Following Emma’s elbow and hip surgeries, our veterinarian recommended we start Emma on Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D formula. So, for the past several years Emma has been on Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D formula. From the very beginning, Emma responded very well to the J/D Prescription Diet. She really seemed to get around better and never appeared to get sore after a heavy activity day. Prior to starting the J/D, after a day of heavy activity, she would display signs of being sore.


Unfortunately, over the past 6-8 months, Emma began to experience frequent urinary tract/bladder infections. Eventually, we were able to attribute the problem to the Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D. The easiest solution to keep the infections and crystals from reoccurring was to switch her over to Royal Canin Urinary SO. However after switching her over, she began to display signs of stiffness and soreness. After talking with our veterinarian and doing some research I decided I would try to supplement Emma’s diet with Fish Oil caps. One of the key ingredients in Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D is fish oil and more specifically EPA and DHA. After doing some simple math I was able to calculate how many fish oil capsules equal the dosage of EPA and DHA Emma was getting in the Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D formula.

Just as quick as her symptoms appeared, they disappeared once I started supplementing her diet with Fish Oil capsules. She is getting 6 capsules of Swanson’s Super EPA Fish Oil twice daily with her meals. This equates to 1800mg of EPA and 1200mg of DHA with every meal with is actually slightly more than she was getting in the J/D diet. Swanson’s Super EPA Fish Oil is the best deal I have been able to find. So while 12 capsules a day sounds like it could be expensive, you can get 100 capsules of Swanson’s Super EPA Fish Oil for $6.49. Swanson Vitamins will also occasionally put out coupons that can save you a few more dollars.

Pros: Cost, Effectiveness

Cons: None yet