve noticed your dog slowing down, or not wanting to walk as far when you go out together, it could be his joints have been playing up for a while. MoveWellia from pet herbal experts Dorwest is designed specifically for dogs with existing joint issues. It contains glucosamine and chondroitin for cartilage and joint health and mobility; hyaluronic acid, which occurs naturally in joint fluid and provides lubrication; anti-inflammatory and antioxidant vitamin C and zinc; celery seed, which promotes good blood circulation and Boswellia, which is also a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Ingredients in this joint supplement are sustainably and ethically sourced. A tub of 100 tablets will last a small dog (up to 10kg) over three months – and you can also feed this to your cat!
£19.90 for 100 tablets.
Buy now £19.90, Amazon
Vets Kitchen Salmon Oil 300ml
Best for: omega 3 fish oil
Salmon Oil is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart, brain and eye health as well as for keeping your furbaby’s joints in tip top condition. Omega 3 is also a potent anti-inflammatory so supports all systems of the body, not just his joints. If your dog is anything like mine – he loves fish – this will go down a treat! Add this joint supplement to food once a day and introduce gradually over a few days. For small dogs weighing 5-10kg a 300ml bottle will last around two months at 5ml per day or four months at 2.5ml per day.
Contains 99.5 per cent sustainable Scottish salmon oil. Use within six months once opened.
Buy now £8.70, Vet’s Kitchen
VetIQ Senior Care
Best for: ageing joints
Specifically formulated for dogs over six years of age, this joint supplement contains concentrated ingredients including green lipped mussel, glucosamine and chondroitin to support and improve joint health. In addition, B vitamins help increase energy, vitamin C promotes collagen production as well as fighting free radical damage, alongside vitamin E; ginseng helps with energy and stamina, and vitamin D3 supports bone health, muscles, energy and the immune system.
A pack of 45 tablets will last small dogs (up to 10kg) 22 days
Also suitable for cats.
Buy now £6.84, Vet IQ
Pets Purest Daily Joint Supplement Treats for Dogs
Best for: tasty treats
These treats keep joint problems at bay and hopefully prevent them happening in the first place, as well as helping older dogs who already suffer from stiff joints and reduced mobility. Ingredients in this joint supplement include coconut flakes and willow extract, which reduce inflammation; wild whole sprats for their omega 3; devil’s claw extract, which reduces stiffness; carnitine to help fat metabolism and antioxidant vitamins C and E.
Feed one treat per day for dogs weighing up to 10kg, rising to four treats per day for big furbabies weighing 40kg. Each tub contains 60 treats. Hypoallergenic and gentle on their tummies, with no artificial colours or flavours.
Buy now £26.99, Pets Purest
Vetzyme High Strength Flexible Joint
Best for: price
These chicken flavour bites contain omega 3 fatty acids from fish oils to help reduce inflammation and maintain flexibility in your dog. They also have glucosamine and chondroitin for maintaining and rebuilding cartilage and ligaments, MSM for promoting flexible joints and healthy connective tissue, and B vitamins for energy.
The price point of this high strength joint supplement is an added bonus, and is sure to be attractive, especially in the current economic climate.
A pack of 90 will last a medium size dog (22-33kg) around three months.
Buy now £12.99, Vetzyme
Natural Vetcare Mobility Liquid
Best for: dogs who don’t like taking tablets
No more fighting with Fido to persuade him to take his medicine – simply mix Mobility Liquid in with his food and his joints will reap the benefits. Ingredients include glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and chlorella; vitamin C and zinc help treat inflammation as they’re antioxidants, while vitamins B1 and B2 aid digestion and nutrient absorption. There’s also l-carnitine to help muscle recovery
For small dogs up to 10kg feed 10ml of this joint care supplement for the first seven days, then 5ml per day after that. A 500ml bottle will last a small dog around three months.
Available in 500ml and 1 litre bottles.
Buy now £27.92, Amazon
YuMOVE Joint Care for Young Dogs
Best for: puppies
Protect your furbaby from the start with this joint care supplement, which is suitable for puppies as soon as they start eating solid food. It contains sustainably sourced green lipped mussel which supplies a concentrated hit of omega-3, as well as hyaluronic acid to help lubricate and cushion his joints, vitamin C and vitamin E to protect against free radical damage. For small dogs up to 15kg a box of 30 tablets should last a month on a maintenance dose of 1 per day, but feed 2 tablets per day for the first four to six weeks.
Buy now £15.71, YuMOVE
Pooch & Mutt Joint Care Supplement For Dogs
Best for: preventing joint problems:
Feed these to prevent joint problems before they take hold. They’re suitable for young dogs from 12 weeks old and are very palatable so can be given as a treat, or crushed over food.
Ingredients include collagen, which Pooch & Mutt explains “makes up over 70% of your dog’s cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments”. Collagen stores in the body reduce as your dog gets older so including collagen in the joint supplement potentially helps counter this. This joint supplement also contains glucosamine, chondroitin, B vitamins and antioxidant vitamins C and E.
Each 100g tub contains between 80 and 100 tablets.
Buy now £14.99, Pooch & Mutt
Zesty Paws Mobility Bites
Best for: dogs who prefer chews
New to the UK market, Zesty Paws was founded in the USA in 2014 “To enable and inspire a zest for life in pets and pet parents,” says its website. Their joint supplement Mobility Bites for hips and joints come in two flavours – duck and bacon – and they’re chewy so will appeal to pooches who don’t like swallowing tablets. Ingredients include MSM, glucosamine and chondroitin. They also contain antioxidant vitamins C and E to help protect against free radical damage.
A tub of 90 chews will last for around 90 days (for dogs weighing up to 11kg).
Buy now £26.95, Zesty Paws
PDSA Vet Care Joint Care Supplement For Dogs
Best for: charity support
When you buy this joint care product your help out your dog’s joints and the PDSA at the same time, as the charity benefits from the proceeds of every pack sold. This joint supplement is suitable for all pooches that have joint pain or arthritis, including older dogs and working dogs. Ingredients include glucosamine, green lipped mussel (for omega 3), chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and the antioxidant vitamins C and E. For small dogs (up to 15kg) a 60-tablet pack will last around two months.
Buy now £28.24, Amazon
Riaflex Canine Joint Plus HA
Best for: hard working dogs
This is great for those dogs who go that extra mile – or 10. If your dog takes parts in sports such as canicross or agility then the high levels of ingredients in this could protect his joints while he’s working and in the future. This joint supplement contains glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and MSM – sulphur that has been found to east stiff joints in horses as well as dogs. Simply add the powder to his food every day. A 200g tub will last a small dog up to three months.
Buy now £37.99, Amazon
Verdict
Dorwest’s MoveWellia contains a potent blend of ingredients that are proven to help maintain, support and improve joint health. Often you don’t know your dog has joint issues until way after they start as it’s not always apparent, also, some breeds and larger dogs who carry a lot of weight simply due to their size, are susceptible to arthritis, joint pain and stiffness. Injuries in a young dog can also show up in his joints later.
MoveWellia helps dogs who already have problems, but also breeds susceptible to joint problems, as well as dogs who work and play hard, running with their owners, long-distance hiking or taking part in agility competitions for instance. As an overall protection it seems to tick all the boxes.
The supplement contains Boswellia (frankincense), which is a herbal extract used to treat joint problems in humans too.
