It’s no secret. Americans love their pets. In 2024, 66% of U.S. households own pets, with dogs then cats leading the favorites. What might astonish you is that 97% of those pet owners consider their pets part of the family.
Let’s face it: dogs and cats offer us companionship, unconditional love, entertainment, therapy and daily assistance. For some, they might be the only family a person has. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could ensure their health and well-being even longer?
Well, you can.
Diagnosing Your Pets for General Wellness
What if we told you that diagnostic screening is available for your furry friends – both cats and dogs – to help determine what is going on with them internally? Unless our pets just don’t act like they normally do, they can’t tell us if they are not feeling well without visiting their veterinarian.
VDI Laboratory, LLC, based in California’s San Fernando Valley, is a leading veterinary blood diagnostics provider in the fields of cancer, GI disease, nutrition, osteoarthritis and wellness. VDI Laboratory offers a range of wellness profiles for the early detection of disease and evaluation of essential vitamin levels that are required for proper biological function.
The company recommends the Wellness Panels as part of annual or semi-annual wellness programs for all animals over a year of age. One of the wellness tests they recommend quantifies hyaluronic acid in the blood, an early indicator of degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis.
According to Kyle Wilson, VDI Director of Marketing, two primary reasons exist for getting your pets tested for the status of their joints.
Why Test Your Animals?
First, if your pets are showing any signs of pain or discomfort, you want to get them tested to see what is going on internally. Signs of discomfort and an initial test can help confirm or deny that your dog or cat has DJD. The baseline test will determine what next steps are needed and track any progress made with treatment protocols.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, test your animals early so that your dog or cat doesn’t have to experience pain.
“We’re essentially looking for synovial fluid leakage from joints by measuring hyaluronic acid (HA) in the blood. Then, if the HA is present, we can have a conversation with the pet parent. There are 1,001 products on the market for joint health. Helpful or not, everyone wants you to spend your funds. When the test results come in, and we feel certain osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease is present, we recommend Trixsyn. We feel certain Trixsyn will work,” Wilson said.
Steps for Testing
Testing your animal is simple. But it does take coordination with your veterinarian to draw blood from your pet. The testing kits are available from VDI Laboratory, and either the individual pet parent or the veterinarian can request them. Once the blood samples are collected and submitted to VDI, the wellness and hyaluronic acid (HA) panels are screened, and results are analyzed. Then, VDI will contact your veterinarian with results and any recommendations for improving the animal’s well-being.
Issues To Test For
Wilson explains that osteoarthritis is a top 10 reported issue of pet owners. However, with so many supplements on the market, VDI wants to help pet parents decide how to best spend their money to support their pets. If there is nothing wrong with the HA levels in your pet, but they are deficient in vitamins, that makes it an easier decision on what to spend money on. If they do have abnormal levels of HA in their blood, but don’t have GI issues, then they likely need a joint supplement, not a digestive supplement.
“We are not leaving you out to dry. With our test-and-treat protocols, we offer treatment options after the test results come back. If you are hesitant to decide, here’s a test to support why you should spend the money on this rather than that. We have the data and information to help you make informed decisions,” Wilson said.
Why Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid exists inside the joint capsule and acts as a lubricant for the joint. As degeneration occurs, it starts leaking from the joint into the blood. When HA accumulates in the blood, that indicates that there is leakage, and there is a problem.
Wilson said that as the leakage worsens the mechanical damage in the joint also gets so bad that it grinds down the chondrocytes (which make the HA) and increases inflammation. The relationship between the HA test and inflammation tests can help indicate the stage of degeneration.
If the HA is rising without inflammation, you are likely in the early stages of DJD. It is best to continue working with your vet for further diagnosis, but VDI Laboratory still recommends Vitalize Trixsyn as a way to support joint health using hyaluronic acid in both dogs and cats.
More about Vitalize Trixsyn
Vitalize® is a line of supplements for horses, dogs and cats with proven solutions to keep your animal healthy and performing. While VDI recommends the Trixsyn products as part of their “test and treat” protocol, the products are not a treatment. They are a supplement that supports animals at the highest level.
All Vitalize products contain research proven ingredients and possess quality certification from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). In addition to two dog joint products and one cat joint product, Vitalize also offers supplements that support nutritional and digestive health.
Joint Health Products For Dogs
Vitalize® Trixsyn® Canine
Vitalize Trixsyn Canine is a liquid product for dogs. It supports joint health using hyaluronic acid. All Trixsyn products feature MHB3®, a patented high molecular weight hyaluronic acid. This ingredient supports hip and joint health and boosts mobility.
Vitalize® Trixsyn® Canine Performance
Vitalize Trixsyn Canine Performance is a liquid product for dogs that supports total mobility utilizing hyaluronic acid. It supports hip, joint, and soft tissue health. The performance formula helps maintain a normal inflammatory response and supports normal exercise recovery. The ingredients feature MHB3 and astaxanthin, a natural red algae-derived antioxidant. Astaxanthin assists with soft tissue health, muscular recuperation, and exercise recovery.
For Cats
Vitalize® Trixsyn® Feline
Vitalize Trixsyn Feline is a liquid product for cats designed to support joint health using hyaluronic acid. Vitalized designed this formula to specifically meet the needs of cats. Like our dog formulas, it contains MHB3®, a patented hyaluronic acid that supports hip and joint health and mobility.
Learn More Today
Interested in getting more information about wellness testing, including testing your pet for HA in the blood? Contact VDI Laboratory. Don’t forget to work closely with your local veterinarian to help you best support your animals.
Want to learn more or order your Vitalize Trixsyn? We’ve made that as simple as placing an online order or purchasing it from an online retailer. We also offer Trixsyn through our BioZyme Dealer Network. Find a dealer near you if you prefer to shop locally.
