Joint Supplements for Show Lambs: Every Type Compared

Joint supplements in this directory do not all use the same ingredient. The labels describe hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin, collagen, or a show-day paste. This page only names products whose label names sheep or lambs, or all classes of livestock.

Always read and follow the product label directions for use, and consult your veterinarian before using any product.

Hyaluronic acid

LubriSyn’s description calls hyaluronic acid the component of joint fluid that lubricates and cushions joints. Two oral liquids in the directory are built on it.

• LubriSynHA Livestock. Some retailers still sell it under the older name Lubrisyn LVS. The current label says 10 ml per day for sheep and goats, started 60 days before the show. The dose can be doubled for the first 7 days or before competition. Older LVS listings said 120 days. The notes describe a tasteless, colorless liquid that can be mixed into feed or given by mouth. The species on the label are cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
• Sure Champ Joint Juice. BioZyme’s liquid, built on MHB3 hyaluronan, formulated for cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. The recorded sheep and goat rate is 1/2 fl oz (one pump) daily. The directions say to double that daily dose for the first 7 days, and also during show prep, competition, or times of discomfort. Umbarger Show Feeds resells it. Older Umbarger listings call it Joint Juice.

Both are oral hyaluronan, so the directory treats them as the same type of product.

Glucosamine and chondroitin

• Sunglo In Motion. A pellet for joint, hoof, and skin, with glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and chelated trace minerals. Sunglo lists cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. The recorded rate for sheep, goats, and pigs is 2–4 oz per head daily.
• Essential Equex. Listed on Essential Show Feeds’ lamb products page. The ingredient list in our notes names glucosamine HCl, chondroitin sulfate, MSM, hyaluronic acid, shark cartilage, and bromelain. A feeding rate is not printed in those notes. Use the rate on the container.

Collagen

OptiWize Collagen Plus Livestock. OptiWize describes the powder as a collagen formula for joints, tendons, ligaments, and bones, marketed for show cattle, pigs, goats, and lambs. The manufacturer calls the formula competition safe, with no withdrawal time. The label doses by body weight. The published scale includes 1/2 teaspoon for a 50 lb animal and 1/4 scoop for a 100 lb animal. Directions also set a loading period: twice a day for 14 days, then once a day. Use the full chart on the label, including that loading period.

A show-day paste, and the sheep/goat top-dress

Sullivan’s Aspirnfre Paste. PBS Animal Health, a Sullivan retailer, describes it as a natural paste that assists in pain relief for all classes of livestock, with no drugs and no withdrawal period. The ingredient list on that listing includes white willow, Boswellia (Indian frankincense), and glucosamine, along with other herbs. Sullivan’s own page says to give it three hours before show time. That is a show-day direction on the label, not a season-long feeding program.

MoorMan’s ShowTec MoorFlex. Buy the sheep/goat bag. Swine and cattle MoorFlex products are sold separately under the same name. The notes describe a meal top-dress with a feed-approved joint ingredient (the pages we have do not name that ingredient), Cell Rate nucleotides, organic zinc, and vitamin E. The recorded rate is 2–4 oz daily for show lambs and goats.

How to choose

Use the label, including its start time.

• For a hyaluronan liquid, pick LubriSynHA or Joint Juice. LubriSynHA’s label says to start 60 days before the show. Joint Juice’s label uses a 7-day double dose at the start. Those directions are not same-day instructions.
• Rite Flex, In Motion, and Equex list glucosamine and chondroitin. Equex and OptiWize list additional ingredients, including hyaluronic acid on Equex. Read every label before you feed two joint products together.
• A lamb that stays stiff needs a veterinarian. A paste is not a diagnosis.

Always read and follow the product label directions for use, and consult your veterinarian before using any product.