What makes up healthy mobility?

In the pet health space, we often talk about joints, but there’s a lot more to healthy mobility than its junctures. The musculoskeletal system also includes bones, ligaments, and tendons, as well as the cartilage and synovium of the joint capsule and the attaching muscles that make movement possible. Each part contributes to the strength, stability, endurance, and flexibility of your dog’s every step, jump, and leap.

Joints, muscles, and bones are vitally dependent on function and balance throughout every body system. The digestive and circulatory systems absorb and deliver vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes to support strong bones and energized muscles; the nervous system provides timely instructions on when and where to move; the immune system helps protect and repair active joints. Disruptions in any of these many systems can mean mobility that is slower, weaker, or less comfortable than it should be.

At least 25% of dogs in the US are experiencing mobility issues today, regardless of age. Our pets can’t describe what they’re feeling, but they typically make their discomfort known through reluctance to get up, go out, or play. In more advanced or prolonged cases, a physical nuisance becomes a source of stress and strain encompassing their whole quality of life. When moping and laziness turns to declining treats and daily distress, it points to the fact that joint health is a whole body issue.

Not Just Normal Aging

Like humans, the limitless movement and energy of puppies naturally shifts to a slower, more deliberate pace that we associate with normal aging. In domesticated animals, energy tends to come in bursts of purposeful activity or exercise along a general baseline of sedentary rest and repose. Biologically, the passing of years means more wear and tear and more lagging repair. Muscular and skeletal building blocks are produced less readily, and oxidative stress takes its toll on joint tissues. 

But the accelerated aging and regression of movement we commonly see in our companions shouldn’t be assumed as inevitable. More and more, science is showing that we have a lot more say in the aging process than previously thought, and the same holds true for our beloved pets. Prevention is key. The same foundational elements of today’s wellness apply to healthy longevity. Starting our pups out with proper nutrition, exercise, and mental stimulation can reap longer, more active years.

But even if the dog days of youth have passed, it’s not too late to turn back the clock and bring puppy-like energy back. A few small improvements to our doggie’s daily regimen can make a significant impact on both quality and quantity of life. Not only can we help delay and discourage aging’s attempts to stifle our dog’s spirit, proactivity can make their remaining years their best years – and maybe ours too.

The Three Legs of Calm & Stable Joints

Steps 1 and 2 of starting and sustaining joint health are diet and exercise. Sound familiar? Many dog breeds are already predisposed to developing mobility issues, but we actually heighten their chances through overfeeding. And unfortunately, a few under-table nibbles from our own plates can do more harm than we realize. Human food can pack a lot of pounds onto a canine with much lower energy needs. They might look cute and cozy as they snuggle under a few rolls of chub, but these endearing features spoil our dogs’ health, not their fancies. Excess weight puts undue strain on bones, joints, and muscles, and also stirs metabolic imbalances that drive some of the root causes behind impaired mobility. 

It might seem counterintuitive at first glance, but more movement means healthier joints. While overuse and strenuous activity can lead to joint issues, that’s not the issue for most of our pets. Exercise is by far the most critical factor of healthy mobility, not only because it maintains the function, strength, and flexibility of each structural component, but also by promoting dynamic circulatory and respiratory systems that supply oxygen and essential nutrients and filter out metabolic waste products. Regular physical activity also reinforces neural connections and generates brain-enhancing neurotransmitters for behavioral stability.

The third and much less obvious leg of long-lasting, free-movement is balancing stress. Did you know that a happier dog leads to happier joints? It might come as a surprise, but stress can take a deep physical toll. Persistently high stress keeps the immune response on alert, with negative effects on virtually every aspect of health. Worse yet, the stress-joint relationship is self-perpetuating. When our pups are uncomfortable, they’re stressed, and systematic stress perpetuates the collateral immune damage to joints.

Building Healthy Joints & Mobility

Proactively supporting healthy joints & mobility through diet and exercise are pretty straightforward. But what about stress? Even we humans have trouble limiting our stressors and controlling how we respond to them. How do we protect our precious pups from unseen and unexpected foes that provoke anxious behavior and feed the subtle health impacts of stress?

Dogs are often transparent when it comes to being stressed. They destroy their favorite toy, they soil the carpet when they’ve been house-trained for years, they whine and pace without cause. Every restless round activates the stress response, and this might happen many times a day, every day. We might not be able to pinpoint every cause, but identifying the behavioral symptoms of stress allows us to take action against premature mobility issues.



Adding stress to the canine mobility mix might seem overcomplicated, but recognizing its body-wide effects provides a clear path towards a stronger, more resilient musculoskeletal system. Many common pet mobility products focus only on supporting structural integrity. A better approach takes a deeper perspective and integrates the broader implications of impaired mobility. Behind tender and troublesome joints lie immune and neurological targets for lasting results.

A Pet Mobility Formula for Head to Toe Happiness

The majority of joint and mobility formulas for pets start with glucosamine and chondroitin, and for good reason. These stalwarts not only augment the body’s production of cartilage-specific building blocks, they promote all-around joint maintenance. By enhancing natural repair mechanisms, glucosamine and chondroitin foster a calm and balanced immune environment within joints. Furthermore, new research suggests that both glucosamine and chondroitin promote healthy stem cell regeneration for forever-young joints.

Collagen is also a significant factor in joint strength and flexibility. As the primary component of the cartilage that surrounds and stabilizes joints, cushions adjoining bones, and keeps tendons and ligaments tight, natural collagen is becoming a go-to ingredient for supporting robust and ready movement in aging canines. And like glucosamine and chondroitin, collagen encourages immune balance to help prevent the oxidative damage underlying many joint issues.

While glucosamine, chondroitin, and collagen secondarily address stress’s role in maintaining healthy joints, there are many natural compounds that offer more direct and potent support for balancing excess immune reactivity and helping to protect joint tissues. Omega-3 fatty acids, Boswellia serrata, and turmeric are a top trio backed by research for discouraging the pro-inflammatory cascades triggered by ongoing stress and opposing the reactive oxygen species generated through normal aging.

Omega-3 fatty acids, most commonly sourced from fish oil, are the heroes of holistic mobility health. Along with their vital presence in cell membranes, Omega-3s serve as key communicators in the immune response, always fostering a return to balance. As immune cells release cytokines to combat perceived threats, Omega-3s help ensure that these chemicals ramp down after their work is done, inviting rejuvenation to reign. Omega-3s are also significant factors in maintaining healthy blood vessels, promoting optimal delivery of oxygen and nutrients to active joints.

Boswellia serrata is a bone-loving botanical becoming popular in pet mobility products based on mounting evidence that this traditional Ayurvedic herb can bring peace to stressed and irritated joints. Extracted from the resin of a tenacious tree, Boswellia is uniquely concentrated with terpenoids that oppose the disproportionate activity of immune cytokines, modulating the inflammatory cascade that can hinder happy joints. Turmeric brings curcumin, the notorious antioxidant that cancels free radicals in a perfect tag-team with Boswellia.

Holistic Joint Health from Hemp

The most impressive newcomer to the pet mobility stage is hemp. Finding favor for its wide-reaching activities within the mammalian nervous system, hemp-sourced bioactives directly and indirectly promote calm and balance throughout the body. Just like with the immune system, joint health and stress intersect with the nervous system, bringing clarity to the behavioral signs of doggie mobility woes. By optimizing neurotransmitter signaling, opposing overexcited nerves, and promoting new neural growth, compounds from broad-spectrum hemp extract can help nurture the roots of restfulness and resilience, both physically and emotionally.

So what do you get when you bring these ingredients together? A one-of-a-kind, comprehensive formula that takes into account the whole-body picture of mobility, and one that is designed for every stage of your beloved pal’s life. Cogent Pet Health’s Mobility & Stress soft chews offer complete support for the structural and functional bases of healthy joints; plus they promote youthful energy and carefree calm for puppy memories that last for you and your most faithful friend.