A different brand

[balkis]

Hi Mike,

I see you recommend Dr. Bicks products but how about the following brands: Eagle Pack, Natural Balance or California Natural?

Also, as far as a joint supplement is concerned do you know anything about Glycoflex?

I currently use the above products for my dogs and would like to know what you think about these brands.

One other thing - what are your feelings about Greenies?

Thanks

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

I would say that they are all decent foods, and if you have a dog that is doing well on them probably no reason to switch. You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out which is the best one. Variety is good for a dog, so best case scenario is to switch up every once in a while with a different brand or type of food that you pick with your best judgement.
If I were to nit pick between the three you listed I would go with California Natural for sure. There pup formula is probably the best because it uses the chicken fat - not sure why they do it that way, a pup formula and an adult formula when all their formulas are 'all life stages'. must be for marketing. The only thing really that bick's products have that the CN doesnt is the probiotics and the extra supplements that you can use along with it. If I had the CN near by I would probably rotate the lamb formula in to my dogs diet. Natural balance not bad, just more fillers in it then the CN. The eagle pack I was never a big fan of just because there were so many varietys and some were pretty good and some not as good - so tricky recommended it to clients when they need an easy choice - but I really havent checked in on their products in a while. All three definitely better than anything you are going to find at the supermarket, thats for sure.

Glycoflex I think is great stuff for connective tissue strength- but Ideally used with a good Glucosamine supplement to cover the rest of the joint health. I have been a fan of the agility supplement by Bick's because it combined the benifits of glycoflex and a cosequin type supplement, which is what i used to give and I ended up saving money and have seen next to miracles with the stuff. It is the one supplement that will be hard for me to ever give up even if i was feeding a good raw diet to my dogs.

One of the main reasons that I started using the Bick's products is because I have nothing but a petsmart any where near me. So it is very hard to conveniently get good dog food which I obviously need a lot of with the kennel. the life's abundance gets delivered and never had a problem feeding it to a single dog. Clients generally stay on it, so also end up making a few bucks if they order it from me too since it is conveniently also a network marketing company.

I have never used the greenies. What was that whole thing that made them get negetive attention in the news about? I never looked into it because i never really used them. I see they make them flexible now. I would like to be filled in myself if anyone knows what the deal was?

[abndogos]

I like using AniFlex GL for joint health. It is made for horses, but you can adjust the amount you give obviously to fit for your dog. 2.5 lbs is like $25 and 5 lbs is like $45. Much better bang for the buck. There is also Aniflex Complete that adds in Chondroitin, but is double the cost of the GL.

Mike, I believe the Greenies had caused quite a few FBO's and some perf's.



AniFlex GL


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AniMed

Glucosamine HCL provides the building blocks for the repair of stressed and injured joints damaged by racing, training or any physical events or performances. Glucosamine HCL aids in pain relief and in reducing motion limitation. It is especially effective in post-injury or post-surgery care. Vitamin C is essential for the normal production of collagen, a central component of tendons and other non-muscle soft tissue. Bioflavonoids aid in blocking the same enzyme pathways in the inflammatory response as non-steroidal drugs. Hesperidin aids in the control of the chemicals (free radicals) which release white blood cells to injured areas and the chemicals directly responsible for pain. MSM, a dietary sulfur, is known for its ability to aid sore muscles and joints. Vitamin E has been shown to aid in the protection of cells from damage caused by free radicals.
Ingredients:
Glucosamine HCL, Brewers Yeast, Ascorbic Acid, Hesperidin, MSM, dl-Alpha-tocopherol Acetate, Creatine, Calcium Ascorbate, Yucca, Sodium Hyaluronate, Corn Starch.

DIRECTIONS:

Recommended Feeding Rate:
Feed 3 tablespoons (approx. 1 ounce) daily for 14 days, then 1-1/2 tablespoons (approx. 1/2 ounce) daily as a maintenance dose. Or as directed by a veterinarian.

Each Ounce Contains (min)

Glucosamine HCL 5000 mg
Vitamin C 5000 mg
Hesperidin 3475 mg
MSM 1765 mg
Creatine 1000 mg
Yucca 800 mg
Vitamin E 875 IU
Sodium Hyaluronate 50 mg
Vitamin B-1 0.8 mg
Vitamin B-2 0.3 mg
Vitamin B-6 3 mg
Vitamin B-12 0.04 mg

[balkis]

ok - I will keep to the CN and switch flavors between the brand.

As for the greenies, I believe that there were some dogs that had gotten them stuck in their throat or digestive tract because they didn't chew them. They changed the formula after this. I currently let my large dogs have only the Petite Flexible greenies. Just wanted to know what your opionion was.

Thanks for the rec. of Aniflex. I want to look at that along with the Bick's product and then decide what to do. My dog Kaila is about 12 years old and last year diagnosed with arthritis in her hips. This year her one hip is starting to cause her some real problems. All my dogs have been on general daily supps (for years) and the Glyco for the last two years but I think I need something better. Once I research the two I think I'll switch them.

thanks.

[ChrisNJudy]

Hi. In response to the greenies question, i dont know all that much about them but I do know that in the past we have had a lot of clients using them that ended up in the animal hospital for the same reasons you mentioned...they would choke on them and they seemed to have problems digesting them. Not to metion most of the people who used them would end up with diarrhea in thier dogs. I havn't heard about them since they changed the formula though, so I cant really speak for them now. I just give our dogs bully sticks to chew on. They are highly digestible and all natural. Plus they do a great job of keeping our dogs teeth clean.

As for the agility Mike was talking about, we give it to our 10 year old pit bull and since using it we've seen a big difference!! He was running with our puppy like he was a puppy himself.

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

Glucosamine without the chrondroitin isnt nearly as effective since they work synergistically together. gycoflex does contain green lipped sea mussles which contains the chondoitin molecule. Not sure what ratio is ideal which is why i just made things easier by using supplements with both in it: glucosamine/chondroiten or glucosamine/green lipped sea muscles.

I have definitely seen differences when switching certain dogs, the supplemets are not all created equal for sure.

I was using prevention plus from www.joshuakennels.com. We were calling it Ghetto powder because it looked so home made the containers it came in and such. But some people swear by it and the ingredient list is good. I was using it for one dog at the kennel (Dawson) who was get the squirts when we gave him the agility tabs. his stomach was real sensitive when i first adopted him from the shelter for a couple months - than he magically became normal and i can give him almost anything now - i discovered it by accident when i gae him the wrong supplements and he was fine. Now i can give him treats and all kinds of stuff he couldnt take before. hey, maybe it was the ghetto powder that cured him?... not out of the question. he always did good on the regular life's abundance food.

[balkis]

Hi there,

Just wanted to mention that I have started Kaila on the Agility (the Aniflex looked good too but harder to give b/c it was in a powder form). She was also to the vet two days because
as I mentioned earlier, her back leg has really started to bother her. He said although she has the arthritis in her hip it's actually her knee that is giving her more of a problem. So we decided to try "ADEQUAN". I have to give her two shots a week for 4 weeks - then one shot a week for 4 weeks and then one shot every other week for 4 weeks and then monthy injections with a re-evaluation. This protocol was not the one dictated by the drug company but actually by a Pain Management specialist my vet knows.

I chose this route over giving her Rimadyl. In addition to the Agility and the Adequan I have her on Duralactin, an anti inflammatory.

Hopefully, this will help her leg feel better and maybe even reverse some of the damage.

If anyone has used the Adequan before I be interested in knowing what the results were.

thanks