# Glucosamine



## Kassandra (Jun 6, 2012)

Been trying to find and old thread on this but I got lazy and decided to just post up a new one.

Charlie's hips have been cracking when she gets up after a long snooze, so I'm thinking eventually she will probably get arthritis  She gets fish oil already, and I just started giving her glucosamine pills as a sort of preventative I guess.. Not sure how much to give her, how often etc. It's just regular people pills. I looked at a few pet stores first and I think it was like, 25$ for 150 pills or something... I went to walmart and got normal people ones, it was the same ingredients and stuff, but 300 pills for 15$. They are 500mg. It says to give 1, 3 times a day. But obviously that is for people. Would I still use the same dosage or cut back? I was thinking one twice a day but even that might be more than enough. 

Anyone have an idea?

EDIT: I've read that you should give 20 mg/lb. So would that be like.. 1000mg for a 50lb dog? Charlie weight 52 lbs atm.
Or, since she doesn't actually have a problem right now it is more of a prevention thing, should I stick with giving her 1 per day?


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

If you are going to supplement glucosamine, Dasequin I think is more protective of joints than alot of the other stuff. So many things are in a bottle but when you give it to a dog or human it doesn't have the other stuff needed to absorb it, or it's just not absorbable to begin with. There's so little regulation.

Dasequin is one of the few things I have actually taken my vet's advice on - there are probably other good products out there and probably some with less crap in them than Dasequin has, but it does what it says it will do.


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## Kassandra (Jun 6, 2012)

I used to take the same pills, they worked wonders for me, I took nothing else. I'll take a look at Dasequin but I'm still going to give these for the time being, they aren't going to do harm! If I do decide to go with Dasequin I can save these for me anyways lol!


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

Not sure about the Dasequin; but the Glucosamine needs to be given as a "double" dose for the first couple weeks. You need to build up enough in the system, and then cut back. If you do not give enough initially then you will not see the results.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

I feed my poodle, who has grade 4 (the worst grade) luxating patellas, and my boxer, Cosequin DS plus MSM, with great results (I get it at Vitamin Shoppe or even at my grocery store, Publix). My vet simply cannot fathom how my poodle is not lame, given the severity of his condition, but he's not (the joints can be popped back in, but immediately pop back out as soon as he moves)! She said that he should be at the point of needing surgery for it, and that she's got clients with less severe cases that are very lame. There is a "loading" dose for the first few weeks, then a maintenance dose thereafter. Because of my poodle's problem, I keep him on the loading dose, with my vet's blessing. I also feed both dogs a fish oil capsule daily (I just throw it whole into their food).

Another critical piece of information is that it's crucial to keep your dog lean. Weight aggravates joint issues to no end. I feed a good, grain free kibble, and weigh the dogs monthly. Regular exercise (enough, but not enough to make them sore) is important, too. I followed this same regimen for a black lab we used to have (RIP Chipper!), and he lived to be 14.5 years - a very good age for a lab - and it wasn't arthritis that got him in the end...


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

Georgiapeach said:


> Another critical piece of information is that it's crucial to keep your dog lean. Weight aggravates joint issues to no end. I feed a good, grain free kibble, and weigh the dogs monthly. Regular exercise (enough, but not enough to make them sore) is important, too. I followed this same regimen for a black lab we used to have (RIP Chipper!), and he lived to be 14.5 years - a very good age for a lab - and it wasn't arthritis that got him in the end...


I so agree with this. So many fat dogs out there... the one best thing people can do to save their dogs is keep them thin.


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## Kassandra (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks guys! I remember reading about the "loading" dose! Completely forgot about it even though i had to do it for myself as well. So now she should be getting 4 and then in a couple of weeks cut back to 2??

Beth I'm glad its been working for her! I have no experience with any of this so I can't imagine what its like keeping him comfortable. The last dog I had with arthritis had to be let go because of it at 16 when I was 10. Obviously I don't remember much of it. We've been very lucky with these types of problems considering the types of breeds I am into. Charlie is a hard keeper, she needed to gain around 10 lbs a while ago to be at a healthy weight and I've put 7 her so far, but I think I like where she's at now anyways considering this. She's no longer severly underweight, just a little on the lean side which I prefer anyways. Thanks for sharing!


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