IF YOU’VE ENDED up on this website, you’re probably tired of trying dozens of joint relief products for dogs and want to know which one will work for your dog without harsh ingredients and nasty side effects.
Well, you’re in the right place!
I was in the same position a few years ago when my beloved family friend Forest started limping. Watching the fun drain out of his life was a horrible experience for me. He slowly stopped going on walks and it took him longer and longer to wake up in the mornings.
What made my situation worse was when I took him to the vet the VERY FIRST thing they recommended was harmful NSADS. Luckily from prior experience, I knew how bad NSAIDs can be for dogs so I refused, and researched the best natural alternatives in South Africa.
DISCLAIMER: When we say ‘best,’ this is only our team’s personal opinion based on our experience with getting our hands on the actual products on this list (and yes, we did order & try every product,) our research, as well as survey data that we conducted. Your opinion and experience with these, or other products in South Africa may differ!
During my research, I narrowed dozens of products down to just 5 of my favorites based on these 4 key factors that I felt were important.
- Ingredient profile—Does it contain natural ingredients that won’t hurt your dog?
- Taste of the product—Will your pup gobble it up?
- Effectiveness rating—How well does it work? I took my own experience into consideration, as well as reviews I found online.
- Price and refund policy—If it doesn’t work for your pup, will you get refunded?
So which natural joint relief product for dogs do I think is the best in South Africa? According to my research, based on my opinion I think that…
Outback Joint Support green-lipped mussel powder is the best joint relief product for dogs in South Africa. Green-lipped mussel powder has been proven to provide joint relief in dogs based on 7 studies done on over 438 dogs. Outback is reasonably priced at around R11.00/daily serving for dogs between 11-20kgs. Dogs love the taste and each purchase is protected by a 90-day money-back guarantee that allows customers to keep the product even if it doesn’t work.
Here’s a table that compares all my data on the selected joint relief products.
| Product | Effectiveness rating | Price/daily serving (Dog weight 11kgs – 20kgs) | Daily Servings (Dog weight 11kgs – 20kgs) | Active Ingredients | Artificial Ingredients | Taste | Guarantee | |
| 1. | Outback Joint Support | 9/10 | R11.00c | 45 days | Natural source of chondroitin sulfate & omega fatty acids EPA and DHA | Completely natural | Fishy | 90-days |
| 2. | Zesty Paws Omega Bites | 9/10 | R28.86c | 45 days | Omega fatty acids EPA and DHA | Contains fillers | Bacon | 30-days |
| 3. | Now Pets Joint Support | 8/10 | R4.76c | 90 days | Glucosamine HCl | Gluten-free & non-GMO | – | 30-days |
| 4. | GCS Joint Care Advanced | 9/10 | R12.00c | 60 days | Glucosamine & Collagen | – | Beef | 30-days |
| 5. | Joint Care GCS-DOG | 8/10 | R12.00c | 60 days | Chondroitin Sulphate | – | Fishy | 30-days |
If you would like more information on the above research, make sure you keep reading! In the rest of the comparative article, I’ll be diving deeper into each product one by one.
During my research, I realized that there’s a big misconception about joint supplements for dogs.
Most people think that for them to work, they have to have harsh ingredients. The truth is natural ingredients can be just as effective, which is why I prefer products that are all-natural rather than those that use a lot of harmful ingredients like Soy, Corn Syrup, and NSAIDs.
Before I dive deeper into my top 5 list, know that even if my dog got great (or bad) results from a product, that doesn’t mean that your pup will get the same. That’s why I take into account what other customers say about their experience with the product in the reviews.
Remember, not every product will work for all dogs, but if you are open to trying new things, you just might find one that works for your pup.
As with any product, make sure you use it only as directed, make sure your dog isn’t allergic to any of the ingredients, and stop using it immediately if any allergic reaction occurs.
Without further delay, here’s a deeper dive into my Top 5 Joint Relief Products For Dogs that you can buy in South Africa in 2021:
01. Outback Joint Support (Winner)
90 Powder Capsules | 500mg of green-lipped mussel powder per capsule
While most products on the market try to force as many ingredients into each serving, Outback Joint Support took a different approach. The premise of this formula is that your pup gets a high dose of only one all-natural ingredient that has a large nutrient profile and has been scientifically proven to work—green-lipped mussel powder (1).
This product is in the form of bright green capsules. It has a very strong, fishy smell.
Ingredient profile.
Green-lipped mussel contains important vitamins, (such as zinc, copper, iodine, and manganese among many others,) minerals, anti-oxidants, over 90 essential omega-3 fatty acids, (with EPA and DHA,) and an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, which has been shown to aggressively fight inflammation.
Green-lipped mussel powder also contains chondroitin sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) that is known to rebuild and strengthen joints. Your dog’s joints are enclosed in a sac called bursae that holds a special kind of water called synovial fluid. Synovial fluid acts as a shock absorber as your dog walks or runs. Chondroitin sulfate strengthens and rebuilds that sac, which allows it to hold more water. The stronger the sac, the more water it can hold, the less wear and tear on your dog’s joints.
This mussel from New Zealand is also extracted using cold processing methods because studies have shown that heat processing green-lipped mussels kill the important nutrients mentioned above (2).
Price and guarantee.
- At just R499 a bottle for 60 capsules, you get a huge bang for your buck since most reviewers say the product lasts about 1 month.
- They do offer a 90-day, 100% money-back return policy, so you can try it with no risk. They even go as far as letting you keep the opened bottle so you won’t even have to return it to get your money back.
| Dog Weight | Daily Serving | Daily Cost | 1 Bottle Lasts (90 capsules) |
| 0kgs to 5kgs | 1/2 Capsule | R2.77c | 180 days |
| 6kgs to 10kgs | 1 Capsule | R5.50c | 90 days |
| 11kgs to 20kgs | 2 Capsule | R11.00c | 45 days |
| 21kgs to 35kgs | 3 Capsules | R16.63c | 30 days |
| 36kgs and above | 6 Capsules | R33.26c | 15 days |
Because of increased demand, they recently experienced a shortage of products, so you’ll have to check and see if they are in stock. Outback Joint Support is bottled in small batches in South Africa, so if they are in stock I suggest you order 2 or more bottles at a time just to make sure you don’t run out.
Results.
In testing, the first thing I noticed was the fishy smell. I opened one capsule over my dog’s empty bowl and he lapped it up without hesitation.
As directed, I gave him 3 capsules. Two in the morning and one in the afternoon for one month. I soon noticed a dramatic improvement, especially in his personality. Not only did he manage to start going on walks again, but he was also keener to start his day in the morning.
I got (by far) the best results with this Outback Joint Support and my dog loved the taste.
You can order on Takealot.com or their South-African website outbackpainrelief.co.za. That said, I recommend going through their website. They currently have a promotion that offers R50 off and free shipping on all orders until their latest batch runs out.
02. Zesty Paws Omega Bites
Bacon flavour | 90 Soft Chews
This was a tough product for me to review. Omega Bites is one of the few products on this list that contains biotin. Even though there has been a lot of recent craze around this ingredient, there simply isn’t enough scientific evidence to show it provides joint relief, especially in dogs.
When I opened the tub, the chewies had a mild chicken smell. The smell was more tolerable than the other products on this list.
Ingredient profile.
Omega Bites does include the two most important omega fatty acids when it comes to joint health—EPA and DHA. It’s believed that these two fatty acids work to fight inflammation, which results in joint relief. The product also does not contain any harmful ingredients in the formula such as soy and syrup, which is a huge plus for me. I will always prefer a product that keeps it natural.
That said, I would have liked to see the brand focus on taking out unnecessary ingredients and up the concentration of the fatty acids rather than going for the more general health approach, by including unnecessary ingredients to turn the formula into an expensive treat.
This brings me to my next point.
Price and guarantee.
- Omega Bites costs R1299 per tub, and each tub contains 90 treats that will last you around 1 month depending on the weight of your dog. This can get extremely expensive especially if you have a large breed.
- The product is covered by Takealots 30 day guarantee policy, which voids as soon as you open the product. This means you can’t claim a refund after you’ve tried it on your dog.
| Dog Weight | Daily Serving | Daily Cost | 1 Tub Lasts (90 treats) |
| Up to 11kgs | 1 Chew | R14.43c | 90 days |
| 11kgs to 33kgs | 2 Chews | R28.86c | 45 days |
| 34kgs and above | 3 Chews | R43.30c | 30 days |
The product is manufactured in America, however, it’s also listed on Takealot.com by YourEssentials, so if you want to give it a try on your dog, I would recommend getting it from there.
03. Now Pets Joint Support
90 Tablets
This was an interesting product for me. Like many people, I’ve never seen this product being advertised in South Africa, so I was very curious when I came across it on Takealot.
Ingredient profile.
The first thing that stood out to me is Now Pets Joint Support uses Glucosamine HCl as one of its primary active ingredients. Glucosamine has been shown to provide benefits in the treatment of osteoarthritis, that said, there’s no proof that it helps other joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
The biggest drawback for me is the side effects that dog owners have reported while using Glucosamine HCl—ranging from diarrhea, dehydration, etc. So I would be cautious when trying a product with Glucosamine especially if your dog has a sensitive digestive system.
This is exactly why I prefer green-lipped mussel powder over Glucosamine HCI. Green-lipped mussel powder is a ‘basic food status’ product so it’s safe to give to your pet even at high dosages without risking serious side effects.
Price and guarantee.
- The product costs R429 and can be bought on Takealot.com.
- Now Pets Joint Support does come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. That said, it gets instantly voided as soon as you open the product which defeats the object in my opinion.
| Dog Weight | Daily Amount | Daily Cost | 1 Bottle Lasts (90 tablets) |
| Up to 9kgs | 1/2 Tablet | R2.38c | 180 days |
| 9.5kgs to 18kgs | 1 Tablet | R4.76c | 90 days |
| 18.5kgs to 36kgs | 2 Tablets | R9.53c | 45 days |
| 37kgs and above | 3 Tablets | R14.30c | 30 days |
04. GCS Joint Care Advanced
Beef Flavour | 60 Chews
The company GCS is pretty well-known for its pet supplements in South Africa. It’s always nice to buy from a company that you know and trust. The active ingredients in this product are Glucosamine, Collagen, and Omega-3s.
When opening the tub, the first thing I noticed was a STRONG unpleasant meaty smell that smells like a combination of beef and fish. This product attracted flies immediately, I’m not even kidding!
Ingredient profile.
Most of these are good ingredients, however, I have big concerns about some of the severe side effects reported by dog owners with regards to Glucosamine.
GCS Joint Care Advanced is manufactured into beef flavored chews that taste and smell great, (according to my dog,) which makes it easy to use.
That said, the dosage for my dog requires half a chew, so I usually end up breaking the chew into my dog’s food, which he seems to prefer. I also prefer powdered formulas over chews because I find it easier to measure out dosages. I’m never quite sure if I got the right dose when breaking up chews.
Price and guarantee.
- The product costs R730 for 90 chews which can be pretty pricey especially since the dosage needs to be doubled during the first 3 weeks. So expect to go through the product a lot quicker in that time.
- I’m a bit disappointed with the guarantee policy. They do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, however, there are a lot of unclear terms and conditions you need to be aware of.
For example, you won’t be refunded if you tamper with the product (which means if you open it?) and you will need to return it at your own expense before getting a refund.
| Dog Weight | Daily Serving | Daily Cost | 1 Tub Lasts (60 chews) |
| 0kgs to 5kgs | 1/4 Chew | R3.00c | 240 days |
| 6kgs to 10kgs | 1/2 Chew | R6.00c | 120 days |
| 11kgs to 20kgs | 1 Chew | R12.00c | 60 days |
| 21kgs to 30kgs | 1 1/2 Chews | R18.25c | 40 days |
| 31kgs to 45kgs | 2 Chews | R24.33c | 30 days |
| 46kgs and above | 3 Chews | R36.00c | 20 days |
05. Joint Care GCS-DOG
Powder | 150g
There’s very little information offered on the labels apart from the active ingredients which include Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate.
This product is in powder form and came with a little scoop. The product does have a fishy smell but it is not overbearing.
Ingredient profile.
Chondroitin Sulphate is actually a well-known glycosaminoglycan (GAG) that can be found in green-lipped mussels. It works to repair joints by fixing the bursae sacs between your dog’s joints, which then allows the sacs to hold more water. The stronger the sac, the more water it can hold, the less wear and tear on your dog’s joints.
I’m a huge fan of this ingredient, so it’s nice to see that more products are including it in their formulas.
That said it does take some time for Chondroitin Sulphate to effectively repair your dog’s joints, so if you do try this product give it at least 4-6 weeks before making your mind up.
Price and guarantee.
- Joint Care GCS-DOG is reasonably priced at R460 on Takealot.com.
- The product is also covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. That said, as with all products on Takealot, the second you break the seal your guarantee is voided which makes it a risky purchase.
| Dog Weight | Daily Serving | Daily Cost | 1 Tub Lasts (60 chews) |
| 0kgs to 5kgs | 1/4 Chew | R3.00c | 240 days |
| 6kgs to 10kgs | 1/2 Chew | R6.00c | 120 days |
| 11kgs to 20kgs | 1 Chew | R12.00c | 60 days |
| 21kgs to 30kgs | 1 1/2 Chews | R18.25c | 40 days |
| 31kgs to 45kgs | 2 Chews | R24.33c | 30 days |
| 46kgs and above | 3 Chews | R36.00c | 20 days |
Your Turn
Do you know of any better natural joint relief products in South Africa that deserve to be on this list? Do you agree with the information I shared? Or do you think I missed a crucial piece of information? Let us know in the comments below so we can start learning from each other!