Topical Collagen: The Doggy Fountain of Youth?
Longtime followers and dog enthusiasts know our passion for the health of four-legged companions. Many of our custom blends were created for our own dear pugs. The pugs have always been our mineralization superstars. We focus on their health with OHM minerals + real food + acupuncture. So when we introduced topical collagen for humans earlier this summer it was only natural for our pugs to enjoy the same benefits we do!
The Unmistakable Difference
Like our human clients, our pugs have benefited enormously from Topical Collagen. Honestly, topical collagen could be the “Doggy Fountain of Youth!” Like many purebred dogs, they come with a familiar list of health vulnerabilities, including sensitive ears, reactive skin, and stiffening hips. We spent years adding oral collagen supplements to their food without seeing any noticeable change. However, once we switched to applying collagen topically, the difference in their daily comfort and vitality was unmistakable. Transdermal absorption isn’t just an efficient delivery method for humans, as our four-legged family feels the shift, too.
The following are unedited pictures of Jack in 2024 (left) and 2026 (right). Jack is more than 13 years old. He has faced challenges with ear, eye (itchy, goopy, droopy) and skin issues his entire life. Thankfully, OHM mineralization has kept most of his issues largely under control.
Now that Jack is aging into a senior pug, he has new deficiencies with hearing, breathing, weak hips, digestion and worsening goopy droopy eyelids. Within three months of adding topical collagen to his routine, many of Jack’s health challenges have reversed. His hips are stronger, breathing clearer, skin issues gone, hearing is better, and his ears are clear. The most pronounced benefit is Jack’s eyes look amazing now! The spring in Jack’s step is reminiscent of his youthful energy not seen in several years. He is once again active and romping around with his 7 yr old pug brothers. It is pure joy to watch!
Speaking of the pug brothers, Leo’s hips do not have cups for the hip ball. OHM minerals have strengthened his tendons and ligaments to hold the ball against the plate where the joint should be. By adding topical collagen into Leo’s health ritual, we have taken his hips to a new level. Jumping, climbing stairs, and running no longer intimidate this little fellow. Additionally, his large brown eyes, which make him so cute, were the beginning stages of dryness. Now, they are now moist and bright!
Topical Collagen: Your Collagen, Our Secret for Dogs
Our Topical Collagen Secret for Dogs could not be easier for you and your dog. Bonus: you can discontinue oral collagen supplements. We do not sell collagen on our website but we do make it easy by having collagen-labeled bottles in a two pack. OTC collagen is easy to dissolve in water and apply to your dog through the fur. It absorbs almost immediately.
Our human research regarding OTC collagen was published earlier this year on The Healing Space Blog under Topical Collagen and Are We Chronically High in Oxidative Stress or Chronically Deficient in Collagen? We highly recommend reading these. We also published The Quiet Storm: How Stress Depletes Your Dog’s Trace Minerals. All are fast reads and, together, they connect the dots for you and your dog's health.
Doggy Fountain of Youth: Topical Collagen Routine for Dogs
Use the same directions for dogs as humans.
Full Body Mineralization
We recommend K-9 Reconstruct or K-9 Replenish 3x/week as shown in the picture above. Sprinkle the dry minerals on to the back and gently rub them into the fur. This ensures your dog has trace elements for the biosynthesis of the topical collagen.
Joints
We recommend that if your dog is enduring degenerative joints, including at the hips, LEVate alternating with K-9 ReGenR8 applied onto the joint with topical collagen. Apply these at least 5-6x/week.
- For best results, use LEVate in the morning and ReGenR8 in the evening.
- For maintenance or for aging, weak joints, use the above 5-6x/week. Apply again for weakness after exercise.
Put the OTC topical collagen dissolved in water for topical collagen in your palm + the desired amount of minerals for the area. Then, mix with your finger and apply.
Ears
If you and your dog are battling ear issues (fungal, itching and infections), use K-9 Vagus Viral applied around each ear 5-6x/week with topical collagen.
Put the OTC topical collagen dissolved in water for topical collagen in your palm + the desired amount of minerals for the area. Then mix with your finger and apply around the entire outer ear. Never inside the ear.
Eyes
If you and your dog are battling eye issues (dry, itchy, goopy, droopy), apply K-9 Vagus Viral around each ear and a little ways toward the eye. Do this 5-6x/week with topical collagen.
Put OTC topical collagen in your palm + the desired amount of minerals for the area. Then mix with your finger and apply around the entire outer ear. Never on or near the eye.
Skin
If you and your dog are battling skin issues (fungal, itching and infections), apply K-9 NO ITCH when the skin is affected, 5-6x/week with topical collagen.
Put OTC topical collagen in your palm + the desired amount of minerals for the area. Then mix with your finger and apply onto the fur. Never apply to open wounds.
Gut
If you and your dog are battling stomach issues, apply K-9 GoTo on the abdomen 2-3x/week with topical collagen. On off days, apply topical collagen without minerals to heal the gut lining.
Put OTC topical collagen in your palm + the desired amount of minerals for the area. Then mix with your finger and apply around the entire abdomen.
We Dedicate the Newsletter to Our Lucy
Before we founded OHM, our sweet Lucy abruptly lost the use of her legs. For 5 years she was in a wheelchair, a diaper and had excruciatingly dry eyes. Her previous life as a breeding pug for a puppy mill left her back and hips damaged. Those big wonderful eyes dried and plagued her throughout her senior years.
Lucy scurried around in her wheelchair. She even mastered a 3-point turn for tight spaces. Lucy was a precious teacup pug but was tough as nails. We lost her when she was about 18 yrs old.
We learned so much from Lucy. We were truly blessed. Lucy’s zest for life and her determination will remain in our hearts forever. She IS the reason we are so passionate about dog and pet musculoskeletal health.
Citations
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Shapiro, I.M., Landis, W.J. (2023). Collagen-based Mineralization of Bones, Teeth, and Other Vertebrate Skeletal Tissues. In: Mechanisms of Mineralization of Vertebrate Skeletal and Dental Tissues. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34304-9_7
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