Winter can be tough on our hair and skin–and the same thing goes for our dogs! Collagen for dogs can help build healthy coat and skin during this time of year when dry skin is a problem for us all.
And we want our dogs, especially older dogs, to maintain their mobility and joint health, at times when cold temperatures can equal joint stiffness for many.
The answer to each of these concerns just might be collagen. Sure, you’re familiar with collagen from human beauty products–but did you know that collagen is also a key protein for our dog’s health?
This post is sponsored by The Missing Link. All thoughts and opinions are entirely our own–and Tiki and Barli’s!
What is collagen for dogs important?
Collagen is found throughout your dog’s entire body:
- skin
- coat
- tendons
- cartilage
- bones
- joints
- connective tissue in your dog’s lungs, heart and digestion track
In all, collagen makes up about 30% of your dog’s body!
Unfortunately dogs lose their ability to build collagen as they age–but collagen can be replaced.
Collagen Care™ Soft Chews
We recently had the opportunity to try Collagen Care™ soft chews from The Missing Link. (You’ll remember The Missing Link from the USA-made dental chews we reviewed a few months ago!)
Like the name suggests, these small, soft chews are formulated to provide your dog with the collagen he needs while targeting specific issues with one of three special formulas:
- Skin & Coat: Perfect for helping promote a healthy coat and prevent dry skin, these chews are created with Collagen, Omegas, Coconut Oil and Fish oil. If your dog also suffered from shedding or a damaged coat this summer with swimming and outdoor play, this chew is a great choice.
- Hip & Joint: Assist dogs with arthritis and other mobility issues–or help prevent future flexibility issues–with these chews that contain Collagen, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Turmeric. Along with support for age-related joint comfort, these chews also assist with bone strength and joint flexibility, anti-inflammatory support and maintenance of cartilage and connective tissue.
- Calm & Focus: Holidays can be stressful for our dogs and these non-drowsy chews utilize Collagen, Broad Spectrum Hemp, Chamomile, L-theanine & Probiotics to promote relaxation and alertness. Helps soothe holiday stresses (and occasional gastric distress) caused by everything from fireworks to car rides to holiday visitors.
Barli and Collagen Care™
Our winter travel is going to involve numerous visits to the nursing home where John’s relatives reside. Barli and Tiki go with us, and there’s nothing that John’s relatives like better than spending some quality time just petting the dogs.
After a summer of swimming (and swimming…and swimming), Barli’s coat definitely can use a boost provided by Collagen Care™ for Skin and Coat.
Created with non-GMO, natural ingredients in the USA, these chews are formulated with an ingredients list that is comfortingly familiar:
Ground flax seed (source of Omegas), brown rice flour, brewers dried yeast, tapioca starch, vegetable glycerin, sunflower lecithin, arabic gum, marine collagen (fish skin), fish oil concentrate, safflower oil, bacon flavor, guar gum, citric acid, buffered white distilled vinegar, coconut oil, natural vanilla flavor, sunflower oil, rosemary extract.
As you see in the ingredients list, each soft chew is bacon flavored, so it’s easy to get dogs to take the supplement, all with the gusto of enjoying a tasty chew.
For Barli’s size (30 pounds), he needs 2-4 chews daily but this varies with your dog’s weight:
- Up to 25 lbs: 1-2 chews daily
- 26-75 lbs: 2-4 chews daily
- Over 76 lbs: 4-5 chews daily
Tiki and Collagen Care™
The winter months are one of our favorite times to stay active with our dogs. Our mild winters–compared to our super hot summers–are perfect for hikes.
To help keep Tiki mobile, even though she has experienced arthritis in her hips, we are excited to give her Collagen Care™ Targeted hips & joints support, utilizing Collagen, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Turmeric .
Like the skin and coat chews that Barli enjoyed, these are also made with non-GMO, natural ingredients. Again, the list contains easily recognizable ingredients:
Active Ingredients: Glucosamine HCI, Chondroitin Sulfate, Type II Collagen, Flax Seed Powder, Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) Root Powder
Inactive Ingredients: Arabic gum, buffered white distilled vinegar, brown rice flour, coconut oil, citric acid, guar gum, natural bacon flavor, natural vanilla flavor, rosemary extract, sunflower lecithin, sunflower oil, tapioca starch, vegetable glycerin, vegetable oil.
All Tiki knows is that they’re yummy!
For Tiki’s size (75 pounds), she’ll start off with 2-3 chews a day for the first two weeks then will drop to two chews per day. Again, this varies with your dog’s weight:
- Maintenance Dose: Up to 50 lbs: 1 chew daily, Over 50 lbs: 2 chews daily
- Loading Dose (first two weeks): Up to 50 lbs: 1-2 chews daily, Over 50 lbs: 2-3 chews daily
Why We Love These Chews
First, we love Collagen Care™ because Tiki and Barli love Collagen Care! It’s great to have a supplement that the dogs WANT to take.
We also love that these chews are made in the USA with, as we mentioned above, non-GMO, natural ingredients.
Each of the products also has a 100% satisfaction guarantee–or your money back, making it an easy choice.
And these chews can be used in conjunction with The Missing Link’s other superfood supplements for customized nutrition for your dog’s special needs.
A big paws up for Collagen Care!
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