An adorable shar pei dog from Congleton who suffered serious mobility problems is now back to her bouncing best after taking Collar-Gen.
Ripple, who Paula and Leon Symons-Probst have cared for since she was six months-old, began to experience issues back in 2020.
After spotting lumps on her paws, and an incident convincing her that Ripple was suffering from a stroke, Paula, 39 took the pup to the vet, and was told that the lumps and lack of mobility were due to arthritis.
"Before she started suffering we always used to joke that we should have called her Tigger, she was so bouncy and absolutely loved her walks.
"When she first got ill I was worried that I had walked her too much during the lockdown, she always used to have so much energy and now she was completely flat, it was heart-breaking.
"The vet gave us some medication to help her, but I was determined to try and find a more natural solution, rather than her taking pills for the rest of her life", said admin manager Paula.
In the early days Paula tried a number of supplements to help Ripple. but all seemed to have limited efficacy, leaving the dog brighter for a while, with the effect soon wearing off.
So Paula continued to search for a solution, and read that collagen can help dogs with mobility problems, helping to repair tissues and improving quality of life.
Paula added: "There was only one product on the market for dogs called Collar-Gen by Pawable, so I thought I would give it a try. It popped up on my Facebook and at first I was skeptical because you don't think of collagen being used for dogs, but we needed something that would help Ripple long term.
"The results were absolutely amazing, and within a couple of weeks she had got her bounce back. We can go out for her two walks a day again which she absolutely loves and the lumps on her paws have also reduced in size.
"The best thing is this was over a year ago, so we know that this is going to help her long term too."
Though usually known as a human beauty supplement, collagen is a protein that is found in skin and connective tissues like joints, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments.
Clinical studies have shown that collagen is effective in decreasing inflammation and reducing arthritic pain.
Paula enthused: "Ripple is 13 and-a-half now, and rather than suffering she is now doing well for her age. On our walks people always say 'how old is your dog?' They can't believe it when I tell them."
