I have been using vita flex, flex free maximum strength joint support formula for over 15 years on my dogs, which has worked wonderfully. I cannot seem to find it anymore, do you have any other suggestions? JP, Wyoming
Dear JP,
We carry Vita-Flex Flex Free® Maximum Strength Formula on our equine side—is that what you mean? It’s their “super-concentrated economical alternative to Flex Free Original Formula requiring only half as much.” That is, a 1000 pound horse only requires ½ a scoop (0.08 ounces or about 4 grams) once daily for joint maintenance.
In my opinion, that’s waaaay too concentrated for a dog and, even though the active ingredient in the product (Chondroitin) appears to be safe, I recommend you explore some of the newer products out there formulated specifically for joint health in dogs. In addition to Chondroitin, you’ll see Glucosamine, Hyaluronic Acid (HA), omega 3 fatty acids, MSM, and herbs such as Boswellia and Bromelain. Various combinations of these ingredients have been blended into tasty chew tabs that make proper dosing a cinch. Now you just have to experiment and see which combination of ingredients helps your dogs the most!
To help you do this, we have a cool feature on our website called Comparison Charts. You can compare the form of each product (powder, capsule, gel, tablet), the serving size for a 50lb dog, and the mg amounts of each active ingredient.
However, that still leaves a lot of products to look through, so I’ll go ahead and tell you that our most popular products are the Cosequin line by Nutramax and the Glyco-Flex line by Vetri-Science. I hope you find something you and your dogs love!
Lydia Gray, DVM MA, is the Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak. Prior to joining SmartPak, Dr. Gray served as the first-ever Director of Owner Education for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. She has authored numerous articles in publications such as The Horse, Horse Illustrated, Western Horseman and a variety of veterinary journals and magazines. Dr. Gray is also a frequent speaker at horse expos, veterinary conventions and other events. After graduating with honors from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and receiving her Master's Degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, she practiced at the Tremont Veterinary Clinic for several years. Dr. Gray is active in the American Veterinary Medical Association and Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association. She enjoys training and showing her Trakehner, Newman, in both combined driving and dressage, and is a USDF “L” Program Graduate (with distinction). Find Dr. Gray on Google+
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Gee wlilierks, that’s such a great post!