At Antinol® we love to hear from your pets. That's why Chloe White RVN, our education specialist, caught up with some of our pet parents to hear about their pets' incredible mobility journeys.
Chloe chatted to Lindsay about her beautiful 2 year old working golden retriever Grace to find out more about her knee surgery and how she is now living her best life again.
The global ambassador of joy
“Grace is a very, very lucky girl. We call her the 'Global Ambassador of Joy' because she spreads joy everywhere.”
Lindsay loves nothing more than running with her two dogs, Grace and Betty.
“When I say I'm a runner, I'm not particularly fast; I'm just doing it for fun. We're all reasonably fit and run a few times a week, but I've noticed that Grace is a little behind."
At the same time, Lindsay noticed that Grace was creaking a little at home. She sometimes had trouble getting up. Unfortunately Grace wasn't getting better so she went for some tests but she had to see an orthopedist.
“It took a few more months to get an appointment due to the lockdown and during that time she was pretty bad. She could hardly get up. She was diagnosed with a cruciate ligament rupture in her knees and the condition she was in meant surgery was really the only option for her.”
Cruciate ligament surgery in dogs
Cruciate ligament surgery is a common procedure, particularly in larger breed dogs. Due to the anatomy of the joint, it is often more complex than human cruciate ligament repair. In most cases, however, the operation is a success.
"I was devastated. She was only 2 years old and a really fit, healthy and athletic bitch. My dogs are my absolute life; I felt overwhelmed by the surgery itself and the prospects for the rest of her life, but happily the surgeries themselves were very successful.”
Lindsay followed all the advice of her veterinarian and the specialist. They put each knee through six months of rehabilitation therapy, maintained their healthy weight, and fed them a joint supplement that Lindsay had previously used.
“About six months after her second operation, Grace was almost herself. She exercised as usual but looked a little stiff on the stairs, for example. She seemed tired after long walks, but I wondered if I was overly sensitive."
Lindsay needed some reassurance and turned to Grace's surgeon, Mike Gilliard. He confirmed that she is doing great and her surgery was a complete success. However, she would require long-term multimodal management to support her joint health for years to come.
The joint supplement "next level"
“It was at this point that Mike mentioned Antinol®. He described it as a common complement and went into many technical details that I admittedly didn't understand. I explained to him that it was on another well-known insert, but he said, 'Well, that's good. It's a great product, but Antinol® is next level.” I remember his language. He said, 'This is the next level.'”
While chatting on social media at a canine cruciate ligament injury support group, Lindsay asked if anyone else had tried Antinol® on their dogs.
“I remember exactly; I've had two or three people come back with these absolutely, almost unbelievable, amazing personal experiences that were very similar to Grace's. I think that combined with Mike's recommendation won me over. I was like, 'Okay, let's try it'.”
Feeding the pods was never a problem.
"Grace is greedy to be honest but they're tiny capsules so I just put them on her food and they go away. I needed to align my expectations with them and was a bit skeptical that they could do more than the supplement we are already using.”
Up to 90% of pet owners noticed a difference in their pet's mobility when using Antinol. However, every pet is individual and some will see results quicker than others. Lindsay didn't see immediate results from Grace, but she persevered.
"It was gradual — not an overnight 'oh my god' moment, but it was amazing. Grace has been taking Antinol® for about 9 months now and we noticed a difference after about 3 months. It wasn't straight away but she's been at her best for a few months now."
Grace is back out running with Lindsay and Betty, back to an excited 2 year old, back to loving life and Lindsay couldn't be happier!
"It was amazing. I could knock on doors and tell people about AntinolⓇ. Grace is now 100%, which means the absolute world to me. She hunts squirrels. she walks with me She makes her amazing dives into the water, swims. She is absolutely 100%.”
Lindsay recalls how scary it was to learn what long-term difficulties Grace might face, and many other owners share the same concerns.
"I think back to how scared, upset and overwhelmed I was and that's why I want to tell people about it. I want them to know there's something they can try."
So what would Lindsay and Grace say to other pet owners if they were them?
“Try Antinol®. Don't get overwhelmed. Do not be discouraged. It's our duty to them, isn't it? To give them the best chance and take care of them. You give us so much.”
We loved having Grace (and of course Lindsay) with us and we can't wait to see more videos of her frolicking with Betty.
If your pet has an Antinol® success story, we'd love for you to chat with us. Contact us at hello-de@antinol.eu (And we will never refuse a cute photo or happy video of your pet!)
