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[Kegman]

My vet prescribed glucosamine for my 4.5 yr old dog for arthritis. She said that I need to do my homework for glucosamine because consumer reports did a study a few years ago that showed many products do not actually contain what was listed on the label because many supplements are not regulated. She said there was a list of what was tested and passed or failed.

I've searched but can not find this. Anyone know or find this study?

[Labman]

No, but my vet said the same thing. I gave our old dog ones from Walgreens.

I would think the FTC would object to any false claims.

[GSD Keira]

I have heard the same thing....if i may offer, my mom had a beagle mix about 7 years ago that had really bad arthritis. She gave him Ester-C...we noticed significant improvement in his movement and flexibility. He was alot more comfortable than he was before we started giving it to him....dont how much help this is to you but figured id share

[Kegman]

Going to look harder and bump this thread up. Thats 3 people and no answers.....I definitely can see this happening so I dont think its an urban myth

[Kegman]

Still cant find good information, but further proof this exists:

What product should I use?
Nutritional supplements are not regulated by the FDA and what you read on the label is not necessarily what you'll find in the bottle. One study showed some brands containing only half as much active ingredient as claimed on the label, and some of the worst were the most expensive. All you can do is find a manufacturer with a good reputation and hope you can depend on them to protect their reputation by producing a good product.

Companies I know and respect are Nordic Naturals, makers of high quality fish oil Omega 3 supplements, Nutramax, the manufacturer of Cosequin and Cosamine, and DVM Pharmaceuticals, which produces the Synovi line of joint supplements. Cosequin and Cosamine are excellent products, but we are increasingly recommending the Synovi line because it is less expensive and their Synovi G3 contains includes Omega 3s and antioxidants in addition to glucosamine and MSM. Both Nutramax and DVM Pharmaceuticals adhere to the cGMP (current good manufacturing practice) standard of the FDA.

taken from "Glucosamine for Dog Arthritis"

[Labman]

Poke about Arthritis Foundation | Symptoms Treatments | Prevention Tips | Pain Relief Advice I know they are a legitimate outfit. I am familiar with them because a puppy we raised is helping a man with arthritis. We have met them at fundraisers.

I don't trust anything I read on a website that I don't know anything about who is behind it. Too much astro turf and kooks out there.

Whether something is effective and whether it is honestly labeled are 2 different questions. I think the FTC requires honest labels about what is in something. The FDA requires proof of health claims.

I checked snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages and found nothing there. I did submit it to them.

[Corinthian]

Well, I don't know about list but I can definitively help you with the science.

Kahan et al.
Long-term effects of chondroitins 4 and 6 sulfate on knee osteoarthritis: The study on osteoarthritis progression prevention, a two-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2009; 60 (2): 524 DOI: 10.1002/art.24255

Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies

[calgal]

I've always given my dogs human vitamins and also glucosamine. They get Vitamin C in their Healthy powder I mix up, all from the vitamin & herb store.

[flyndog]

My veterinary surgeon recommended DVM Synovi after Cozy's patella surgeries.
Here's another link to a dog study published in Journal of Nutrition. I haven't read it, so don't know who funded it.

A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Study on the Effect of Nutraceuticals (Chondroitin Sulfate and Mussel Extract) in Dogs with Joint Diseases as Perceived by Their Owners -- Dobenecker et al. 132 (6): 1690S -- Journal of Nutrition A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Study on the Effect of Nutraceuticals (Chondroitin Sulfate and Mussel Extract) in Dogs with Joint Diseases as Perceived by Their Owners -- Dobenecker et al. 132 (6): 1690S -- Journal of Nutrition

[Labman]

That is interesting. Thank you for posting the link. Waltham is a highly respected institution although funded by Mars.

For what you pay for glucosamine, it needs to do better than that.

[dawnben]

Originally Posted by Kegman

My vet prescribed glucosamine for my 4.5 yr old dog for arthritis. She said that I need to do my homework for glucosamine because consumer reports did a study a few years ago that showed many products do not actually contain what was listed on the label because many supplements are not regulated. She said there was a list of what was tested and passed or failed.

I've searched but can not find this. Anyone know or find this study?

I dont know about the studies but I did use Trader Joes dog glucosamine for my 125 lb Rottweiler. She was 7 and in bad shape when I got her. I ran a boarding facility and had Samantha as a client the people that owned her were going to put her down because of her arthritis and other health problems. I adopted her and started her on glucosamine right away. I gave her 3000 mg in the morning and the same at night and within 2 months she was up and running again. If I had not seen this first hand I would not have believed it was possible. Trader Joes is made for dogs and chewable. The rule of thumb is try it for 3 months if you see an improvement then keep using it.

[Dulsinayae]

I'd recommend Cosequin. It's pretty expensive, but I know that when we used it on my mother's horse, she never had a day in pain. I've also heard some very, very good things about it being used in dogs.

[Dirky47]

Originally Posted by calgal

I've always given my dogs human vitamins and also glucosamine. They get Vitamin C in their Healthy powder I mix up, all from the vitamin & herb store.

Does it recommendable? using human's vitamin for your pet dog? quite confused.

[Dulsinayae]

Originally Posted by Dirky47

Does it recommendable? using human's vitamin for your pet dog? quite confused.

It's not really recommended, unless your vet has okay'd it. The issue with vitamin C with humans and dogs is that bodies can only process a small amount of it at a time, so big doses of it is kind of pointless. They'll just pee it out. That's why things like EmergenC are pointless, because your body cant even handle it. You might as well just eat a grapefruit and get some fiber out of the deal too.