# Joint supplement



## jscharling (Jul 10, 2014)

Can anyone recommend a joint supplement for my wether? As a kid he dislocated a hip. When it happened he was sedated by a veterinarian and the hip was put back in but he still favors it and I'm pretty sure there was permanent damage to his hip joint and he will or may already have arthritis. However, he is a very active happy boy and I wanted to do the best I can to make him comfortable as he gets older. I was thinking a glucosamine with MSM in it but I am unsure what brand and dose would be good for him. He is about a 60lb Nigerian Dwarf. Any suggestions?

Thanks!


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I've been reading lately about the joint health benefits of turmeric. My 9mo old Pyrenees mix is having a hip issue. Vet thinks he'll grow out of it and he's on meds now. But I've been looking at alternative therapies for long term. Google turmeric, there's lots of info


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Any horse joint med can be used on goats.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Yes, I use this one on my older goat gal:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BAC5CI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00


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## jscharling (Jul 10, 2014)

Dayna said:


> Yes, I use this one on my older goat gal:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BAC5CI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00


Thanks! Is there a dose on the package? Or do you have a suggested dose?


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

For my saanen I dosed her at half a scoop daily for 4 weeks then dropped down to 1/4 scoop. She weighs roughly three times your ND. So I would do

1/4 scoop for 2-4 weeks and then I would drop it down to 1/8 scoop. You can measure it out probably with a teaspoon type measuring for that.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I've had an old wether on Cosequin ASU for 3 1/2 years now. It really added years to his life and quality to those years. He went from lame at a walk and no trotting to being able to run and jump in the truck bed again. He's almost 14 now and no longer jumps in the truck (unfortunately it can't cure old age), but it really extended his working life and is making him a lot more comfortable now that he's mostly retired. 

The Cosequin comes with a 20cc scoop, but I replaced it with a 5cc scoop so I don't have to estimate. I started him out with 10cc/day and then cut back after a couple of months. He's now on about 4cc/day. The big jar lasts well over a year at that rate. My goat is 200 lbs., so a smaller goat should need even less. 

A word of caution about feeding sulfate-based supplements: they can block absorption of other minerals. I found that out this past summer when I noticed his pasterns were starting to break down and the black parts of his coat had an orangey look. I copper bolused him twice without result and then started looking into why he was showing signs of copper and selenium deficiency when he absolutely should not have been (we live in a very high selenium area--I should NOT have a selenium deficient goat!). Turns out that Cosequin contains a lot of sulfates, which block selenium and copper absorption. Calcium, on the other hand, aids absorption, and since we live in a moderately calcium deficient area, I realized I needed to supplement him with more alfalfa pellets than he was getting. Unfortunately, by the time I figured out what was going wrong it was too late to fix his pasterns. Once they drop there's no going back. But I corrected the problem before they broke down completely and he's not lame. So if you feed Cosequin, make sure your goats are getting an extra amount of calcium in their feed to help them absorb their minerals. Also try to steer clear of sulfate-based mineral mixes since that will compound the absorption problem.


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