Dogs love movement, whether it’s a simple walk or a real sport. But when exercise suddenly turns into pain, what should be done?
Dog joint problems belong to the most common diseases of all breeds today. Below we will give you some useful information on what to feed a dog with joint problems.
Here are our 10 best dog foods for joint health.
06 Best Dog Food for Joint Health Reviewed
The following formulas follow AAFCO’s nutrient profile guidelines. Before switching your dog to any new dog food, consult with your veterinarian.
1. Hill’s Prescription Diet j/d Joint Care Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food
Main features –
- Flavor: Chicken
- First 5 Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn, Flaxseed, Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal
- Guaranteed Analysis: 17% Crude Protein, 11% Crude Fat, 12% Crude Fiber, 2% Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Breed Recommendation: All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Dry
Reasons to suggest–
- Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine j / d Joint Care was developed specifically for adult dogs with joint and cartilage disease.
- Thanks to the particularly high percentage of EPA, total omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E, this complete dietetic food supports joint metabolism and is suitable for consumption in case of osteoarthritis.
- Hill’s Prescription Diet j / d Joint Care dry food has been clinically proven to make it easier for cats to jump and play while maintaining cartilage health. The change is visible in 28 days.
- Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate promote cartilage formation and joint mobility. Thus the clinically proven meal contributes to greater mobility.
2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Adult Dry Dog Food, Chicken and Brown Rice
Main features –
- Flavor: Chicken
- First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal
- Guaranteed Analysis: 24% Crude Protein, 14% Crude Fat, 5% Crude Fiber, 10% Moisture
- Breed Recommendation: Medium Breeds, All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Dry
Reasons to suggest–
- Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula with Chicken and Brown Rice offers a solid, nutrient-rich diet for most dogs. It is fully balanced to meet the nutritional needs of adult dogs up to their advanced age.
- The first ingredient is meat, which gives your dog a healthy dose of whole-grain protein. It is rich in antioxidants to keep organs healthy. Easy-to-digest grains such as oatmeal, barley, and rice aid in digestion.
- It is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine, which are essential for healthy skin, hair, and bones.
- Each cup of food contains 378 calories, for a total of 3,627 calories per bag. The Life Protection formula contains 24.0% crude protein, 14.0% fat, and 5.0% crude fiber per serving.
- There are no harmful fillers like corn, wheat, or soy. The LifeSource Bits bonus-Blues brand offers a big extra boost of delicious, nutrient-rich chunks that will improve appetite and overall health.
- This recipe is great for adult dogs but won’t work for all dogs. Some dogs may be allergic to the chicken proteins or grains used in the formula.
3. Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food With Smoked Salmon
Main features –
- Flavor: Smoke-flavored salmon dry dog food
- First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Ocean Fish Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas
- Guaranteed Analysis: 25% Crude Protein, 15% Crude Fat, 3% Crude Fiber, 10% Moisture
- Caloric Content :3,600 kcal/kg, 408 kcal/cup
- Breed Recommendation: Medium Breeds, All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Pellet
Reasons to suggest–
- Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream dry dog food with smoked salmon is a great choice to dog help support bones, joints, and muscles.
- This food is designed with single protein formula with smoked salmon, vegetables, legumes, and fruit in a small kibble format which is easy to chew for puppies so they can enjoy their meal.
- This formula does not contain cereals or gluten which are the main causes of food intolerances in animals.
- Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream dry dog food is Complete quality food with an exquisite flavor suitable for the daily feeding of puppies of any size. its ingredients are selected and provide all the nutrients your puppy needs to grow healthy and strong.
4. VICTOR Realtree – MAX-5 PRO, Dry Dog Food,
Main features –
- Flavor: Beef
- First 5 Ingredients: Beef Meal, Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Menhaden Fish Meal
- Guaranteed Analysis: 30% Crude Protein, 20% Crude Fat, 4% Crude Fiber, 9% Moisture
- Caloric Content :403 kcal/cup
- Breed Recommendation: Medium Breeds, All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Dry
Reasons to suggest–
- VICTOR Realtree MAX-5 PRO Dry Dog Food is a complete budget-friendly dog food that is also a good choice for healthy joint formula.
- This food is designed for a hardworking dog with a multi-protein formula featuring a Beef meal, menhaden fish meal, and duck meal.
- This meal is also contained glucosamine and chondroitin which also helps to support healthy cartilage & reduced hips and joint inflammation.
- This formula also contained both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which play a vital role to protect the heart disease and joint inflammation.
5. ORIJEN Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Main features –
- Flavor: Turkey & Chicken
- First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Giblets (Liver, Heart, Gizzard), Quail, Whole Blue Whiting
- Guaranteed Analysis: 38% Crude Protein, 18% Crude Fat, 4% Crude Fiber, 12% Moisture
- Caloric Content :473 kcal/cup
- Breed Recommendation: Medium Breeds, All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Dry
Reasons to suggest–
- Orijen Small Breed dry dog food is formulated to guarantee Fido a balanced and complete diet.
- Made for 85% with animal proteins (2/3 fresh or raw – 1/3 dehydrated), they contain 5 different types of raw materials: turkey, chicken, wild-caught fish, eggs, and quail.
- The inclusion of eggs, enriched with lutein, supports eye health, the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, properly balanced, keep the skin healthy and the coat shiny, while the presence of New Zealand green mussels supports the immune system of the dog and promotes joint mobility for an active life and healthy aging.
- Great for the most demanding palates, Orijen Small Breed is a food rich in proteins that provides great energy and, thanks to the balanced supply of nutrients, helps the little Fido to maintain their ideal weight.
- The size of the croquettes, specially designed for small dogs, favors chewing.
6. Purina ONE Natural Dry Dog Food, SmartBlend Chicken & Rice Formula
Main features –
- Flavor: Chicken & Rice
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken (Source of Glucosamine), Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal
- Guaranteed Analysis: 26% Crude Protein, 16% Crude Fat, 3% Crude Fiber, 12% Moisture
- Caloric Content :3,993 kcal/kg, 383 kcal/cup
- Breed Recommendation: All Breed Sizes
- Item Form: Blended, Semi-Moist, Kibble, Crunchy
Reasons to suggest–
- First, in our Purina One dog food reviews are their chicken-flavored kibble. This range is part of the company’s natural food brand.
- This food is high in protein, which will provide your dog with a lot of energy. This food contains glucosamine, which will keep your dog’s joints healthy.
- My three Musketeers are by no means, picky eaters. That said, if they don’t like food, they simply won’t eat it. I hesitated to try new foods because of this.
- For these reviews, however, I wanted an expert opinion. This food was very good from a taste point of view, based on what I saw.
- I also like that the main ingredient is chicken. The glucosamine in the product is provided by the included chicken meal. I also like that the food is enriched with vitamins.
- It will work well for dogs with sensitive tummies thanks to the rice content, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s so affordable.
- I’d rather see fewer preservatives and additives. There is also an artificial flavor used here. That said, the ingredient list is much shorter than what you find with many other brands.
How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Your Dog’s Joint Health
Painful joints: hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, and more …
One of the most well-known joint problems in dogs is probably the so-called hip dysplasia which mainly affects large breed dogs, but even the smallest can suffer from it.
Just like elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia is inherited: through genetic testing and strict selection of farm animals, the incidence of the disease can be reduced.
On the contrary, a too sedentary lifestyle or physical activity carried out incorrectly, together with the dog’s overweight and improper nutrition can lead to this type of problem.
What causes dogs to have joint problems?
The intake of excessively caloric foods can lead to accelerated development in the puppy.
The cartilages and ligaments are unable to follow the speed of bone formation, thus not bearing the high weight of the dog, especially if they are large.
Joint disease in dogs can have various causes. Arthrosis itself, which involves the painful disappearance of cartilage in the joints, can arise as a consequence of other joint problems and can be favored by some factors.
So advancing age, being overweight, overworking, chronic arthritis, and injuries can all increase the risk of joint problems.
Feeding a dog with joint problems the right way also means taking into account these factors.
How to Prevent Joint Pain in Your Dog?
Leaving aside genetic predisposition or orthopedic problems, you yourself can prevent some causes of dog joint problems such as being overweight or overexertio.
It is, therefore, worthwhile to carefully check the nutrients of the dog foods that you buy regularly so that your dog does not get hurt while playing, taking appropriate measures, where possible, to avoid joint problems.
The right diet plays a significant role in fighting joint diseases and many other dog diseases.
More tips on how to feed a dog with joint problems
Providing the right food can significantly affect the onset or severity of the joint problem, but unfortunately, it cannot completely eliminate the risk of it arising. In fact, some scientists have found that certain components of food can support joint health.
How to improve dog joint health?
During the first few months of life, when bones and joints are in full development, you need to prevent your dog from over-fatiguing.
Climbing stairs, descending them, high jumps, and walks that are too long or fast fetching games excessively load the joints and can lead to serious consequences later on.
For walks, it is better to prefer meadows, woods, and fields, which are much gentler on the joints than floors or asphalt.
The bed on which he sleeps should ideally be a dog bed in memory foam, comfortable and that takes into account your needs such as the size and any allergies to materials.
An adequate level of physical activity for its development and a diet based on the individual needs of the dog is the key to a long and healthy life for your faithful friend And if the disease has already arisen, with the help of these tips you can help your dog to live healthy despite the disease.
Always consult your veterinarian before giving your dog a diet for dogs with joint problems.
We wish your dog a “good appetite” and good health!
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