About Hyaluronic Acid
Recognizing the signs
― Is your dog is slow getting up
from a resting position? Is your dog having trouble getting in the car or up the stairs?
Is your dog
moving much slower on recent walks? Is your dog sensitive to touch and becoming
aggressive?
Understanding joint anatomy
―
To
understand joint health, one must become familiar with the anatomy of a healthy
functioning joint. Let’s start off with understanding the joint capsule. The
joint capsule is a thick fibrous tissue that connects the bones, provides the
outer layer of the joint and holds the fluid inside the joint cavity. The
muscles serve to support the joint capsule and to provide joint movement. The
tendon is an elastic cord that attaches the muscle to the bone and assist with
movement. The synovial membrane is the inner lining of the joint capsule. It is
highly vascularized and therefore is responsible for carrying nutrients to the
joint and most importantly, producing the synovial fluid. The synovial fluid is
a clear viscous fluid that lubricates the joints. It consists of blood plasma
and Hyaluronic Acid. Without it, joint movement would be limited and articular
cartilage becomes vulnerable. The cartilage covers the ends of the bones and
absorbs most of compression and stress in the joint. Because it is a slippery
material, it allows the joints to move smoothly and easily.
Overall, the parts of the joint have to work together, but the two most
important parts are the synovial fluid which provides the lubrication for the
joint and the cartilage, which absorbs the stress. When these two are damaged,
problems are unavoidable.
|
How veterinarians recognize problems |
-
 First
your vet will evaluate the case history of your dog. As part of this
backgrounding, your vet may ask you several questions about your dog’s care
and activities to determine a potential cause of the joint concern.
- Next your vet will do a physical examination of your dog. This usually
involves palpating the areas of concern. Most vets are very skilled with
their hands and can often feel if a joint is not functioning correctly.
- The vet will inspect your dog at a walk and a run. S/he will
walk them in a straight line watching for abnormalities.
- Your veterinarian may perform a flexion test. This is done by bending
the joint and holding for at least one minute and then released. After the
joint is released, the dog is observed while walking and running. Often
times this will exaggerate the condition and make it more clearly visible
during activity.
- It may be necessary to do a radiographic x-ray exam to get a
visual representation of what might be the cause.
- Your vet may remove by needle some synovial fluid
located in the joint to determine if an infection is present.
|
Deterring health problems
― Older dogs have a variety of health problems due to a number of environmental
stressors, but you can help relieve some of these stresses by:
Avoiding obesity and heavy loads;
Providing your dog with suitable bedding;
Avoiding quick changes in duration or intensity of exercise;
Avoiding hard and unstable ground surfaces; and,
Feeding a diet high in protein and other nutrients. Joints can never repair or
become stronger without proper nutrition. Because joint problems are progressive, acting early can give your dog a
better chance at getting back to their normal activities such as walking and
running. Often times, the joint is far past repair and is quite likely that the
animal will never regain normal movement.
Ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue
Connective tissue is found everywhere in the body. It does much more than
connect body parts; it has many forms and functions. Its major functions include
binding, support, protection, and insulation. One such example of connective
tissue is the cordlike structures that connect muscle to bone (tendons) and bone
to bone (ligaments). In all connective tissue there are three structural
elements. They are ground substance (Hyaluronic Acid), stretchy fibers (collagen
and elastin) and a fundamental cell type. Whereas all other primary tissues in
the body are composed mainly of living cells, connective tissues are composed
largely of a nonliving ground substance, the Hyaluronic Acid, which separates
and cushions the living cells of the connective tissue. The separation and
cushioning allow the tissue to bear weight, withstand great tension and endure
abuses that no other body tissue could. All of this is made possible because of
the presence of the Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and its ability to form the gelatinous ground substance
fluid.
Coat and scalp tissue
The hair follicle that produces that fur that makes your dog so soft, is
actually a derivative of skin tissue. There are two distinctive skin layers,
one, the epidermis (outer layer) which gives rise to the protective shield of
the body and the other, the dermal layer (deep layer) which makes up the bulk of
the skin and is where the hair follicle is located. This dermal layer is
composed of connective tissue and the connective tissue, with its gelatinous
fluid like characteristics provides support, nourishes and hydrates the deep
layers of the scalp. The result is a healthy, shinny and softer coat of fur.
Again, all of this is made possible because of the presence of Hyaluronic Acid
(HA) in the scalp
tissue and its ability to form this fluid and hold water.
HyaFlex for your Dog
HyaFlex is pure liquid high molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in solution for oral
use by your dogs. The HA in the product is one of the purest and highest in molecular
weight. The molecular weight is no less than 2.4 million Dalton’s. HyaFlex Oral
HA helps to support your dog's joint, skin, eye and gum health.
This patented form of HA contains no preservatives, is odorless,
tasteless and colorless.
|
Key features |
- Maintains healthy joint mobility
- Maintains healthy joint flexibility
- Maintains healthy joint function
- Maintains healthy cartilage function
- Ingredients simply normal saline & sodium hyaluronate
|
Frequently asked questions
What does HA do for my dog's joints? The HA in HyaFlex helps to improve joint movement and cushioning. If we compare
the joints of your dog's body to and automobile engine, the joint fluid in their
body mimics the oil in a car engine. At regular intervals we replace the oil in
our car engines because the heat and friction breakdown the oils viscosity. The
oil becomes thinner and less able to protect the metal surfaces from excessive
wear. HyaFlex acts the same way in our joints. As your dog ages, the viscosity
of their joint fluid breaks down and becomes thin and is unable to cushion the
joint cartilage. This leads to increased friction on the cartilage surfaces of
their joints. Taking HyaFlex helps maintain the normal viscosity of joint fluid.
What if my dog doesn't have joint issues? If you are not currently experiencing joint issues then HyaFlex may be used to
provide benefits in the long run. Just as we change the oil in our car to help
stop problems, taking HyaFlex may help your dogs by maintaining proper joint
fluid viscosity. Also, hyaluronic acid production slows down considerably as
dogs age, which accounts in part for the wrinkling of the skin, and the joint
issues, so it makes good sense to compensate with HA.
How do I give HyaFlex to my dog? Just administer the specified amount (shown on side of box) of HyaFlex
to your dog once daily. HyaFlex is odorless and tasteless so your dog won’t even
notice it. Each bottle of HyaFlex contains a 30-60 day supply depending on the
weight of your dog.
Where does the hyaluronic acid in HyaFlex come from? The hyaluronic acid in HyaFlex comes from an extracellular protein produced by
natural fermentation. This product is not derived from any animal source.
Hypersensitivity reactions should not be a concern.
Do doctors and veterinarians use hyaluronic acid? Yes. Hyaluronic
Acid has been directly injected by needle into affected joints.
This has yielded great results by immediately increasing the viscosity of the
joint fluid and restoring proper lubrication and cushioning. More work has been
done in the field of orthopedics, cosmetic and eye surgery.
Because it is an acid, will it burn my or my dog's skin or stomach?
Hyaluronic acid is often called an acid and this is a misnomer. Hyaluronic acid
as a sodium salt (sodium hyaluronate) will have a neutral pH measurement; not an
acidic pH measurement. Because of the water retention capacity of hyaluronic
acid, it is actually a very good moisturizer for the skin and is being used in
many facial cream and body lotions.
|
Directions for use and
storage
Add
one 1ml (a full dropper) one time daily or as recommended per body
weight.
Store at room temperature.
Keep out of reach of children. Do not use if seal is broken. For small animal
oral use only ― not for injection use. To avoid
contamination, use caution when removing the dropper from the bottle
avoiding contact with any surface or other object other than the inside of the
bottle.
PRICE: $29.95. Shipping free in USA only.
|
|
HyaFlex Testimonials
I was contacted a little over a month ago by a man about HyaFlex. I run a
Lab rescue and Club here in Utah, and I was sent 3 samples. I kept one for a
rescued Lab I have that has joint issues, gave one to my sister-in-law who has a
senior Collie with the same concerns, and one to a friend at a shelter who has a
Mastiff also with joint issues. All three dogs have improved significantly,
especially my Lab. He is now able to run and play like my younger boy who is not
afflicted. I will be advertising your product to all my club members, adopters,
and friends! Thank you so much!!!
― Barbi Carrol,
Labrador Retrieve Club and Rescue of Utah
We tried the products on 12 dogs that varied in size from 10 to 86 pounds. 4 out
of 12 dogs showed dramatic levels of jumping ability; 2 out of 12 showed
moderate levels of activity after receiving HyaFlex. Based on this limited
study, I would conclude that in my professional opinion, HyaFlex is a product
that I would recommend to my clients for use in their pets. In fact, I’m afraid
to take my own dogs off HyaFlex!
― William C. Jones
D.V.M.
My buddy, Snickers, is 14 years old, and he was starting to have some trouble
jumping in the car to go for a run, and getting up on the couch for a good
petting. I have been using HyaFlex on his food daily for four years and I
believe this has helped him a lot these last few years. Thanks, HyaFlex, for
putting the spring back in Snicker’s step. His coat seems glossier, too.
― Chuck Shelton
I was recently approached by a company called HyaFlex to test about their
product for older dogs. The compound has hyaluronic acid, the fluid that is in
the joints of animals. I asked him to send me some samples to try on two old
dogs, on 11 and the other almost 12. The 11 year I had concerns about. The 12
year old was not as serious, but still doing pretty well.
I have to say, I am truly impressed with this product. The 11 year old, after a
week, was "sneaking" around the kennel at night to investigate - he was not
crated as he could not get in and out of one. The 12 year old has turned into a
puppy - to the point that she has become a bit obnoxious - running and barking
at the other dogs. Needless to say, I will be placing an order for more of this
product today. No, I don't sell it, it is the first thing I have found to really
help the oldies. Our almost 12 year old is none other than the #2 highest living
ROM Bitch, Silverhill's Sumthin Special, OFA, ROM. I hope it keeps her active
the rest of her life. ― Mary
My dog Toby will be 14 years old this summer. We never thought he'd make it
through this last year. I started HyaFlex as recommended by our vet. After a
month he was doing so much better walking and now is much more alert and
enjoying life again. We had used Flex|Free and Cosequin before but nothing has
helped like HyaFlex. Thank you for this product! ―
R. Jones
