When you take control of your dog’s weight, you help lower the pain
and swelling associated with dog arthritis. It is the single most
important thing you can do! With weight management, diet and exercise
are the two key components. However losing weight the traditional way
requires a lot of time and effort, so some look miracle fixes.
There
are some vitamin supplements that may function to manage your pet's
weight. None of them are fully effective. The most frequently
administered food supplements appear below:
• DHEA (DeHydroEpiAndrosterone)
• Slentrol
• L-Carnitine
• Green tea extract
• Chromium
• Chitisan and other fat absorbing drugs
DHEA (DeHydroEpiAndrosterone)
DHEA
has no serious negative effects, and it does generate excellent results
in some dogs. When it is effective, DHEA helps to lessen the amount of
fat accumulated in your dog’s system. It also has these additional
results when given in 5-25mg daily doses:
• Promotes muscle development even though its anabolic activity is around 1/50th of traditional anabolic steroids.
• Helps reinforce the immune system and is thought to lower the likelihood of cancer.
• Raises
the benefits of insulin and assists nutrient distribution from the
blood into the body’s cells which promotes weight loss.
Slentrol
This
is a prescription medicine. It traps fats in the intestines, making
your dog feel full and eat less. Research by the manufacturer, Pfizer,
pointed out a 12% weight loss over 4 months without dieting.
Slentrol
is a controversial drug that does not always give good results and
raises some lifestyle issues for dogs. However you may consider using it
in these conditions:
• If you feed your dog doggie snacks.
• Your dog’s metabolism does not foster weight loss.
- Multi-dog households where dogs share common meals.
- Immobile dogs where exercise (at least initially) is just not an option.
L-Carnitine
This
is an amino acid with properties comparable to a vitamin. It promotes
fat metabolism and energy production. Scientific reports reveal that
L-Carnitine assists with weight loss and muscle mass maintenance in some
dogs.
Green Tea Extract
One
of the components of green tea extract is Epigallocatechin gallate (a
type of catechin) that has shown to lessen obesity in mice. It performs
by decreasing energy absorption and increasing fat consumption
(oxidation). Avoid the human variety as it may contain caffeine.
Chromium
Vets disapprove the use of chromium since studies have revealed its inefficacy in weight management.
Chitisan
Chitisan
is produced from shellfish and introduces fiber to the body. It is
believed to bind fats and prevent them from entering the bloodstream,
but its results have not been fully tested. Like Chromium, Chitsan has
fallen out of favor in the last 5 years among vets.
So What is the Miracle Weight Loss Cure?
Unfortunately, there are no instant miracles in terms of weight loss. However, having the right diet, a good amount of exercise, and the use of a weight loss supplement, your pet will experience gradual but persistent weight loss which will lessen the pain and swelling caused by dog arthritis.