The Fan Hitch is the official publication of theInuit Sled Dog International. It is published four times a year. 
 

Editor-in-Chief : Sue Hamilton
Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
Print Version Publisher: Geneviève Montcombrouxfor Whippoorwill Press

The Fan Hitch is available as a print subscription:in Canada $12.00 Cdn, in USA $7.00 US, elsewhere $18.00 US per year, postageincluded.  Send requests, with checks payable to "ISDI", to WhippoorwillPress, Geneviève Montcombroux, P.O.Box 206, Inwood, Manitoba, R0C1P0, Canada. Single copy issues and back issues (if not sold out) are available.Contact Whippoorwill Press for details.

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There are a lot of joint health preparations for dogs on the markettoday. From liquids to solids, granular to chewable tablets to even weebone-shaped "treats", these are for the most part made up of various concentrationsof collagen-mucopolysaccharide complex (from shark cartilage), glucosaminesulfate, perna mussel, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), along with variousadditives such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and bromelain (designed tohydrolyze protein and aid in the absorption of the other nutrients). Withthis variety of ingredients, their varying concentrations and dosages (loadingdoses then maintenance rates), it is a challenge to figure out which onewould be best for our dogs, as well as how to assess the cost per effectivedose for these products, some of which come with a "fancy" prices. Noneof these items are considered "drugs". Rather they are referred to nutraceuticals- dietary supplements. Until recently their effectiveness was questioned,and I'm not sure if there is hundred percent agreement by veterinary professionalsthat they are equally effective or how they work. But, it is generallyagreed that they do no harm, and as the old saying goes  "the proofof the pudding is in the eating". There are many users who swear by whatthey observe to work for their dogs.

I will confess that, coming from a medical science background, I hadalways been skeptical of all this non-medical treatment hocus-pocus. Thatbegan to change with my successful acupuncture treatments of a chronicallypainful knee. But it took a real leap of faith to accept that hydroponicallygrown wheat sprouts could, in just two weeks, relieve my dogs’ osteoarthritispain. Well, the company's claim turned out not to be true - improvementwas noticed in about seven days, not fourteen! That was fifteen years agoand I have never been without Biovet International's Dismutase (super oxidedismutase, a free-radical scavenger; free radicals cause inflammation)in my dog-pantry since. Often the results have been astonishing.

We even tried it on a dog we had bred, sold and then boarded when hewas thirteen years old, while his owner recovered from a "valve job". Notonly was this dog arthritic, but he had the misfortune to have been struckby lightening and the good fortune to have survived. He moved real weirdin the front. And the back end wasn't following particularly well, either.A week after a loading dose of six tablets daily (the dog weighed aboutseventy-five pounds), this old timer was running around the backyard, flirtingwith the bitches and jumping onto and down from the top of his doghousewith grace and alacrity! That was in the Fall. The following Spring whenit was time to go back [to his other] home, the owner barely recognizedhis dog based on his agility.

This is only one of many success stories, both in my kennel and elsewherewith owners who have used this product and then reported back to me. Althoughthe manufacturer recommends it for more than just osteoarthritis, that'sbasically why I use it. In fact, if I initiate the Dismutase for a lamedog and it does not work, follow up veterinary care has shown another causeof the problem.

One advantage to Biovet International's Dismutase is the rapid responsetime (unlike some glucosamine products that may take up to six weeks toshow improvement). And despite what is recommended on the bottle, I havehad success giving the tablets with the regular meal and not thirty minutesbefore feeding. Also, I have had success with half the loading and maintenancedoses than those currently recommended by the manufacturer: for a sixtyto eighty pound dog, six tablets once daily until improvement is noticed(usually in about seven days) and then three tablets daily thereafter.More tablets can be given if necessary. The retail single bottle priceof 500 tablets (also comes in 200s as well as in granular form and chewable)is about $65.95 U.S.  Some resellers may charge less and, dependingwhere you buy in bulk (eight to twelve bottles), you can usually cut adeal for considerable savings. For more information about the use of BiovetInternational's Dismutase, feel free to contact me (see Editor's/Publisher'sstatement). For free fifty-tablet samples (be sure to ask for two bottlesper dog for an adequate trial) and for where to buy, contact Biovet Internationaldirectly at:

Biotec-Foods.com
5152 Bolsa Ave. Suite 101
Huntington Beach, CA 92649

Ph: (714) 899-3477
Fax: (714) 899-0078
info@biotecfoods.com

Please remember, there are many causes of lameness. This productreview is not intended to bypass or be a substitute for sound veterinaryadvice and a treatment plan based on a professional hands-on examinationof your dog to diagnose the presence of osteoarthritis. 
Got a tip you'd like to share?Email it to qimmiq@snet.net or snail-mail it to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town LineRoad, Harwinton, CT 06791, USA.