Joint Health for Giant Breed Dogs
There are many factors that go into joint health for your giant breed dog. One of the most important factors in ensuring your giant breed’s joints stay healthy is their nutrition while they are growing. Since I have already touched on this topic, we’re going to talk about another important factor in joint health: omega-3s.
We use two main sources of omega-3s in the fluffies diet: salmon oil and krill oil. The krill oil is a new addition to the fluffies’ meals, and although it is similar to salmon oil, it does have some notable differences. If you’re interested in more about salmon oil in particular, you can read why I give it to Mauja and Atka here.
Fish Oil and Joint Health
Every person with a giant breed should pay attention to joint health from the day your new furry family member comes home. While joint issues are most common in senior dogs, it is extremely important to set your dog up for success from a young age. This means focusing on preventing a problem, rather than waiting to treat it. Mauja and Atka both started joint supplements at 8 weeks of age and I highly recommend that to everyone!
Growing is really hard on the joints of giant breed puppies so it’s important to help them out as much as possible. You can prevent the vast majority (or even all) of your dog’s growing pains as he goes through adolescence by taking proper care of the joints. Thankfully, the fluffies never showed any apparent joint pain as they grew and I attribute much of that to the addition of salmon oil to their high-quality, giant breed-specific, diet.
Trying Krill Oil
I’m going to be completely honest – I had no idea what krill oil was when I was first approached about trying the product. I knew it was some sort of fish oil, but why was it any different than the salmon oil we were already using?
Krill oil is derived from a tiny, shrimp-like animal, which is commonly eaten by Baleen whales, mantas, and whale sharks. In comparison to other fish oils, krill oil has up to 2.5 times more bioavailable sources of essential fatty acids, meaning that less is more. The high absorption rate is due to krill oil’s unique, naturally occurring phospholipids. Whereas other fish oils rely on free triglycerides to deliver the essential fatty acids, phospholipids delivery the omega-3s directly to your pet’s cells.
In other words, increased efficacy with a smaller amount of oil.
Another benefit of krill oil is that since krill are much lower on the food chain, they do not accumulate heavy metals, such as mercury. This means that krill oil is a pure form of oil and quality sources will be certified to contain no detectable levels of toxins or heavy metals.
Only Natural Pet Krill Oil & Cod Liver Oil Blend
The Krill Oil & Cod Liver Oil Blend from Only Natural Pet was our first experience with a fish oil other than salmon oil. Aside from the bright red color of the krill oil, which makes their food look kind of bloody (eww.), I’ve been really pleased with the product.
The best part about krill oil, in comparison to fish oil, is how much less you have to use. Even though the krill oil is more expensive, you really end up paying a similar amount for a much higher-quality product.
A few other notable benefits of the Krill Oil & Cod Liver Oil Blend:
- High is omega-3s DHA and EPA
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Increased brain development
- Promotes healthy inflammation response
- Strengthens the immune system
- Regularly tested and certified to contain no detectable levels of toxins or heavy metals
- In compliance with Friend of the Sea sustainability requirements
Is joint health for giant breed dogs important to you? Enter the giveaway below for the chance to try the Krill Oil & Cod Liver Oil Blend from Only Natural Pet!
Have you tried krill oil? Did you see benefits for your dog?
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