First, I have to start off by saying that I am a firm believer in being proactive with hip and joint health. Since we brought home both of our pups, they have been on glucosamine supplements. In my opinion, they are big dogs who age too quickly and I want to keep them happy, healthy, and active, for as long as possible!
Prior to finding some healthier options at our local healthy pet store, I wasn’t overly impressed with the choices at the big box stores. It just seems kind of contrary to me that we would go grain free in their food, but chock their supplements full of grains, soy, etc. I finally found an option that I felt better about using and have been doing so for the last couple of years. The brand that I have been using offered various levels of support from Level 1-Level 3, based on the severity of the hip/joint concerns. I had Charlie (our pup) on Level 1 and Harley (8) on Level 2. I was satisfied, but not fully, so you can imagine how happy I was to learn about another option in healthy pet care, Pet Naturals of Vermont Hip + Joint Chews.
Pet Naturals of Vermont offers a wide variety of natural treats, supplements, and health related items and they were kind enough to send us some of their Hip + Joint Chews for review!
Click here to shop Pet Naturals of Vermont on Amazon!
Below, find the low down on these treats and what I (and the boys) thought of them.
Hip & Joint Chews Review
Appearance and Packaging
The packaging is eye catching and professional. Despite being in a pouch and not a hard container like most other supplements, there were no partial pieces; which is great since I know the boys are getting the right amount each time. Aesthetically, they are adorable and are shaped like little dog bones.
Bone shaped Chews!
Ingredient Breakdown
I chose to compare the ingredients and cost of three different Glucosamine supplements for this review: Big Box Store, Healthy Pet Store, and Pet Naturals.
• Big Box: Glucosamine 500mg, Chondroitin 200 mg, MSM 50mg (~$35.00/300)
• Healthy Pet: Glucosamine 550mg, MSM 400 mg ($26.99/120)
• Pet Naturals (1 chew): Glucosamine 375mg, MSM 200 mg, Chondroitin 200mg ($12/45)
Value
I think the takeaway from buying pet products in most cases is that you get what you pay for. The quality of the ingredients is significantly better in the Pet Naturals of Vermont product. Though there are still some soy/grain products, I know of no better options out there. The only issue that I run into is the price difference. We were sent the Medium/Large dog variety to test, and I had to give the boys 2 tablets/2x day/dog (in our case 1 pouch would last roughly 6 days). My second best option shown from the Healthy Pet Store is for a 30 day supply.
This was initially concerning to me until I found out that Pet Naturals of Vermont also offer an XL variety which comes in a pack of 60 and would only require 2 tablets/day/dog for us. This would last us 15 days, and at the same price as the Medium and Large variety that we tried, this puts them right in line with our current tablets. Better ingredients at the same price? Sounds good to me!
Flavor
This probably seems like a weird thing to have listed here, but after testing the products out, I knew I needed to add this category. The big box brand smells like chalk and leaves a residue on your hand. My healthy brand smells less medicinal and has a mild tart cherry smell and leaves no residue. My boys are totally willing to eat both – well because they are dogs. Pet Naturals far surpasses the competition in this category. Pet Naturals of Vermont has a smell the dogs and cats go crazy over!!! The pups think they are getting a treat every time and the allspice smell is pleasant for humans too. What is even crazier is how we have had to keep them away from our cats who go into a frenzy every time we open the bag! Picture this: Cat running around the house with freshly swiped bone shaped glucosamine chews, humans in hot pursuit….oh cats.
Maxwell (the cat) trying to get in on the glucosamine action!
Why MyDogLikes Pet Naturals of Vermont’s Hip & Joint Chews
Overall, I think this product is great for someone who is mindful of what goes into their dog’s body. Though there are still some ingredients that I’m not totally in love with, it is definitely the best option I have come across on the market. In addition, if you have a picky eater, I think these could overcome the barrier of getting them to take “medicine”. I would highly recommend Pet Naturals of Vermont Hip + Joint Chews but make sure you choose properly for your dog size for the best value!
Click here to pick up some of these Hip & Joint Chews on Amazon!
Looks like a pretty good product. We’ll have go check it out. I have a shih tzu that was born with hip dysplasia and a corgi, who are often prone to back and hip issues. We’ve been able to mitigate a lot of issues by feeding them a high quality food and keeping them at a proper weight but we’ve decided recently to also find glucosamine supplements for them.