I give him a supplement with joint support

bonny, I've been meaning to ask you if you recommend any specific brand/formulation for canine joint support. Kato is 9-ish, and we noticed the other day, after he had been on a long-ish walk (40 minutes, divided into 2 parts, with a rest period of about an hour or so between them), later that evening he was really stiff and having some trouble getting up and moving around. We gave him a quarter tablet of Novox, figuring that since it's an antiinflammatory, it would help, and he was fine the next morning.

But we were thinking that maybe we need to start him on glucosamine, and just don't know a lot about it. Is combined glucosamine/chondroitin better, or just glucosamine? We give him fish oil with dinner because back in November we started giving it to Chloe and he wanted whatever "extra" she was getting on her food. (All 3 of us take the same fish oil supplement now, because I finally convinced Tim to start taking it [cholesterol, ADD]).

I might not totally suck at this supervisor thing

Unsurprising. You rock.

Home should be easy enough. Cold and I turned the heat down as far as I could before I left so chilly but I fear the slippery stuff less. I mean, I will actually believe that when I get to PDX and start home but it's possible.

Steph, I think my parents have been really happy with their supplements for Goldens. And they've had some mega-lived and achy but totally mobile dogs. Want I should ask what they give? I know they did supplements and totally believed in them. With both data and anecdata to back them.

Want I should ask what they give?

If you don't mind, yeah! Thanks.

Seem to have a case of the plague, which is not making it easier to fill out the author's questionnaire. Also a bit worried about my Mom. Never thought of MSNBC as comparable to Fox, but she seems to be getting the lefty equivalent of Fox News syndrome. She's been watch 3 or 4 hours of MSNBC a day, and working herself into a permanent rage against Republicans. Never seen her so angry, and don't think it is good for her.

She was involved in strikes where she had to dodge thugs with billy clubs while the cops laughed without getting this angry. She was fired from jobs for her political beliefs without getting this angry. She dodge FBI agents serving papers without getting this angry. She fought for rights for veterans who were being denied vitally needed benefits, opposed the Vietnam war, took part in the civil rights movement without getting this angry. I think she could watch any one MSNBC show without it being a problem, but when she watches Maddow and the Last Word and the Ed Show it just pumps up too much rage. She got into the habit when she was stuck home sick for a month, but now she watches every night four nights a week even when she's been at the senior center all day. I've expressed by concern, and she says "The Republicans have never been this bad". Which is true, but at the same time some of the stuff she's been through really is worse than what is happening. Any thoughts?

Will do. Happy to pass info on

It'll be in a couple of days cause stepmom left for traveling when dad and I got back and I KNOW she's the only person who can give me names, brands and info. But I will e her tonight and she'll get me the details when she's back home.

Any thoughts

Honestly, no. Which is unfortunate. I had a some weird and kinda rough talks with dad where it was clear he was listening to one place and not totally being able to see it was skewed. No matter the side. It's hard because the world seems more polarized than ever and really ugly to me.

bonny, I've been meaning to ask you if you recommend any specific brand/formulation for canine joint support. Kato is 9-ish, and we noticed the other day, after he had been on a long-ish walk (40 minutes, divided into 2 parts, with a rest period of about an hour or so between them), later that evening he was really stiff and having some trouble getting up and moving around. We gave him a quarter tablet of Novox, figuring that since it's an antiinflammatory, it would help, and he was fine the next morning.

Steph, I give Bartleby Nupro Silver after doing loads of research and it gets the thumbs up (or hips up, as the case may be) from the vets that I have mentioned it too.

I like the combination of ingredients better than any other similar product I have looked into or used in the past.

Speaking of pet health...I'd love to hear folks' thoughts on pet insurance they like and/or avoid.

In my full-on panic attack last night, I signed up for Trupanion, which seems better than VPI, but I don't know.

What does the hivemind use?

It's hard because the world seems more polarized than ever and really ugly to me.

That kind of sparked a thought. Our family has always been "polarized" taking sides in political battles where, I think even in retrospect, the other side really really wrong. In many cases I'd even use the word evil.

So I don't think the problem is one-sideness. I think the problem is constant and unremitting stirring of anger. Take Maddow who I like, and who even in a way tries to be fair. But you she makes jokes by pointing out (quite fairly) that Newt Gingrich is being hypocritical on Marriage. And even though Maddow is being good humored it stirs justifed anger against Gingrich. And then five minutes later she points out some hilarious Hypocrisy on the part of Walker. And then Limbaugh. And so on. And so if you watch the whole show you can easily end up saying "arrogant bastard" or "those bastards" 12 times in an hour. And I'm not sure an hour does any harm. But if you let your self being stirred into a rage for three or four hours straight then it does not fade away when you do something else. I think the same thing is true of Fox. If you watch an hour of Fox a day I think you are being terribly misinformed, but I don't think you are being changed emotionally. But someone who wathces three or four hours of Fox or Fox type stuff (let alone more) will get stirred into a rage that does go away when they turn off the TV. Part of it is time, part of it is the concentration on stirring up anger. "Democracy Now" is to the left of anything on MSNBC and just as one sided. (It also tries to be very very factual, but so does a lot of MSNBC.) But Democracy Now also tries to be nuanced. It tries to give root causes and historical context. And even though it has a point of view, if there are facts that contradict that point of view it tries to make sure that if you listen, you hear those facts too. But the big thing is that even though a lot of what it covers is stuff will make people it angry, it is not focused on stirring up anger. I think if Democracy Now was a three hour program, people would not walk away in a rage. During the height of the Egyptian Crisis, my Mom would listen to Riz Khan and David Frost on Al Jazerra, and Democracy Now, and Free Speech Radio News, and then one of the three MSNBC programs and not get stirred up into a rage.

Sorry to post so much TLDR, but it is helping me think it through.