Hi all,

I have a 4 month old little girl named Sadie. I am currently feeding her Wellness puppy formula and will be changing her to the large breed adult soon. My question is in regards to supplements. I heard Omega 3 is beneficial for puppies. Sadie has a soft but dull coat so I am hoping the Omega 3 supplement in her food once a day will help with this. Also, I may just be a worried mommy but I'm scared of Sadie developing hip dysplasia. Does anyone know if a Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement can be used as a preventative measure against dysplasia? Or should this be used only when she is older? I don't want to overload her with supplements as she is just a puppy but I also know their short-life span and history of problems, I want to do everything possible for Sadie to life a long, healthy and happy life This is my first Berner and I have fallen in love with the breed and Sadie. Any tips/comments/experience is greatly appreciated!

This is only my experience, so do your own research too! I have 3 Berners, one who has genetic OCD (osteochondritis dessicans) troubles (similar to arthritis) in her elbows. This condition has not overly troubled her so far (she is now 4 1/2) though we cannot take her on long walks or hikes for over an hour or so. In contrast, our other Berners could hike mountain trails all day long. Every day, we give our dogs a combination of omega 3 fish oils and glucosomine w/MSM and chondroitin. We give them a total of 4 of the oils and 2 glucosomine via twice daily doses with their 2 meals. Also, we feed them a super high quality dog food and do not ever over-feed them so they are not overweight. For the Berner we have with the OCD, it seems to us that the supplement regime has helped her and our vet does not dispute this. She also gets monthly cartrophen shots, but she has had 2 surgeries to repair torn ACL joints in her knees and we only started the cartrophen after the surgeries, whereas we did the supplementing all along. We started the supplements due to a friend who had a very old Boxer who had had this regime from an early age when he's been diagnosed with joint troubles - once we knew we had a dog with joint issues, we wanted to do as much as possible for her to avoid surgeries and medications. The other Berners we have who don't have genetic issues, are supremely healthy and if anything, the supplemental oils are making their coats super shiny, so I feel OK about giving them supplements when they don't have any conditions that require them.

Omega 3 is great at preventing heart diseases. Glucosamine is more on preventing arthritis and other bone or joint diseases.

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Bernese Mountain dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.

Have a read of this it may help.

Hip Dysplasia In Dogs - Canine Hip Dysplasia Guide - Info On Dog Hip Dysplasia

Omega 3 supplements will definitely help Sadie. It'll keep her heart healthy besides helping with a shinier coat. About preventive treatment for hip dysplasia, wouldn't it be best to consult your vet about this?

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We have given our pup fish oil pills since she was little, and just started on Glucosamine/Chondroitin to help with her hips/knees.

I'm convinced the fish oil pills contributed to her soft shiny coat. It's not like any other Berner I've seen, everyone is always asking if she was just groomed.

I can recommend that both fish oil (not to be confused with broader omega 3s) and joint supplements are highly beneficial.

I believe that every large breed dog should be on these and need all the joint support they can get.

First, keep in mind that dogs do not "develop" dysplasia....this is genetic but certainly diet and exercise impact how it is expressed (and how severely). If your dog is dysplastic however, he was born with this.

Glucosamine is highly beneficial to retaining joint cartiledge, so the earlier you start it the better. Chondroitin with this has been shown to help even more.

With this you will want to also provide a joint "lubricant" - Glucosamine retains cartiledge but does not provide added synovial fluid or joint lubrication. Good lubricants are hyaluronic acid and celadrin (Natural Factors makes a good celadrin).

With fish oils, focus on the level of DHA and EPA - these are what matters as an anti-inflammatory, as well as cancer preventative. A 100 lb Berner should get 1500 mg of DHA per day and even more EPA and puppies can be started on it after 8 weeks of age. Always be sure it is a wild deep water fish source, and pharmaceutical quality to ensure purity and no heavy metals (Natural Factors and Carlson are good brands)

Always stop fish oil supplementation before any surgical procedure requiring anesthesia - it is blood thinning and a good precaution.