One of the most important proteins in your dog’s body is collagen. It’s needed for healthy joints, bones, and muscles. Learn more about collagen, six reasons your dog needs it, and the one easy way to include more of it in your pup’s diet!
Collagen is a protein that the body uses to create connective tissues found in the skin, bones, muscles, and more. Your dog’s body naturally produces collagen. However, as they get older, production slows down. When this happens, your pup needs to get more of it from their diet. And luckily, there are high-quality supplements available that are tasty and easy to incorporate into your daily routine! Here are six things your dog needs collagen for.
1. Joint Health
Cartilage is a shock absorber between the joints. Collagen keeps it flexible and able to resist compression. That means the joints also need collagen to function properly. There’s little evidence that collagen can reduce the pain associated with arthritis, but it does support healthy joints.
2. Strong Bones
You know that calcium is critical for strong bones, but did you know that collagen is too? It helps make up the connective tissue that forms bones. In other words, your dog needs collagen to have strong, healthy bones. As dogs age, a lack of collagen may lead to a loss in bone mass. This can increase the chances of an injury, and a broken bone can cause mobility issues.
3. Strong Muscles
Just as collagen is an important component in bones, so too does the body need it to build and maintain strong muscles. As such, adding collagen to your dog’s diet can help promote healthy muscle mass when they get older.
4. Mobility
Because collagen is needed to build and support bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and joints, it’s also crucial for mobility. You may need to supplement your dog’s diet with collagen as they age to make sure their hips and joints have the support they need.
5. Support for the Skin
Collagen helps promote the growth of new skin cells. It also helps keep skin strong, hydrated, and elastic. What’s more, collagen may also help the body to create other proteins that are important for skin health.
6. Organ Health
Remember how the body uses collagen to create cartilage that protects the joints? Well, it also uses collagen to create a protective covering for the organs!
The Simple Way to Add Collagen to Your Dog’s Diet
Bone broth, soy, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy are all dietary sources of collagen. But there’s an easier way to get more collagen into your dog’s diet: supplements. PointPet’s Hip & Joint + Collagen is made with premium ingredients like bovine collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, turmeric, and MSM. Made without corn, soy, wheat, or artificial flavors, these delicious, natural chews support hip and joint health for dogs of all sizes and breeds.
Visit PointPet today to learn more about Hip & Joint + Collagen and other great natural supplements!
Source: Animal Wellness Magazine