Canine Joint Supplements

[Kyrabee]

I am sure this has been discussed but the BB is acting kind of weird today and my search function is not visible?

My parents coming 11 y.o. cocker spaniel has intermittent spells of lameness. She will limp around for usually 1-3 days then seem to be fine for awhile. She is 11 and is a bit overweight (should weigh 20-22lbs and weight 26). That is a big challenge since my Dad has dementia and trying to get him to feed her appropriately just doesn’t work. Even if he claims to understand, he doesn’t remember :(. We have changed some things in the background and she has lost 2 lbs since the last visit about 6 months ago. Of course, we just had her to the vet and I forgot to ask him or ask him for an NSAID. She does have a heart murmur and is on enalapril so we probably want to minimize those anyway.
I know of Cosequin by virtue of commercials. My parents are on a fixed income so cheaper is better if the med helps. What else is out there for pups?

TIA
Susan

[blitzkrieg]

I know Adequan makes an injectable joint supplement for dogs (might be a good option if you’re worried about instructions being followed long term). My bullmastiff mix is a bit arthritic at 7 years old and he’s on a human-grade glucosamine OTC supplement which is doing the trick and not super expensive. It might be worth a trip to the vet JUST to make sure that given the other health issues at hand, treating one way or another won’t cause problems. If money is a concern I would find a country vet and explain the dog is older, definitely arthritic and they’re unable to spend the money on x-rays, etc so assuming the goal is just to relieve the dog of joint pain, what supplementation might work?

[DarkenStormy]

My dog is on Adequan shots 1ml 1x per month( he’s 12 and we have been doing this since he was 10 and he runs agility) and he weighs more than the cocker so it would be less than that for her. If you can get the vet to give you a script for it and you can give the injections yourself it’s cheaper - you can get 2 vials at Dr Foster and Smith for 129.00 and they last several months depending on how much your dosage is.

My dog also gets S3 Joint Supplement Chews. 1 per day.

If you can swing it a visit to a chiro might help too. You don’t have to go very often - I go once every couple of months - they can tell you if something is going on also.

Good luck - my mother overfeeds my dog when she is there also and it drives me nuts.

[Angela_Freda]

My dogs get/got Wellactin, a fish oil pill, and Duralactin, and anti-inflammatory from hyper-immunized cows.
Both worked really well for them.

I would wonder about your dads ability to remember to dose whatever you give besides adequan [since that is once a month injection, right?] since it will be ‘new’ to him.

[Marshfield]

It’s about a dollar a day, but I like Dasaquin

[Kyrabee]

Oh, the Dad isn’t involved in that daily stuff. He just feeds her every time he eats:sigh:. At least he gives her mostly dog food and not people food. We have quit giving her kibble at ‘her’ mealtimes because he gives her so much. She just gets a spoonful of wet food to give her her enalapril. My Mom and I take care of the medications. I perused Chewy last night and spied the Dasaquin.

thanks
Susan

[Cammie]

I just discussed this with a vet. Previously, another vet at the clinic said that the Cosequin/MSM supplement my dog is on was “great, that’s the good stuff”. This vet said “don’t buy that stuff they sell at Costco, it doesn’t work”- which is the same Cosequin/MSM supplement the previous vet said was great. Although I bought mine on Amazon rather than Costco, it’s the same Nutramax brand. Vet said there was a study one that showed most of the joint supplements on the market don’t have the ingredients stated on the label. She recommended Dausaquin (made by Nutramax, same as the Cosequin/MSM that is supposedly no good). Sigh. I can’t say I notice a difference with my dog being on the supplement vs not, but I’m also giving it to her as a preventative.

[TheHotSensitiveType]

Our APBT got old on us so we have been investigating this a lot too…

Once daily, been on this for 1-2 years (can’t remember!):
https://www.chewy.com/nutramax-cosequin-maximum-strength/dp/105326

Just started this 2 months ago, so not sure how much it is helping. Vet recommended this instead for omega-3 since I won’t feed salmon oil as nearly impossible to keep from spoiling…
https://www.chewy.com/super-snouts-joint-power-green/dp/130969

Been on this for 6 months, but Metacam and Carprofen are other options to try (needs prescription from vet to purchase), Metacam pills (if I am getting the name right…) can be purchased from a standard pharmacy but the vet office will need to call in the prescription. SO MUCH CHEAPER.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=89c5efce-9bc1-4fc0-a1e6-82ad571586c3&gas=deramaxx

He just got his 4th dose, and it is helping a lot. He doesn’t do the weird whining at night anymore. Honestly, I am not sure if the supplements are helping, however I am not sure if I am ready to pull him off them… Husband does injections.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07f4f-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

So sorry your Dad has demention!!! Is there any way you can pre-package a week’s worth of meal and label it with day/time it should be fed? Would he be able to do that?

[DoubleClick]

I like Dasaquin and have my three “seniors” on it. The two are little dogs who don’t have joint problems - I use it as a preventative. The third dog is my male Doberman who will come up lame after running around like a madman who thinks he’s a pup. I’ve noticed that since on Dasaquin, he’s been sound after craziness that has in the past left him a bit ouchy. So perhaps it’s works? Always hard to tell for sure.

[Lyssabd]

I have heard great things about Dasaquin as everyone above has mentioned, but I personally have always had my dogs on Cosequin.

Both my Goldens became arthritic around age 9, and I started them on a low dose of Cosequin (after loading dose ended, 1 tablet a day) and added an extra if they got a little gimpy after activity. It helped a lot, both dogs were on Cosequin until they passed. Our vet added Rimadyl later due to other issues, but the real Cosequin brand is what has helped, usually the DS. Various types of fish oil can also help, either pill form or a liquid you can put over food though that may not be an option for you with her feeding schedule.

Remember you can always call your vet and ask for advice! It doesn’t require a visit to leave your vet a message and ask that they call you back with a recommendation. I treat my dog vet very much like my horse vet in that I need to have a good relationship with him/her and feel comfortable calling with questions. Especially as our pets age, I’ve found it so comforting to have that relationship with them as age-related health issues arise, and when The Time comes. It never hurts to ask!

[Nezzy]

2 of my dogs are on Dasaquin. My older male is on it bc it helps line the bladder, and he has UTI issues. My youngest female is on it, bc she has grade 3 luxating patellas. They each get a half a tablet every morning, and they eat it from my hand, as if it was a treat. Easy to give.

[Townsend]

Both of my dogs are on Glycoflex. We are heavily involved in performance - agility, obedience, rally, etc. There are 3 levels of support with Glycoflex. I start them at Level 1 at around two, move them up to Level 2 when they are around four and then up to Level 3 when they are around eight. There are many kinds of supplements at all price ranges. Glycoflex is one of the more moderately priced and has worked well for me so far. As with many supplements, you start with a loading dose when you begin for a month or so and then move down to the maintenance dose. I feed twice a day and throw the chew tab in their breakfasts. If I have a particularly heavy month of agility trials as I sometimes do, I occasionally add in some extras.

[Foxtrot_s]

Some of these products are marketed under different names…but our ageing Bull Terrier did very well on Cartrophan (sp).
It is a needle given once a week for a month for loading dose and then once a month for about C$20.00 which I figured was reasonable enough for her.

I could tell when she was getting stiff again and would take her down for her shot when that happened. Within an hour she was feeling better it seemed.

[RiderWriter]

I have a 13 y.o. Springer girl and she’s been on a joint supplement since was 7 and severely tore her ACL (which was surgically repaired). I started with Glycoflex II, and then bumped her up to III after a couple years. She wasn’t lame but I was trying to play it safe. A couple years ago it seemed like she was having more difficulty with stairs and jumping so I came here and looked around at what people recommended. That led to switching her to Actistatin chews. I ordered those off of Amazon and they ran about $75 for 120 chews. My girl weighs 40 lb. so she got one per day. She definitely showed improvement on the Actistatin and she thought they tasted great.

Then in December I was moving and discovered a sample jar of Corta-Flx Crumbles that I’d picked up at Rolex. Label said it was good for horses or dogs, and I was running low on the Actistatin so I thought, what the heck. Plus I’d been seeing limping going up stairs. Threw a scoop on her food for a couple days… and BOOM, my dog was RUNNING up the stairs again! I am not kidding - the effects were IMMEDIATE.

The bonus on the Corta-Flx is it is CHEAP compared to everything else I’ve used! The only place to get the crumbles (which I really like because they don’t cling to her bowl like a powder) is State Line Tack but the price is extremely reasonable. I think I paid $24 for a jar that will last her at least three months. Sunny thinks the stuff tastes fantastic and I am thrilled at how well she is getting around. I highly recommend this stuff and have told a number of other people to get it, too!

[GoodTimes]

Please don’t waste your money on oral joint supplements! There are numerous studies on them, in dogs, horses, humans, etc. It would cost a fortune to actually feed enough glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, HA, etc to actually get enough active ingredient to the joint capsule.

Injectables like Adequan are slightly better, but nothing will reverse the damage that’s already there. Humans are incredibly biased, I don’t trust any anecdotal evidence, I gather my information from peer reviewed studies.

[Tee]

I have my 13 y/o Cocker on the Cosequin DS (soft chew, not the pill) and while studies say they probably don’t help, it makes a huge difference for her. We’ve run out once or twice and it’s easy to see within a week that she needs it and how much of a difference it makes.

I figure if she ever gets to where it’s not working anymore, we’ll probably try the Adequan.

[MNEventer]

https://majestys.com/products/majestys-buddy-bites-hip-joint I’ve used the horse version for a few years, and they’ve worked really well. Especially since the Drama King refused to eat his grain if there were any powders on it. I’ve been feeding the dog version to my greyhound since she’s still adjusting to life off the track. She likes them and seems to be moving freer in the last couple of weeks.

[GraceLikeRain]

Glycoflex 3

Glucosamine HCl (shrimp and crab) - 1000 mg
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) - 1000 mg
Perna Canaliculus (Green Lipped Mussel) - 600 mg
N,N-Dimethylglycine HCl (DMG) - 100 mg

1-800 Pet Meds has the 120 ct on sale for $71. A dog < 30 lbs gets a half a pill so it comes out to $0.30/day. Hard to beat.

[Marla_100]

AGREE w/ Grace above- Glycoflex 3, Right now it’s the only supplement my old gal will eat and it helps tremendously
with her bad hips and hind legs.

[Angela_Freda]

@MNEventer

https://majestys.com/products/majestys-buddy-bites-hip-joint I’ve used the horse version for a few years, and they’ve worked really well. Especially since the Drama King refused to eat his grain if there were any powders on it. I’ve been feeding the dog version to my greyhound since she’s still adjusting to life off the track. She likes them and seems to be moving freer in the last couple of weeks.

I too used the Majesty cookies for my picky eater equine with success [or what I perceived as success].

I do wonder about supplements ability to do much in older animals, and like to also offer anti-inflammatories if I do go with a Glucosamine/Chondroitin/HA product.