Dr. Harvey’s Ortho-Flex Review – Keeping Up With Joint Health

Harley is a big boy. He is also a senior dog, and a breed naturally predisposed to joint issues.

Ever since he was about 3 years old, we have been giving him daily glucosamine and chondroitin supplements to help stave of the appearance of dysplasia or other musculoskeletal ailments. While early in his life, this was more of a precautionary measure, over the years Harley has definitely “stiffened up” and at times now has difficulty getting up off the ground.

It is more important than ever for us to do what we can to keep him active and feeling good for as long as possible. Before we move to more drastic measures like a long term arthritic or pain management medication, we want to explore all the natural options that are available to us.

As regular readers will know, when it comes to natural and holistic pet care we immediately look to one company – Dr. Harvey’s. They have been industry leaders in this space for over 30 years and there is simply no-one we trust more. After all, we are also proud brand ambassadors!

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Harvey’s had a product for us to try that was designed just for this purpose – a joint supplement called Ortho-Flex.

Introducing Dr. Harvey’s Ortho Flex

Over the years, we have tried joint supplements in several different forms from tablets to soft chews – all with varying degrees of success. The tablets are dry and chalky and many dogs are not particularly keen on ingesting them. Hiding them in a treat or food can be a pain (and may not even work!) Chews on the other hand smell and taste great, but typically require 6-8 per day for dogs of our size! Not only does this seem like a lot of “treats”, but at that rate it takes no time at all to make your way through a bag!

Ortho Flex, on the other hand, is different than anything else we have used in the past. It is not just a concoction of chemicals but instead a powdered whole food supplement. This means that it contains everything that a healthy body requires including protein, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

What’s Inside? – Taking a Closer Look at the Ingredients

Ortho-Flex is packed with herbs that have been used to relieve joint pain and stiffness for centuries – all in a base of bee pollen, nutritional yeast, flax seed meal, lecithin and spirulina. There are no artificial ingredients, dyes or preservatives, and just like everything from Dr. Harvey’s, Ortho-Flex is made in America.

Full ingredient list:

“Spirulina, Lecithin, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic, Flax Seed Meal, Alfalfa Leaf, Kelp, Rose Hips, Red Clover Blossoms, Devils Claw, Yucca Root, Feverfew, Skullcap, Sarsaparilla Root, St. John’s Wort, White Willow Bark, Capsicum, Oat Straw, Black Cohosh Root, Licorice Root, Burdock Root, Ginkgo Biloba, Nettle Leaf, Dandelion Root, Queen Of The Meadow, Turmeric, Chondroitin Sulfate”

Want to learn more about the effectiveness of these herbs? Head on over to the Dr. Harvey’s blog for tons of info. You will never come across a company that is more transparent about their ingredients. If it’s inside, there is a reason for it, and they would be happy to tell you why. You can even speak to Dr. Harvey himself!

Our Experience – Dr. Harvey’s Ortho-Flex Review

We have been using Ortho-Flex for about 6 months now, adding it daily to our homemade dog food recipe. Based upon our dogs weight, they require roughly 3 scoops per day, which we split between their morning and evening meals. The powdered form makes it extremely easy to dispense and they even include a small plastic scoop to assure proper measurement. We love the convenience and not having to dirty a new spoon every day!

Ortho-Flex contains ~80 scoops per container, which means we need about 1 can per month per dog. We have found it to be a good value and it is nice to not have to open a new bag every few days.

Ortho-Flex has a mild savory smell when you add to to their food, one that our boys (and a few others that we know that have tried it, seem to enjoy). The fine flakes stick nicely to their food and Harley and Charlie gobble it all up with enthusiasm.

How are They Feeling?

As we have stated many times before, Harley in particular has seen a marked improvement in health since switching to a Dr. Harvey’s based diet. His energy levels have not been this high for many years and he is once again acting more playful and silly. 

Even taking this new normal into account, we have seen further improvement since the addition of Ortho-Flex. Harley’s issues with getting up off the floor, and tackling our backyard stairs have subsided and he seems to move better in general. We used to notice the stiffness and pain after long bouts of exercise the most. For example, after a long walk at the park we used to have to lift Harley into the back of our SUV. These days he is jumping in all by himself! As any pet parent can understand, this is something truly amazing to witness!

We are thankful everyday for learning about and making the switch to Dr. Harvey’s. 

Why MyDogLikes Dr. Harvey’s Ortho-Flex

Ortho-Flex is just one more example of a holistic solution to an issue where we commonly treat the symptoms and not the cause. As dogs (and people) age there is going to be a breakdown in the connective tissue in the joints. Instead of simply treating the associated pain, Ortho-Flex includes herbs which promote the health of the joint and the ability to repair itself. We have gone six months without a glucosamine-chondroitin supplement, and while that would have caused us fear before, we are pleased to report that we have seen a happier, healthier, and more athletic Harley emerge!

This wonderful blend is then made into a powdered form which is easy to measure, and easy to serve. Both Harley and Charlie are thriving with the addition of this joint supplement, and it comes with our highest recommendations!