It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s… just your cat flying across the room.

Cats love to run, jump, leap, spin, and move in almost every way possible. The average house cat can jump five times its own height.  Cats have strong back legs and are extremely flexible, which makes them very agile and active. Unfortunately, there are a few things that can slow these fast felines down, including injuries and old age.

When a cat has an accident, injury, is overweight, or is old, he can experience joint problems. Usually, these joint problems are caused by arthritis that has developed. Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes inflammation in the joints. Some signs your cat has arthritis or joint issues include: stiffness, limited movement, trouble getting up or laying down, trouble climbing stairs, trouble jumping, and joint swelling. Cats can also experience joint issues from infections or an autoimmune disorder.

Although dogs are commonly known to develop arthritis, your feline friend is not immune to this disease, either. In cats, joint problems, including arthritis, progress slowly, so it isn’t always easy to catch pain and problems from the beginning. If your cat is slowing down or his behavior in movement changes, don’t ignore it! It’s best to talk to your vet about any change in your cat’s mobility to make sure his joints are doing OK. Unlike humans, cats can’t express to you when they have aches and pains!

So, what can you do to help your cat feel better?  There are a few things you can do!

• Bring your cat in for regular vet checkups. He or she will be able identify early signs and symptoms of joint issues.
• Manage your cat’s diet to make sure they stay in a healthy weight range. Excessive weight puts pressure on the joints.
• Use anti-inflammatory medications for the cat to manage symptoms prescribed by your vet.
• Opt for surgery if the joints are a serious, advance case of arthritis or other joint disease.
• Give your pet a joint supplement per your vet’s OK to do so. Ark Naturals sells Joint Rescue Super Strength Chewable joint supplements that offer support for cartilage and joint function. This product contains glucosamine, herbs, and botanicals that provide comfort to your cat with stiffness, and age-related mobility issues. Ark Naturals also sells Sea Mobility Joint Rescue, which are soft chews that contain glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin and seas cumber; these chews help with mobility and flexibility for pets with active lifestyles or age-related joint issues.

Many house cats can easily live into their teens and early 20s, so joint problems aren’t always preventable. Also, accidents happen, and knowing how to treat your cat’s joint issues is important, so they don’t get worse. If you pay attention to your cat’s mobility and bring him in for regular vet checkups, you’ll be able to catch any early symptoms of joint issues.

At Ark Naturals, we take pride in creating products that promote pet health so they can live longer, healthier and happier lives. Click here to view and purchase all our joint products for cats. For other wellness cat products, click here.

By nature, dogs are omnivores; this means dogs eat both animal and plant based foods. A dog’s body has the capability of transforming certain amino acids into others, which means a dog will be able to obtain all the essential amino acids for his diet without having any meat at all. However, since they are omnivores by design, dogs tend lead healthier and longer lives on a meat-filled diet.

Is it healthier for a dog to be meat-free? There is no real answer to this, yet, but, there are dogs out there with food allergies, and meats are no exception. Studies have shown that between 10 to 20 percent of all dogs have some type of meat intolerance.

If you’re dog suffers from a food allergy, then it makes sense for your dog to be on a meat-free diet. When a dog has an allergy to food, he may begin to have ear inflammation, bite his paws, obsess over licking, break out in a rash or hives, have nausea or diarrhea, vomit, pass gas often, and his coat may not look well anymore.  If you bring your dog to the vet, he or she will be able to put your dog on an elimination diet.

If it turns out your dog has an allergy to all meat (or even just one or two), it’s in your best interest to seek out vegetarian or vegan dog food options, so his stomach no longer is aggravated. However, there aren’t a whole lot of dog supplements out there that are meat-free. Just recently, Ark Naturals released a joint product that can help with both your dog’s joint issues and diet sensitives and allergies. Although they do sell this product in meat flavors, they now offer Sea Mobility Joint Rescue soft chewables in sweet potato and cranberry flavors.

Overall, most vets would recommend and prefer that dogs eat a meat-based diet, but if your dog suffers from an allergy, he can still live a good life on a plant-based diet.

Ark Naturals’ mission is to offer the most complete, scientifically-formulated and healthy products for people’s pets. If you’re interested in Ark Natural’s meat-free joint product, click the link.  Ark Naturals also offers a variety of other remedy, wellness products. To browse the dog-health products, click the Dog Supplements page.

As they get older, most dogs experience joint pain. If you’re dog hasn’t been his happy self lately, this could be a cause. Dogs spend their lives running, and jumping, so it’s clear their joints take a pounding. Unfortunately, some dogs’ joints just can’t take the stress anymore, and the dog begins to experience stiffness, joint pain and discomfort. Often, this discomfort can turn into a form of a degenerative joint disease, muscle atrophy, even osteoarthritis.

The dogs are experiencing this pain because the cartilage in their joints is thinning, and the cartilage cells die off, which results in inflammation in the joint and excessive fluid. As the owner, you’ll be able to notice changes in your dog’s habits and behaviors due to joint issues. Activities such as walking, running, jumping and even lying down become slowed down and appear to be a “chore” to the dog. The stairs may seem impossible for him to tackle or hopping in the car becomes tricky. As the issues worsen, you may notice your dog holding his limbs up.

If you have a bigger and heavier breed of dog, there will be a higher chance for joint issues, as well. One example: Rottweilers are prone to having ankle and knee problems.

When your dog is experiencing joint pain, there are a few treatment options you can choose from; however, you should make an appointment first with your veterinarian so he or she can determine the exact cause of your dog’s pain and the severity of the issue.

After meeting with the vet, he or she will suggest either surgical or non-surgical options based on your dog’s symptoms. Some dogs may just be put on a strict diet to lose weight (ease pressure on the joints) while others may need physical therapy, or a full joint replacement.

Often, the vet will suggest a diet or supplements that can help decrease inflammation in the joints.  Gray Muzzle sells Old Dogs! Happy Joints!, which is a “senior friendly” bite-size soft chewable. This chew helps dogs with mobility, flexibility and discomfort because it’s made from ingredients like glucosamine and chondroitin, which decrease inflammation. Ark Naturals also sells Sea Mobility Joint Rescue, which are soft chews (meat and meat-free flavors) that help with mobility and flexibility; these chews are good for dogs with active lifestyles and any age-related mobility issues. They also contain the inflammatory-fighting ingredients glucosamine and chondroitin.

Come up with a plan with your vet on what treatment is best for your dog, as well as what activities he should or shouldn’t do currently. For preventative care and ongoing joint maintenance, vets recommend you keep your dog at a healthy weight and in good condition; dog chews, like mentioned above can also keep inflammation from flaring up.

Make sure to get your dog’s joints checked regularly at his yearly vet appointments. If you’re looking to purchase Gray Muzzle or Ark Naturals joint products, click the links. Click the Dog Wellness Products page for other products.