(DR. BESSENT) We developed Herbsmith Sound Dog with two thoughts in mind.  One thought is we wanted the immediate effect of herbs, and we also wanted the long-term effect of nourishing and thickening the joint fluid within the joints. 

So, you’ll see there are two components to Sound Dog Viscosity – one is the supplementation of ingredients that cause the joint to get really thick and viscous, so glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid.  And those are fabulous and those are definitely a main-stay of joint health.  But those take about two to three weeks to take effect.  So, we also added herbs and the herbs that we added to Sound Dog Viscosity are frankincense, corydalis, curcumin, and yucca.  And those herbs have immediate effects.  So your dog will feel an improvement or your kitty will feel an improvement in the inflammation that surrounds their joints really, really quickly.  And then you have all the joint supplementing herbs, or the joint supplementing ingredients, like glucosamine, that make the joint fluid really thick and viscous.

And you can ask the question, why do I need to supplement?  If I’m feeding a really good food, why do I need to add a supplement on top of it? Let’s go back to the thought of a carnivore, so a dog is a carnivore.  And they should eat whole food, so let’s say they ate that rabbit.  They would eat the joint fluid of the rabbit, they would eat the joint surface the cartilage, and all of that would give them the nutrients that they need to support their joints.  And you just don’t get that amount of glucosamine in most shelf stable foods.  So, in order to nourish their joints throughout their entire lifetime, you need to supplement in addition to the food that they are eating. 

And when do you begin?   You don’t wait til that dog is old and arthritic to start glucosamine.  You start it from the time they are puppies.  Because as a puppy if they were in the wild eating what they should eat they would’ve started to eat those rabbits right from the beginning and they would’ve been constantly giving their joints the nutrients that they need to support health and wellness.  Don’t wait till they are old and arthritic to consider giving them the nutrients that they need in order to support their joints. 

So that’s the beauty of Sound Dog Viscosity is you’re going to get both.  You’re going to get all the nutrients that are going to make the joint fluid really thick and viscous, so it can absorb the bio-mechanical stress.  But you’re also going to get herbs that are going to help make that dog feel good right away as well as help to decrease any inflammation that might be in the synovial capsule that breaks down joint fluid.  So, it’s really balanced overall, and that’s what I love about Sound Dog Viscosity.