maxxipaws maxxiSAMe Advanced SAM-e Powder Supplement - Liver, Cognitive & Joint Support for Dogs, 5.3oz

Final update 5/24/2017:This will be my final update to this review, as we unfortunately had to say goodbye to our wonderful dog Barney last week after his slow onset of degenerative myleopathy had progressed too far. I cannot say enough good things about the MaxxiDog company as they helped us find solutions to make Barney's last year+ as comfortable and happy as it could be. I truly believe that the MaxxiSAMe product had a positive effect for Barney and was key in making his last time with us a happy one, as it really seemed to help mitigate his symptoms of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD). I have changed my review to five stars to reflect this. Please continue reading below for the original review, and the other updates on how we ended up using the product. (Spoiler: The most effective way to get Barney to eat it was to do two small pumps of MaxxiOmega oil with it to make a paste, and then put the paste in American cheese like a weird little sushi roll! He never turned his nose up at this option.)Thank you again to the MaxxiDog company for your excellent product and wonderful customer service.----(Original review:)My dog Barney is well into his golden years and has is showing some pretty strong signs of canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD; basically, doggie dementia) such as night waking/panting, getting lost or stuck in corners, licking, digging at the floor, and fecal incontinence. So, I powered up the ol' computer and did some research. It turns out there isn't a ton you can do for it once they've got it, but there are supplements that can help manage some of the symptoms and keep it from progressing as quickly. Enter: SAMe and choline. These two seemed to pop up the most in my searches but my head was spinning about what product to buy. Well, this MaxxiSAMe stuff handily has both! Awesome!Now, a little bit about Barney - Barney has been anywhere from 77 to 90 pounds since I've known him. This dog LOVES to eat. He's not picky, either - he eats 'yard treats' (if you catch my drift) regularly, for goodness sake. He once ate a raw zucchini off the floor (and immediately threw it up, but that's beside the point). Now that we've been more careful about his portion sizes he acts like we're starving him to death (I assure you, we are not) and scavenges even more. But as soon as I put this stuff on his food, Barney went on a hunger strike. He will NOT touch the stuff. It's crazy. I even tried burying cheese in his bowl thinking he'd at least eat his way down to the cheese - NOPE. Not interested.I really wish this came in pill form. I've resorted to trying to squish the dosage up in cheese and give it to him that way, which is pretty difficult since he is on the highest dosage (1 tsp per dosage, twice a day), and the supplement needs to be inside the cheese for him to eat it. I have made some messes. I think my next attempt may involve deli meat since that won't fall apart like cheese slices... though now I have visions of Barney biting into the powder ball in the meat and causing an explosion.He's only had his full dosage(ish... the part that hasn't scattered out of the cheese all over the floor anyway) for a day or two. If I notice some improvement or come up with a better method of administration, I'll absolutely come back and edit my review. I really, really want to love this product. But for now, I give it 5 stars in theory and Barney gives it a 1 star in taste so we'll compromise and call it a 3.----UPDATE 4/28/2016:We went through two jars of this stuff, and multiple administration methods (since adding it straight to dry food was NOT an option). First I'll talk about the effects it has had on him, and then I will talk about how we've been giving it to him.EFFECTS: After giving him two jars of this, I didn't buy a third. After a few days of not being on it, his CCD symptoms increased fairly dramatically - walking around panting/whining at night, getting lost in corners, pooing inside, etc. He was still doing some of those things SOMETIMES, so it's possible that the timing of his symptoms was coincidental with stopping the MaxxiSAMe. However, I had forgotten just how bad his symptoms used to be, especially the night symptoms - we were all sleeping very terribly for a few days there. So I bought another jar hoping it would help him, and I think it has. We all slept through the night better the last couple of nights, anyway! This is why I've upped my rating to 4 stars (was previously 3).ADMINISTRATION: Oh boy. Well, the folks at MaxxiSAMe were kind enough to respond to my review in both email form and comment form (below) and include some ideas for getting him to take it, which is super awesome of them. Here is what we've tried, and what has and hasn't worked -1. Paste method: Add a small amount of water to make a thick paste. Give to dog like treat. This worked for maybe a couple of weeks, and now he just turns his nose away from it when I try to give it to him this way. The MaxxiSAMe folks also suggested mixing it with something he likes, but I don't think this would work, for reasons I'll get to in a moment.2. Soft food method: Barney was on meds that made his stomach upset for a while, so to get him to eat, I would add warm water to his dry kibble food to make it soft and appealing. I could add the MaxxiSAMe directly to the soft food and he'd eat it right up. *shrug*3. Paste + cheese method: This is what we're doing now. I add a VERY small amount of water to make a thick paste, which I form into a ball with my fingers. Then I smash cheese around it so that none (or at least very little) of the MaxxiSAMe ball is showing. If it is showing, he will not touch the stuff - or sometimes will sort of "work" at it to get the cheese off and spit the MaxxiSAMe out. This is why I don't think it would work to mix the paste with something he enjoys: he would still know the MaxxiSAMe is in there. I think this method would work better with lunch meat, but that's not something we normally have around the house, and it goes bad faster than cheese slices. This method would probably work okay with a PillPocket type treat that has a large enough pocket.So, in conclusion, Barney still thinks the stuff is super gross which makes administration a bit of an ordeal, but I have reason to believe it might be helping his CCD so that outweighs any difficulties in giving it to him. I do still wish it came in tablet form; I picture it being like Cosequin, where it's not a coated tablet but more of a compressed powder type tablet that can be broken if needed.Thanks again to the makers of this product for supplying such a high quality product, and for responding to reviews in such a thoughtful, detailed way!----UPDATE 6/17/2016:After my last update, the owners of MaxxiSAMe were not content that Barney still wasn't super into the stuff. They actually sent me a free bottle of their MaxxiOmega oil to try mixing that with the MaxxiSAMe, which is super awesome of them. Turns out, it totally worked. I mix his SAMe dosage with about a pump and a half of the oil, smear it on a piece of cheese and wrap the cheese sushi-style, and he gobbles it right up. He still won't QUITE eat it without cheese (though he acts like he MIGHT when I've offered it to him), but I at least don't have to try to smash the cheese all around it to hide every speck of the MaxxiSAMe. Thank you!!

This stuff is UNBELIEVABLE. It took a while to see the effects, but stay consistent, it really works. Our dog is a quad-mix of all the cute breeds (yorkie, shihtzu, pom, maltese) dealing with CHF and aging quick. We put him on this when he was 14, and honestly we didn't think he would make it. We kept on with his medication, but omg, his drive is coming back and he's way more alert.

My 16yr old Shihtzu has been on this for 4 weeks now. New blood tests taken yesterday indicate his ALT value is down from 663 to 415. It's still much too high but that's a huge reduction in just 4 weeks. An added plus is improvement in his cognitive behavior and general mood. He's in great shape for a 16yr old pup. The only health issue being high liver values and a slight cognitive degeneration.Vet wants to keep him on this product and check liver values again in three months. I'll update this review then with the newest test results.My baby never showed any aversion to the taste of this supplement, but I split it up between his daily meals. And to be fair, he eats really well. A little powder mixed in with his royal highness's five star chow went unnoticed.He's had no unwanted side effects. No tummy upset. No diarrhea. It's all been good for him.The cost? If it works, it's well worth the cost. And it'll last a lonnng time. Read the label and be sure to refrigerate after opening.Best of luck to all you fur parents looking for answers for your little loved ones' health.

I have used this product for years and actually like it. Problem being I receive an order and the “ powder” is hard as a rock. I don’t know why but obviously it has been compromised. I go to return and it is ineligible for return. No option to return for defective or broken. This is the sellers policy. The product is expensive. No simple return. This required phoning Amazon who then agreed to refund my money.Four stars because I usually do like the product and feel it has helped my senior dogs. If the seller had a reasonable return policy (for defective item) it would have been 5.