Pedigree Joint Care

“Glucosamin and Green Lipped Mussel for dogs?” My friend Michael roared with laughter. “Whatever will they come up with next? Beef flavoured canine condoms?”

I should explain that, although Michael is extremely fond of animals and loves my mutt, Woodruffe (Woody for short), he has never had a pet of his own, that is if you discount his two virtual Nintendo puppies. He has, therefore, never experienced the angst a pet owner will suffer when their animals are injured or suffering obvious pain and discomfort. For some years Woody has, on occasions, suffered with stiffness and obvious joint pain and, when it strikes he struggles around with such sad eyes that it is quite upsetting. Therefore, when I came across this product, I was only to happy to give it a try.
_____________________________________

JOINT CARE & JOINT CARE PLUS - THE FACTS!
_______________________________________

I am not sure when this product came on the market but I first noticed a TV advert a couple of months ago. With our experience it grabbed my attention and Woody was sampling them within the week!

Varieties & Sizes
------------------------
There are two separate varieties:-.
- Pedigree Joint Care (regular) for the maintenance of joints in an active healthy dog.
-Pedigree Joint Care Plus (maximum) for less mobile dogs already demonstrating signs of joint stiffness.
Both varieties come in three sizes according to the size of dog – small medium and large

Ingredients
-----------------
Both varieties contain the following
- The green lipped mussel from New Zealand is a rich source of chondroitin, an important component in maintaining healthy joints. (Strangely enough I found the variety designed for human consumption beneficial in easing a recurring shoulder injury).
- Omega3 seems to be the latest and “trendiest” fish oil and fish oils have long been recommended for rheumatic and arthritic conditions.
- Glucosomine if taken regularly has, apparently, been shown to help the body regenerate joint tissue. (It has been prescribed for my mother who finds it eases the arthritis in her fingers.) This product uses a type derived from shrimp shells.
- Various vitamins and minerals chosen for their antioxidant properties

The plus variety is a stronger blend of the above and contains an additional ingredient, Methiodine, an amino acid which supports the body’s own natural processes for dealing with joint stiffness

Presentation
------------------
They come in packs of seven sticks (a week's supply) which are triangular in shape. Each stick is contained in a separate compartment within one strip. Compartments are labelled individually with a day of the week! A little over the top, I thought, and certainly far too much packaging

Price (per pack /7 days)
--------------------------
Large (plus) £3.99
Large regular £2.99
Medium(plus) £3.79
Medium regular £2.79
Small (plus) £3.59
Small regular £2.59

These are the prices quoted at Sainsbury’s Online but they are on a one third off offer until 19th June. Tesco’s Online quote slightly lower prices and they too are offering a reduction of approximately one third until 26th June

The Joint Care website http://www.pedigreejointcare.co.uk/joint​care/index.asp is presently offering a “ six week challenge” ( six weeks being the time in which you should see an improvement). If you register for this, you can print out coupons giving a 25% reduction for six weeks’ supply

Testimonials
------------------
Also included on the official website are some charming little video clips showing the experience of a number of dogs before and after treatment. They are quite impressive.
______________

OUR EXPERIENCE
______________

Woody’s Joint History!
------------------------------
Woody was a rescue puppy of uncertain parentage but he has grown to most closely resemble a black Labrador. When he was six, my son took him for a walk in some woods and, whilst doing one of his mad dashes up and down a steep bank, he injured himself and returned home carrying one of his back legs at an angle seemingly unable to put it to the ground.

The next day, the vet diagnosed a torn cranial cruciate ligament.in his” knee” (Yes my mouth dropped too!) In a small dog pain and inflammation control might be enough to treat this condition but, weighing in at 60 pounds, Woody would need surgery or the joint would deteriorate and be painful.

A few weeks later, my purse was £600 lighter but my dog was once again walking normally after very successful surgery and after care. However the vet warned that arthritis was likely to affect the joint in the future and that, whilst general exercise should be encouraged, extensive exercise should be avoided.

How does one discourage a madcap, like Woody, from making headlong dashes as fast as his legs will carry him as soon as he sees a stretch of beach or countryside and has the freedom to explore it? I can’t keep him on the lead all the time and, although he is quite obedient ,sometimes his exhuberance in wide open spaces makes him deaf!

A few hours after any such excursion, he would be suffering and so would I because he had such difficulty in moving. He is now 11 years of age and demonstrating symptoms of rheumatic/arthritic pain in other joints as well as the injured leg. After sleep, he would seize up completely and drag himself along on his front paws for some distance, seemingly unable to straighten his back legs. Once up, he would hobble around for a good fifteen minutes or so, apparently in quite a lot of pain, before getting back to a state nearer normality but even then still limping on the affected back leg. At these times he also seemed to find it impossible to jump up on the settee or bed ( yes he’s spoilt and allowed to do so when invited!) and having placed his front paws on the surface would have to rely on me giving him a helping hand The effects would wear off after 24 hours or so but while it lasted, it was very distressing to watch.

The Medicine
-------------------
I chose the large plus (maximum dose) variety for two weeks initially on the advised one a day dosage. They were received gratefully but not consumed with the alacrity of his Dentastix or any other treats! Presumably they do not score too highly on the taste test because this dog will eat anything and usually without stopping to savour the flavour!

There was no immediate improvement and, being a little impatient, sceptical and taking into account the expense, I decided to keep trying but to reduce the dose to one every other day alternating with the Dentastix I have reviewed elsewhere.

A Cure?
----------
Woody is now into his fourth week on this dosage (sixth week overall) and I have started to see some improvement in the last ten days or so. He doesn’t have the opportunity to run ragged every day – sometimes we just take a sedate stroll around the block with no ill effects. But on the two or three recent occasions when he has over-exerted himself, he has not seemed to suffer such painful repercussions.

It is certainly no miracle cure. He still seems uncomfortable after these excursions but is seemingly less stiff. Whereas previously he would have completely seized up, he now just moves more slowly and less energetically than normal. He no longer drags himself along on his front legs before standing. and, although he still limps a little on that back leg, he can now jump onto his desired resting place unaided. I am therefore hopeful that this is just the beginning and he will continue improve if I carry on with this reduced dosage
___________

CONCLUSIONS
_____________

The Joint Care range contains ingredients which are of proven effectiveness in alleviating human rheumatic and arthritic conditions. So why shouldn’t they work for dogs? They are quite costly but Woody seems to be benefiting on half the recommended dose and that obviously makes it a more economical proposition.

I am not sure that I would bother to use these for a healthy, active dog. After all, most of us humans would not use such preparations as preventative measures but only to alleviate symptoms and conditions once they have presented. Most dog foods today contain all the vitamins and minerals a healthy dog needs. It is only when dogs start to develop problems that they might benefit from such palliative measures.

I will continue to dose my old dog in the hope that one day he finds such a new lease of life that I will be able to teach him some new tricks!