A Guide to Joint Care Ingredients in Pet Food
Published date: 23 February 2024
Joint care is an essential part of any dog or cats’ diet. Our furry friends put their joints under a lot of stress and strain across their lives.
Certain ingredients can aid in supporting animals’ joints and help prevent issues in the future.
For more information about the benefits of joint care read our article on Why Joint Care is Essential.
So, what are the three joint care ingredients to look out for?
1) Glucosamine
Glucosamine is naturally found within the body of animals. The best way to remember this joint care is to consider it the GLUE.
Glucosamine aids in building and repairing joint cartilage. Much like glue or a builder it knits and repairs stress fractures within joint cartilage, ultimately keeping joints supple and healthy.
It is also important for the creation of critical lubrication, that aids in nourishing the soft tissue network within the joint. This lubrication enables joints to function properly and supports movement.
2) Chondroitin
Chondroitin is also naturally found within the body; it is present within joint cartilage.
This joint care helps with the elasticity and absorbing abilities of cartilage. Essentially chondroitin acts like a car bumper or shock absorber! Providing the cushioning needed to reduce injury and strain during normal activity, such as running, jumping, and walking.
Chondroitin also helps to neutralise destructive enzymes within the joint, aiding in reducing further joint damage in the future.
3) MSM
This joint care essentially acts like a cheerleader! MSM has anti-inflammatory properties, so helps to reduce swelling and make joint movement easier.
MSM also aids the joint supportive actions of Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
To find our if your pets food contains joint care, flip over the bag, and have a look at those ingredients. We include high levels of joint care in all our natural pet foods to ensure we provide the best support to our furry friends.
For more help head over to Pet Food Expert. This unbiased pet food comparison site will give you all the tools to understand diets better.