# Question - glucosamine



## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Beau has been getting a supplement called Nupro on his dinner kibble for several years now, ever since I was told he has luxating patellas. It's great stuff. I sprinkle a couple of tiny scoops over his dinner kibble, add a dash of water, and mix into a "stew." It's "liver flavored," and Beau loves it. Licks his bowl clean every night!

http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Pet-Research-Nupro-Supplement-1-Pound/dp/B001RD01UI/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1408725096&sr=8-12&keywords=nupro+dog


PS: Beau just turned five, and so far, he has never shown any sign that his knees are bothering him. Never skipped a step, held up a leg, etc. And believe me, I watch his gait obsessively looking for signs!


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Well, I posed the same question to Sunny's breeder and she said she has spoken with other breeders and show folks (she breeds for show also) and none of them believe that it makes a difference either way. She also recently spoke to a vet in Canada who had his dog on glucosamine for years and he said he really did not see much of a difference. As long as you are providing a high quality diet with lots of nutrients and oils, that should suffice.

My conventional vet has always "pushed" the supplements; my holistic vets not so much. Interesting.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

We gave our mini poo glucosamine for the last several years of his life (probably the last five or six years), and I think it helped him maintain some ease of movement. At the very least, I'm fairly confident it didn't hurt him; he passed away at 17.5 years old. A friend of ours who was in med school at the time said that glucosamine is actually more helpful for dogs than people. That's our experience, for what it's worth.


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

My dogs are very active and I give them glucosamine and Chondroitin for maintenance. Cash eats a Synovi G3 chew (he likes the taste, they're affordable and they include green mussels which is a big deal right now) and Ryker gets the human pills since he won't eat any supplements.


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## Charlygrl2 (Mar 30, 2014)

*It worked wonders for Magic*

When Magic was about 12 years old I came home on Friday afternoon he couldn't stand up, rushed him to vet and it was discovered that he had slipped on the wood floors and strained his back legs due to the fact of his age, and a little bit of arthritis in his hips. The vet instructed me to start giving him glucosamine, within a week he was walking fine, about four weeks he was jumping back up on the bed. I kept him on it until I lost him at 16 until that day he can still climb up on the furniture and jump off the bed.
Magic son Trick who's 10 starting it this year after I noticed him limping from catching the ball, 4 weeks later he limps the more.

Thing to remember with it is that it takes a few weeks to get in the system it's a gradual build and you have to continually take it it's not something you can give them on occasion to get any effect.

PS I take it to and have for years I am athletic workout,I run, bike if I forget to pick it up and don't take it for a couple days I start noticing A difference and I'm 7 1/2 in dog years.....lol


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## MrsKaia (Dec 3, 2011)

I am feeding raw, and one of the things that I supplement my dog's meals with is XKaliber (green tripe, muscle meat, heart, tongue, trachea/gullet and ground bone in a 2 lbs stub). Trachea is a good natural source of glucosamine.
Chicken feet are also a natural source of glucosamine, if you can get over the fact that there was once a chicken attached to the feet  Homemade bone broth made of joint bone is also an good natural source.
You might find this an interesting read: Glucosamine For Dogs | Dogs Naturally Magazine

I too have been taking glucosamine (in pill form though  ) every day for about a year now. Together with fish oil it keeps my hip and shoulder almost pain free.


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## Mahlon (Jun 8, 2014)

liljaker said:


> I have a question. Sunny is 6 and we put on lots of walking miles, etc. and well, on cement sidewalks (most of our walks), in can be hard on joints. Does anyone use and endorse any of the Glucosamine / joint supplements? I have read conflicting reviews and some dogs have other health issues with them? I was speaking to a neighbor and they said their dog did not tolerate glucosamine -- hmm. Would be curious.
> 
> He is on a great nutritious diet so I know he gets all the required nutrients, just think maybe for the joints, etc., he may need?


Just thought I'd chime in and mention that you might first start looking at how much if any Glucosamine/Chondroitin is in the food you are already feeding. From my researched (albeit somewhat limited) it seems that this tends to be one of the defining factors that differentiates between "Large Breed", Regular, etc. The large breed foods from my experience looking, tend to have much higher levels of Glu/Chon. 

So depending on what you are feeding (even if not large breed diet, its worth looking online to try and figure out how much, raw, homemade, etc should all have some in it).

I know for my wife, starting taking a Glu/Chon supplement this summer for her arthritis made a DRAMATIC difference in only days for her. Its a funny saying, but literally it was like watching the Tin Man getting treated with the oil can, and we could see the difference within the first week.

-Dan


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

This is also a topic of interest among horse owners, and also runners. I took it for a while, but didn't notice any difference. Some people say it makes a huge difference, both with their pets and themselves; others say it doesn't. Maybe it depends on a certain kind of inflammation, and that's why it helps some people and pets and not others? Just guessing.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I had great success giving my late toy poodle, Potsie, Nutramax Cosequin Maximum Strength (DS) Plus MSM Chewable Tablets Joint Health Supplement for Dogs, 250 chewable tablets, along with a fish oil capsule daily. He had level 4 luxating patellas, and should have needed surgery, but he wasn't even lame. It astounded my vet. Since he was so severe, I continued giving him the loading dose, even after the 4-6 week period.

I'm now giving all my dogs this supplement on a daily basis. Two of my dogs are older, and one has minor luxating patellas. Thank goodness, I can get it at my local BJs (like a Costco) for a reasonable price.


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