I thought I was doing everything right with our elderly family Labrador Slick. She had developed severe arthritis in her old age that resulted in me being almost too embarrassed to take her out for her walks for fear of what other people would think that a dog could look so lame and be owned by a vet!!
I took her for regular physiotherapy including laser therapy and hydrotherapy (even spending a fortune the one session where she had a poo in the hydrotherapy tank and it could not be used for the rest of the day so I had to pay!!)....but we adored her and I'd do ANYTHING to help her!
But even with these weekly hydro and physio sessions, I never felt that I was doing enough for her!
All I knew as a vet then was to treat arthritis with drugs. Slick was on a cocktail of Previcox tablets (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory to control the pain), along with gabapentin that can be used in dogs and acts by providing pain relief along the neural pathways. Unfortunately it also made her very incontinent and sleepy - I remember coming down one morning and finding her like this in her basket where as a normally very clean dog, she had soiled her basket....you can imagine, I thought the worst at first!!!
I tried her for months on Metacam (or Loxicom) that lined the shelves of the vet practice I worked for at the time. This particular vet practice in Nottingham that I worked at was bought out by a corporate and how they make their profits to line the pockets of their shareholders; is by owning many practices, buying Loxicom in huge amounts and selling as much of it as possible with a hefty price increase (read more about the pricing of drugs in veterinary practices in this article Thank goodness Ted is off Apoquel).I have SO many regrets about how a treated Slick's arthritis and I SO wish I knew what I now know about nutrition and the correct supplements to use - I would have dealt with her arthritis SO differently!
Why did we add Boswellia to Gold Dust?
“I gave Ruby some Boswellia that I had in the cupboard for me and I am amazed that she stood up and walked today for the first time in a long time” - Annie with 19 year old Cockapoo Ruby
What is so unique about Omega 3 Daily for dog's joints?
What else is so unique about Omega 3 Daily for dog's joints?
Omega 3 Daily Algae oil is the only supplement in the world to contain the addition of Astaxanthin - a potent antioxidant that comes from bright pink microalgae that krill eat to make them pink, and then fish or falmingoes eat the krill too to make them pink!
Not saying your dog will go pink, but they will get these amazing benefits of Astaxanthin as shown below:
To provide an antioxidant that is pure and effective in the Omega 3 Daily provides not only the strong flavour of Omega 3 that dogs love (mildly fishy and definitely umami - tastes like the ocean!!!); but also provides the most effective way to reduce inflammation and fight free radicals and dead cells in the joint with a natural potent antioxidant.
There is only 1 product in the human space on the market for people to benefit from this Astaxanthin too - Bare Biology.....but SPOILER ALERT - our Omega 3 Daily is human grade and can be taken daily by us too (if you can stomach the taste).
As a family, we drink it everyday in the morning as small 'shots' made with grated fresh ginger, beetroot juice, apple, lime juice and Omega 3 Daily blended - it actually tastes really nice!
The most environmentally damaging food that you can feed to your dog, is ANY pet food or supplement containing krill oil! Illegal krill fishing takes place in the Antarctic that is added to pet food (!) and it is illegal as the krill feeds the small fish, which feed the larger fish and penguins and they are close to extinction....as are whales that also feast on krill.
Listen to podcast with the inspiring Brad talking about illegal fishing and the effect on our environment:
Would I have given Librela to Slick?
Librela is an injection of a drug called a monoclonal antibody that is very specific to dogs only and binds to the nerve growth factor to reduce pain. It is given monthly or every 6 weeks and is shown to be effective for the first 2 treatments, and then loses its efficacy. It is then difficult to stop giving as you are tied in and concerned that if you stop, the pain may return, so easy to keep paying your vet to have Librela injections.
No I would not have started it with Slick, as a very worrying study came out in May 2025 by Farrell et al. who published a case series of 19 dogs with suspected worsening of joint disease following the use of Librela. It does raise concern for the potential for a catastrophic consequence that may be associated with these monoclonal antibodies in dogs.
Most of the results were from vet practices in Scotland in this latest study.
PLEASE READ THIS POST ABOUT COURT CASES BEING BROUGHT AGAINST ZOETIS AND THE SAFETY OF LIBRELA!!
I would definitely have stuck with more natural means of controlling her pain, so what else is now available that looks SO exciting AND is cruelty-free and natural?!
Zooomy Megahyaluronic Acid Joint Care
We've ALL heard about Hyaluronic Acid - whether through Ads for hair products with added Hyaluronic Acid, or skin creams, or even eye solutions for dry eyes - we've all heard about Hyaluronic Acid.
It is a substance made naturally in the body that has the remarkable ability of absorbing liquid to plump the cells. This is why it's so good for skin and limp hair and dry eyes....but just imagine having the cells in your dogs' joints plumped up so that bone does not rub against bone...this provides almost instant pain relief!
Zoooomys liquid has been formulated by vets and we are stocking it as we heard about it through Baxter the Weimaraner's Dad Gareth. Baxter is sensitive to everything and also suffers from arthritis. Unable to give any Gold Dust, his Dad Gareth started him on Zoooomys and was astounded at the result.
As it is 100% vegan, and we only want to stock the best for your dogs, we have it available for any of your dogs in pain needing that extra support. As we also deal with so many dogs with sensitivities to animal proteins, we are thrilled to find a product that they can use.
Apparently 1 in 500 dogs could have digestive issues with Zooomys, so if that is your dog, then just pause the amount given and resume slowly. The same would go for starting your dog with Omega 3 Daily - start slowly and gradually increase the amount.
We are SO thrilled to be able to stock products for your dog with arthritic pain that are ethical, natural AND effective!
"I have already seen an improvement in him. He is walking for longer again now, and was zooming in the park so much last week, another dog owner asked me what I give him!" - Beth and Marx - more about Marx here
