All Things Great Pyrenees
Caring for a Great Pyrenees, or any other giant breed, can be tough if you’re not adequately prepared. These gentle giants have special needs to ensure their bones grow properly and they have healthy joints. Here are my 5 tips for healthy joints in giant breed puppies.
[Read more…] about 5 Tips for Healthy Joints in Giant Breed Puppies with NuVet
We all know pet ramps are great for senior dogs but have you ever thought about utilizing a ramp for a young, healthy dog? For the longest time, I didn’t. Atka jumps in and out of the car easily and Mauja puts her front paws up and waits for a little boost. Easy enough.
After a bit of thought and research, I realized there were several reasons to get a pet ramp while the fluffies were still young and healthy. I knew that the best time to teach them how to use the ramp would be when they weren’t having any mobility issues. What better time than now?
While jumping in and out of your car may not seem like a big deal, the reality is that each jump causes unnecessary stress on your dog’s joints. This can lead to hip and joint problems early in your dog’s life.
We may not be able to prevent all health issues from occurring in our giant breed dogs, but we can take steps to lessen the chance of any future ailments.
I never thought of this reason until I had jaw surgery. After my surgery, I was unable to lift anything over ten pounds for about two months. Mauja expects her rear end to be hoisted into the car, and she certainly weighs quite a bit more than 10 pounds!
This meant that if Nick wasn’t home, I couldn’t take the dogs anywhere with me which was quite a bummer for all of us.
We all anticipate that as our dogs age there is a high possibility they will develop hip and joint issues that will inhibit their mobility. However, we don’t always prepare for the freak accident that occurs from a too rough play session or simply landing the wrong way on a walk.
An injured dog will require assistance in several ways. Not only will getting in and out of the car be difficult, but things such as getting in and out of a bed or up the front porch stairs can easily be too much. If your dog already knows how to use a ramp, recovery will be much easier.
When given the opportunity to try the Solvit Deluxe Tri-Scope Pet Ramp, I obviously couldn’t say no! We tried a ramp with Mauja a few years ago (our neighbor had an old one she was giving away) and I was not thrilled. Not only was it flimsy, but it was insanely heavy as well! After becoming completely frustrated, I gave up and donated the ramp.
Since the ramp we tried was a cheap, no-name brand, I hoped that our experience would be different with a product from an established company like Solvit. When the package arrived on our front porch, I bent down and braced myself to lift the heavy box.
Except it wasn’t heavy, so I shot straight up in the air (which wasn’t “what was supposed to happen” according to the dogs so they barked – I need to add that to my list of reasons they’re barking!). I couldn’t wait to open the box and try it out.
What I Like About the Solvit Deluxe Tri-Scope Pet Ramp
What I Don’t Like About the Solvit Deluxe Tri-Scope Pet Ramp
Even though I felt the width was a tad small, I would still highly recommend the Solvit Deluxe Tri-Scope Pet Ramp.
Remember, it’s extremely important to train your dog to use the ramp with plenty of positive reinforcement – many dogs won’t willingly climb the ramp the first time they see it. Solvit includes tips on how to acclimate your dog to the ramp in the package.
Do you have a pet ramp for your dog? How do you think it has benefitted you both?
DIsclaimer: I received the product mentioned above in exchange for my honest review. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this blog and It’s Dog or Nothing only shares products we love and believe in.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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?
I’m always looking for new and interesting treats for the fluffies. I try to branch out, but I must admit – I’m grossed out by a lot of things. Being a vegetarian, I’m not very keen on dealing with animal products. Thankfully, I have a meat-eating husband to help me out when necessary.
Nick came in handy with our newest treat from Only Natural Pet – Twizzle Sticks. Twizzle sticks are made from free-range, grass-fed beef gullet. The gullet, aka esophagus, is a great source of chrondroitin to support joint health. Having giant breed dogs, I’m always looking for ways to help them maintain healthy joints.
The Twizzle Sticks are also braided to improve your dog’s chewing experience. The braided treats help to clean teeth and promote healthy gums. Not only does your dog get a delicious chew, but teeth and joint benefits as well!
While I love the concept of the treat, this is not the most long-lasting chew. Mauja and Atka finished their chews in under 5 minutes. However, they thoroughly enjoyed those few minutes!
P.S. Sorry for the less than stellar images. The fluffies weren’t interested in posing for photos! 😉
Disclaimer: We received the product mentioned above in exchange for our honest opinion. Don’t worry, an advertiser will never influence the content of our blog and we only share products we believe in and feel our readers would enjoy.
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