Are there any supplements that we can give our senior dogs that will help to prevent further muscle wasting as they continue to age?

This is the "senior cocktail" I gave old guy had whio had laryngeal paralysis every morning. The cocktail was a combo of anti-inflammatories and stuff to help slow the muscle waisting.
ARTHRISOOTHE (horse formula with dose adjusted for weight)

MSM (1,000 mg)

CHOLODIN (2 tablets)

BIOTIN (5,000 mcg)

VITAMIN B COMPLEX (1 tablet)

I also fed him a 50/50 mix of adult and puppy food for the last couple years of his life. My vet was on board with all of this.

I find it interesting that you were feeding 1/2 puppy food to your senior. I recently switched my 10 y/o from senior to proplan preformance. It's been a month and she just looks better to me. I bit more weight. I haven't switched my 12 y/o yet, now am thinking of 1/2 preformance and 1/2 proplan senior.

Anyone else doing this?

Try a supplement with Creatine in it as well. It helps build muscle.
I also keep my dogs on a high protien food throughout their lives, mine get Orijen and thrive on it, but any good food with a good protien /fat ratio will do, they actually need more high quality, easily digestable protien with less grains/grain fractions.


It's the digesting of the other stuff, the protien from grains and grain by-products that is hard on the kidneys in seniors. The key is the easy digestion,,think meat based(beef,lamb, chicken, fish, egg) versus grain based proteins. If you knew about how hard the kidneys have to work on digesting the proteins from grains then you will understand why a food that has very little of them is better for seniors.

Agree... my oldsters have always been fed what everyone else gets... You just monitor intake as to the amt. of exercise they get... They need to maintain a high quality protein and fat content~ I was feeding 30/20 Euk for years and then switched to Blue Buffalo Wilderness which is a higher protein content food and way better quality. And the fat is lower % wise but it's complex carbs and not simple as Euk was...

Tweedledum Brookland Savoy ate Purina Pro Plan Puppy for his entire life. At 12 years his seamen was certified at 85%!!! Brooklands Hampshire Bucky also ate PP Puppy his whole life and lived til 15 years old.

I have fed PP Puppy to my oldies for years. They just never seemed to do well on Adult as they aged.

Thank you for your nice reply. I do come to this forum to learn. It's great to be treated so well too.

Precautions:

Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.

Side effects of creatine include weight gain, muscle cramps, muscle strains and pulls, stomach upset, diarrhea, dizziness, high blood pressure, liver dysfunction, and kidney damage. Most studies have found no significant side effects at the doses used for up to 6 months.

Rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) and sudden kidney failure was reported in one case involving an athlete taking more than 10 grams daily of creatine for 6 weeks. People with kidney disease, high blood pressure, or liver disease should not take creatine.

Taking creatine supplements may stop the body from making its own natural stores, although researchers don' t know what the long-term effects are. The Food & Drug Administration recommends talking to your health care provider before starting to take creatine.

There have been reports of contaminated creatine supplements. Be sure to buy products made by established companies with good reputations.

Some doctors think creatine may cause an irregular heartbeat or a skin condition called purpuric dermatosis in some people, but more research is needed to know for sure.
Possible Interactions:

If you are being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use creatine without first talking to your health care provider.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- Taking creatine with these pain relievers may increase the risk of kidney damage. NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve).

Caffeine -- Caffeine may make it hard for your body to use creatine, and taking creatine and caffeine may increase risk of dehydration. Using creatine, caffeine, and ephedra (now banned in the U.S.) may increase the risk of stroke.

Diuretics (water pills) -- Taking creatine with diuretics may increase the risk of dehydration and kidney damage.

Cimetidine (Tagamet) -- Taking creatine while taking Tagamet may increase the risk of kidney damage.

Drugs that affect the kidneys -- Using creatine along with any medication that affects the kidneys may raise the risk of kidney damage.

Probenicid -- Taking creatine while taking probenecid, a drug used to treat gout, may increase the risk of kidney damage.

Thank you for all the information. It's very educational. I appreciate the time those thook to give me feedback. Thanks!