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Keep Your Dog Safe From the Side Effects of Drugs …
If you could manage the progression and the pain of arthritis for your dog without damaging your dogs health wouldn’t that be worth its weight in gold?? Educate yourself about the alternatives to drugs…
Glucosamine for dogs is a safe alternative!
You and I see commercials on TV everyday for drugs. It’s no secret that those drugs have side effects, you know, the ones they read off at the speed of light at the end of the commercial. Every other day you hear about another drug being pulled off the market because of its detrimental or even fatal side effects. Well, guess what? The drugs being prescribed for your dog are no different. They have side effects, they cause organ damage, they may shorten your dogs lifespan, as if it wasn’t short enough to begin with. Fortunately, glucosamine is a natural alternative and highly effective.
The use of glucosamine for human’s arthritis pain has become very popular and widely used so certainly we should question if glucosamine for dogs provides the same benefits. Keep reading and we will take a look at how glucosamine affects arthritic joints and the safety and efficacy of its use in dogs.
How and Why:
Over the course of your dog’s young life the body will make its own glucosamine to keep the joints protected. The glucosamine is used by the body to form the molecules that make up joint cartilage. Glucosamine also helps to bring water into the joint area for lubrication. Unfortunately, as your dog ages the body’s ability to make glucosamine diminishes. Arthritis develops from the combination of wear and tear on the cartilage and the decreased ability to repair the cartilage.
The deterioration of cartilage, known as dog arthritis , is a painful condition that sometimes has an acute cause, such as an injury, but more often it develops slowly. The unfortunate truth is that you will likely not notice any signs of pain until a significant amount of damage has occurred. It is because cartilage does not contain any nerves that it can deteriorate to a significant degree without pain. Once the protection that the cartilage provides is gone, the bones of the joint start to rub together causing pain. You may notice your dog is slow to rise from lying down, especially first thing in the morning. Maybe your pooch has a harder time jumping up on you or the bed or making it up the stairs. These signs may indicate arthritis and you would be wise to seek supplementation to protect and rebuild the joints before further damage occurs. Glucosamine for dogs may be a good option. We can supply the body with the glucosamine it needs to protect and repair the joint cartilage.
Safety and Efficacy:
Glucosamine for dogs is a supplement that has been on the market for years. According to the results of its use, it has been very helpful at alleviating the pain associated with arthritis and it has also been found to be safe for long term use. Veterinarians have been dispensing glucosamine supplements for their patients for many years with excellent results.
Researchers backup what we discussed earlier – glucosamine can aid the body in slowing down the progression of arthritis by stopping damage and assisting in repair of cartilage. Glucosamine for dogs has also been shown to reduce inflammation which will in turn decrease pain in your pet without the use of drugs and their side effects. Glucosamine paired with chondroitin has been found even more effective than glucosamine alone. In fact, many manufacturers are studying and combining other ingredients with glucosamine to increase joint support.
When should you give glucosamine? The earlier the better to get optimal repair or even prevent damage all together. If your dog started on glucosamine supplementation in the middle years, before any evidence of arthritis, it may be possible to nourish and maintain the cartilage thereby preventing arthritis. However, chances are your dog will receive some benefits regardless of the current stage of arthritis, so don’t dispair.
There are rarely any side effects of glucosamine for dogs. Some dogs may experience vomiting or diarrhea but this can usually be resolved by lowering the dose or giving the supplement with food.
Different Forms Available:
When looking for a glucosamine supplement for dogs you will want to be sure you are getting the best quality form. Look for Glucosamine Sulfate or Glucosamine Hydrochloride (HCl). You can check with your vet on what dose of glucosamine to give your dog. Don’t worry, it is not a prescription medication so you will not get in trouble because you did not get it from your vet! Your vet may prescribe a double dose for the first 1 to 4 weeks and then cut it in half to a maintenance dose. This will help bring your dog the therapeutic levels of glucosamine more quickly.
Most likely your vet carries a glucosamine supplement for sale. You may also consider looking into better prices online. It is important however to make sure you get your supplements from a quality manufacturer. Discount stores may be offering a cheaper, less effective form of glucosamine, so watch out.
Here is an important point to consider – rather than purchasing just glucosamine you can derive more benefit if it is in conjunction with other homeopathic or nutritional supplements such as chondroitin or fatty acids . It is generally believed that coupling glucosamine with other synergistic ingredients will deliver benefits beyond what glucosamine alone can do.
I hope you have found this information about glucosamine for dogs helpful and I hope you find safe and effective relief for your furry friend struggling with arthritis. Please feel free to leave comments or share your stories with our readers. I have 15 years experience in the veterinary field and I personally have a young dog that suffers from an early onset of arthritis due to an injury. That is why I am a fan of using natural pain relief over drugs. I have tried many things over the years and I am most happy with non-pharmaceutical remedies – for my dog and my family!!
If your dog has arthritis they may sit down slowly and even more so, get up from sitting or lying down with some effort.
The most obvious difference between the dog in the video and a dog that has arthritis is the length of the stride when running. The dog in the video completely extends the front legs forward and the back legs backward when running.
A classic sign of arthritis is a shortened stride.
Compare your dogs movement to the one in the video. Do those limbs stretch completely out? In severe cases a dog may even ‘bunny hop’ on the back legs when running – meaning they keep both back legs close together and make small hopping motions with the back legs.
Other tell-tale signs of arthritis are…
- not jumping up on you to greet you
- not jumping up on the couch anymore
- not wanting to climb stairs readily
- stiff and slow to rise after resting or especially in the morning
If you suspect your dog has arthritis get a diagnosis from your vet and then start using glucosamine as soon as possible. It is very safe but it may take some time to take effect so start it right away. Some dogs take 2 to 4 weeks to get relief.
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Hello from 4PetsOnline.com. I’ve just been reading your blog and I can really vouch for everything you say about glucosamine for dogs. A year ago my beloved Dalmatian girl was finally put to sleep at 18+ years of age, but for the last 4 years she received glucosamine for dogs and it enabled her to spend much longer with us than would have otherwise been possible. I cannot tell you how much we still miss her.
Hello 4PetsOnline,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am so sorry about your loss, it is so hard to lose those special dogs in our life. Boy, were you blessed to be given 18 years with her! That is wonderful long life, although it doesn’t seem it after we lose them. I am so happy to know that glucosamine gave her a safe and effective way to be comfortable. Thank you again for sharing and thank you for your website – it is beautiful!
With all the talk of health care coverage I think, for the most part, the average pet in America is getting better care than the typical human being. Of course my wife takes a Glucosmaine supplement and it helps her arthritis, why not for your dogs as they age. Good post!!
Thanks for sharing. I agree with James. I really do believe many pets are getting better health care than humans. Glucosmaine supplements are regularly taken by me and i never even thought about my dog taking them!
Glucosamine is a great first line of treatment for dogs with arthritis. Usually I use it in combination with chondroiting and fish oil.
If you are going to use glucosamine, try to get glucosamine sulfate. They have done studies which have shown that the sulfate is absorbed better in the dog’s digestive tract than glucosamine HCl.
This is really relevant to me as great dane dogs often have joint and hip problems. Im very much into fitness and i have older friends who swear by glucosmine for human joint problems interesting it works for dogs too. thanks
I completely agree with Simon above. Chondroitin and fish oil are an excellent cocktail to mix with the Gluco. It has supreme effects. I’ve seen it!
Very useful piece of information for dog owners.
Wow! You have a great site here. I’ve read your post and I really believe that it wouldn’t hurt to start your dog on glucosamine in their early years, after the puppy stage, especially if you have a large dog that is more susceptible to hip displaysia/arthritis. Keep up the good work. Thank you for your help.
Interesting that dogs can take glucosamine, but not chocolate, poor them :-(
Yes, I wish I had known about glucosamine many years back before my dog died. He was in pain off and one for quite a while with both arthritis and hips problems. He lived a good life but it could have been a little less painful, in hindsight.
I find it interesting that people invest so much interest in dog dieting and supplementation. I wonder if they invest as much time in there own diet and supplementation! The old saying goes that a dog will pick up the mannerisms of its owner and become more like them. Perhaps in the area of food supplements we should be trying to follow them!
Hey Karen! It’s been awhile since we chatted – how are you?
I am about to start supplementing both of my older dogs (and my husband!) on glucosamine and chondroitin. My vet suggested I could get one product for all of them. I was curious if you would recommend getting a glucosamine/chondrootin/MSM blend, or is MSM not a good choice for dogs?
Your feedback is appreciated as always! Thanks, Julie :-)
Hi Julie,
Good to hear from you.
MSM is fine but not my favorite. I would definitely recommend having chondroitin in the mix. I did not see any results when I used glucosamine without it.
I have also heard alot about EFAs, essential fatty acids, working very well. More manufacturers are starting to really blend ingredients together to get some good results, that is, in the dog world of supplements. I am not sure what is on the human supplement shelves as far as mixing ingredients.
Let me know how it goes.
Karen
I have been reading your blog and yes glucosamine has made a huge difference in my dogs well being. I can definitely vouch for this product.
Glucosamine is wonderful nutrient for both humans and dogs.
As my Golden retriever gets older, I’m starting to notice that it’s becoming harder and harder for her to get up after laying down for long periods of time. I believe glucosamine will be an excellent supplement to give her for the next several years. It’s great to read the reviews about how people have talked about how it’s helped their dog live longer and happier lives.
Our dog is 16 years old and has arthritis. Unfortunately, our veterinarian never suggested the use of glucosamine. So, this is definitely something we are going to give a try – thank you very much for your post.
Can actually someone explain me the difference between glucosamine and glucosamine sulfate. Are there certain cases where glucosamine is recommended and other cases, where glucosamine sulfate should be used?
Hi Bob,
You can use Glucosamine sulfate or Glucosamine HCl in dogs. Both work well, they are just different forms of glucosamine. Glucosamine hydrochloride is pure glucosamine, whereas the sulfate form is slightly less processed. Both are safe and effective.
Thanks a lot for your help. I’ve also been told that glucosamine sulfate is 40-50 % more expensive than glucosamine hydrochloride but it doesn’t really have any added value. Is this correct?
This is a great discussion. Over time I think we are realizing that animals are a lot like us and deserve better care, especially those we consider to be part of our own families. I’ve absorbed all the information on Glucosamine sulfate and Glucosamine HCl in this thread, and I’ll be doing some more research.
Thanks.
Our 11 year old Siberian Husky had a very bad case of arthritis and we had tried all forms of anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. However they didn’t work well and had major side effects. A homeopathic doctor suggested the best joint supplement should contain glucosamine as its first ingredient. We tried one she suggested and it did help improve our dogs quality of life greatly over the last years of his life.
I am in the process of developing an American made All Natural Chicken Jerky for dogs. My question is: What is the best combination? Glucosamine HCI with Condroitin Sulfate or Glucosamine Sulfate with Condrotin Sulfate? I want to use the best combination for the jerky. Thanks, Craig@ Joshs
Our cat is 6 years old and has arthritis. Unfortunately, our veterinarian never suggested the use of glucosamine. So, this is definitely something we are going to give a try – thank you very much for your post.
Glucosamine is a winner, in my books. It has helped our 8 year old golden retriever who has has joint pain for quite some time now. Thanks for sharing.
There is still some debate over whether or not one form of glucosamine is better than the other. Most say that both forms are effective. Some supplements use both forms of glucosamine, have you considered that?
I was wondering at what age should one start giving Glucosamine to his dog? I mean can it be used like before the arthritis actually appears…in order to prevent the illness or is it just to treat it once the symptoms are already visible?
Thanks in advance.
It is absolutely a good idea to start glucosamine in the middle aged dog – before the signs of arthritis appear.
By the time you see signs of arthritis the cartilage has already suffered extensive damage.
Thank you for this informational post. I agree with the previous post that it is a great idea to start glucosamine in the middle aged dog, before the signs appear. We’ve seen success with it as well.
Thank you.
My dog is 7 years old and I was told by my vet recently to make sure he always has a bone to chew on because it insures he won’t have bone problems later in life!
I know that glucosamine is found in the bones and bone marrow of animals and was wondering if this was the reason? If so, should I still give a glucosamine supplement to him?
Glucosamine is, uin my opinion the best alternative. My family had a boxer with stiffening joints and Glucosamine seemed to do the job. Thanks for sharing this with us all :)
I have used Glucosamine as a supplement and as an ingredient in the foods I purchase for years for my older male with Hip Dysplasia and it has helped ease his symptoms to a marked degree.
The author states “The use of glucosamine for human’s arthritis pain has become very popular and widely used so certainly we should question if glucosamine for dogs provides the same benefits. ”
What benefits.
In fact, studies done by the NISH and other credible entities have indicated that there is no benefit to the use of Glucosamine in humans.
Please document clinical trials in dogs that indicate otherwise.
Rick
I don’t know what the NISH is and cannot find anything online about it regarding studies on glucosamine.
Here is a clinical trial done by the National Institute of Health…
As for clinical studies in dogs… I cannot find anyone who has invested the money in doing a clinical trial in dogs. However, glucosamine functions the same in dog’s as it does in human’s joints. And I think if you read the comments here and across the internet you will find thousands of individual results that can attest to the results of using glucosamine for dogs, including myself. Do you really need the government to tell you it works?
I have never heard of Glucosamine for dogs before. It seems like it might work. I have a 13 year old Border Collie that has a bad hip. Do you think that Glucosamine for dogs might help him with his pain?
Glucosamine has been used along time now in humans and in human thus far has not that many if any bad side effects. If I recall right Glucosamine is present in the body naturally. One would assume it is okay for humans but is Glucosamine present in dogs naturally? My educated guess would be of course. I have a ten year old pup who struggles to get up on the bed and she barks at me when I ask her to come up on the bed and I believe she is telling me it it too high. Poor girl maybe I should look into it.
I wish that I had known about this several years ago. Our dog was 12, and she got to the point that she couldn’t even get up. She was so pitiful when she tried to get up in the mornings. If we had known about Glucosamine, she might have lived longer and without pain. When I adopt my next dog, I believe I will start them on the supplement early, so the later years can be as fun as the puppy years. Thank you for this great advice.
Thanks for this very informational post. I agree with the post that it is a great idea to start glucosamine in the middle aged dog, before the signs appear after the signs appear it is a whole lot harder to fix the problem. I have seen success with it as also. Nice site a lot of great content.
Thanks,
Michael
With all the talk of health care coverage I think, for the most part, the average pet in America is getting better care than the typical human being. Of course my wife takes a Glucosmaine supplement and it helps her arthritis, why not for your dogs as they age. Good post!!
There is a great deal of debate as to which is better – glucosamine sulphate or HCL. The vets that I have spoken to definitely pick HCL. Even which form is better is debatable. For example liquid, powder or tablets. However if you search the web there are studies that show gucosamine sulphate is more effective. But at the end of the day they both work. I have seen older pugs with serious joint issues get relief. The main thing is to consistently give your dog the right dose.
I have also seen the benefits of using homemade food to combat arthritis in conjunction with supplements. From my observations, vegetarian (no meat) homemade food seems best mixed with regular kibble.
My Australian Shepherd is getting up there in age and suffers from arthritis. It is so sad to see. I hate to see her in pain, I’ll research glucosamine further. Thanks.
I have a dog breed Doberman that is losing its mobility or is suffering from joint pain. Does this Glucosamine really help my doggi. Are there any effects.
The old saying goes that a dog will pick up the mannerisms of its owner and become more like them.Thank you for this informational post.Glucosamine is a winner, in my books.
Great advice. I have given Glucosamine to my German Shepherds for years. I start them on it as soon as they show any of the symptoms you listed above. Even though my dogs can’t tell me they’re in pain, it’s easy to see how slowly they get up when they start getting older. But the years roll back FAST after they start on Glucosamine. It’s a pleasure to see an old dog have energy again!
I googled a lot to find this list. My dog simply doesn’t want to climb down the stairs (i have to pick him up and take him out) and i thought he’s just trickin’ me to carry him. Now i think i will carry him to the vet and start giving him glucosamine ASAP. Thank you for this post.
I love the idea…natural methods for treating dogs with safe pain relief!
I just recently starting giving my 9 year choc lab Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements as advised by my vet. Believe me she has been thru a lot, she has had a knee replacement, snake bite, hit by a car, had tumors removed and now she has cancer. She is such a special dog and we love her so much and
Sorry I Pressed send by mistake, I’ll tell you that she has been suffering with arthritis and since she started She has improved so much, she is like is used to be. She likes to go for walks again and has more energy. Her pain seems to be way less. I just wish I would have started her on this sooner. My next pup will get it at middle age. So if your pup is having trouble do worry just give them this supplement.
It’s very hard to see an aging dog lose most mobility. Even standing up or going down two stairs can be a hard task. People feel that their pet is like a child, especially one that has been with them for six or more years!
This is terrific information that can be very helpful. It sickens me to see animals suffer from anything, so this material was great to read. I will definitely keep this information available for anyone who needs it and try to utilize all that I can. Thanks for everything!