[Thecowboysgirl]

I give both my younger dogs cosequin daily. I can't really remember why I started doing that, I guess it was that long ago.

Suddenly I thought to myself...is it a total waste to feed high quality glucosamine/chondroitin to a young, healthy dog?

They are 4 and 18 months. No joint or soundness issues for either.

Do you give Cosequin or something like it to growing/young/healthy dogs?

Any of you super smart nutrition people have any advice pro or con?

 

[Jax08]

Deb Toracca at Wizard of Paws recommended putting all dogs on Dasuquin. The Dasuquin Advanced she sells can only be bought thru vets or other medical offices.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

And do you give it to your young/adult healthy dogs?

I haven't heard of Dasuquin. In horses I always heard cosequin was the only one that had really been studied

 

[Jax08]

Dasuquin is made by the same company as Cosuquin. I've given the Dasuquin with MSM but stopped when the prices went up. It is a superior product to the Cosuquin and it looks like the prices are back down into a reasonable range.

 

[Jax08]

@Thecowboysgirl
I would like to see the research mentioned in this article

Dasuquin for Dog Joint Pain and Stiffness - American Kennel Club

Helping your dog manage joint pain and stiffness with supplements including Dasuquin can make a difference in your dog's quality of life.

www.akc.org

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Your trusted news source for your veterinary and practice needs

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[atomic]

Please bear in mind I am not a veterinary professional but just expressing a humble opinion from having both dogs and horses my entire life. Why try to fix what isn’t broken? Is a supplement needed in an otherwise young, and more than physically able specimen? Another thought would be, is the supplement creating a crutch of sorts, or masking a potential weakness? Something else I would ponder is, how much do these people pushing the product make off of it? We all want the best for our pets, for me I adopt less is more. For an older, or dog exhibiting issues then yes. Supplements can certainly make their lives more comfortable, which they deserve. I hope you do not think I am chiding, because I absolutely am not. Just my own opinion is let them be and intervene if or when necessary.

 

[Jax08]

Well. I don't believe Deb makes a ton of money off a supplement. She certainly didn't push it on me. She is a physical therapist with years of experience before practicing with animals. She developed courses with a university for others. Her credentials speak for themselves.

I guess you can treat arthritis after its developed but, with years of watching my husband and now my son suffer, why not lessen inflammation before the issue starts? Especially if you have sport dogs that have high impact on their bodies.

 

[Jenny720]

I have not heard of dasequin it’s good to know they keep improving what’s out there. Oh boy I wish there was something out there that would prevent arthritis. Keeping the immune system healthy give you the best shot. Turmeric and fish oil are good for inflammation. Will joint supplements hurt No can’t say it is a life changer. I Have have arthritis a lot of arthritis in my family grandmother, mom, dad ,sister and myself and all some runners some not. It has hit with or without supplements. I gave joint supplements to my horse Just to give it seems to help him to a very small degree in regards to stiffness. I made sure I’d gave my horse supplements that did not break the bank and was giving daily throughout his life. I have used Cosequin is expensive there is a lot of advertisement costs. I have not seen differences. You can shop around or if you happy with it in the past use that. If anything Leaving him out of his stall and in a paddock at night helped best a huge difference. I do know having arthritis getting up and being able to move around is key crating can be rough in that respect. Article I’m regards to horses.

Low quality of evidence for glucosamine-based nutraceuticals in equine joint disease: review of in vivo studies - PubMed

Nutraceuticals are increasingly applied to the management of equine arthritis and joint disease, particularly those based upon glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate. While the first report of using glucosamine in horses appeared more than 25 years ago, it was not until 1992 that isolated studies...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[tc68]

I used to use Cosequin on my first one in his last 3 years or so. And it helped. I bought the chewable kind from Costco. I noticed that Costco doesn't sell those anymore. They only sell the pill form.

I don't know anything about using it for preventative measures when they're young. Are there studies done on that? If there are, I'd be interested in knowing what the findings are. I certainly don't want my almost-2yo to go through what the previous dog went through. Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out what a good Fish/Salmon oil brand to give my pup and if it's worth it.

 

[John T24]

We have been using this for both our sheps.
it's their morning treat...

 

[John T24]

. Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out what a good Fish/Salmon oil brand to give my pup and if it's worth it.

Been using this brand fish oil lately. dogs love it and it doesn't stiffen up when you keep it in the fridge.
Tractor supply carry's it.
.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Been using this brand fish oil lately. dogs love it and it doesn't stiffen up when you keep it in the fridge.
Tractor supply carry's it.
.


View attachment 556433

I get that same fish oil from Chewy. It doesn't smell as nasty as some either. I give it to my lab because he gets dandruff otherwise.

I think I am leaning toward stopping cosequin for both my boys till they are older. They've both has OFA Xrays and are orthopedically sound. They are active and not overweight. My GSD is such a big boy I do try to keep his wear and tear down... like I make him use the ramp down out of the back of my truck which is quite high. He weighs 90lb and those jumps are avoidable esp. When on pavement.

I don't train jumps too frequently with him because he is so big.

Maybe I will restart when he is 7 or 8. He should probably get the fosh oil too.

 

[tc68]

Been using this brand fish oil lately. dogs love it and it doesn't stiffen up when you keep it in the fridge.
Tractor supply carry's it.
.


View attachment 556433

Thanks, John. I'll look into that.

 

[Magwart]

Why not just feed beef trachea tubes to a young, healthy dog? Worst case scenario is they get a delicious, healthy chew, and that's not wasted money! Maybe the glucosamine/chondroitin in the trachea will be in a form the body recognizes as nourishment and can do something useful with. Since you're not treating anything, dose doesn't matter, so you can just feed it in a natural food-based form. If you're going to be spending money, the dog will like it more than a pill.

OTOH, Dasuquin Advanced is top of the line in those supplements, as it's got a lot more than gluc/chon. I think even the gluc/chon Nutramax uses is supposed to be proprietary and absorbed differently than the stuff sold in human OTC supplements (it's a low molecular weight form, if I remember correctly). Unlike most pet supplements, this one is known for quality control (and having what the label says actually inside it -- which you often can't count on in pet supplements). I think we pay something like $30/bottle which lasts just under 2 months. There's also a $4 rebate that's been running a while: https://nutramaxvet.inmarrebates.com/#/

The research on "regular" gluc/chon is pretty disappointing in people. I'm not sure that the research on Dasuquin Advanced helping dogs isn't due to the other stuff in it -- hard to say. Honestly though I think the biggest bang for the buck for treating actual arthritis in dogs is Adequan injections.

@Jax08, I'm pretty sure that Nutramax's veterinary-oriented site used to have their research out in the open to click and read, as I remember seeing them there. At some point, they must have moved it behind a log-in wall that requires a clinical credential to access now. The bibliography is still there if you dig a little for it...but the articles aren't. Harumph.

Veterinary and Medical Portal | Nutramax Laboratories, Inc.

Nobody supports you like Nutramax Laboratories' commitment to helping you help your patients live the healthiest lives they can, be it pet or human.

www.nutramaxlabs.com

I wonder if the publishers of the journals got after them, since most of that stuff lives behind journal pay walls? Bummer. I like journal articles to be posted so that consumers who are science-literate can access them!

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Why not just feed beef trachea tubes to a young, healthy dog? Worst case scenario is they get a delicious, healthy chew, and that's not wasted money! Maybe the glucosamine/chondroitin in the trachea will be in a form the body recognizes as nourishment and can do something useful with. Since you're not treating anything, dose doesn't matter, so you can just feed it in a natural food-based form. If you're going to be spending money, the dog will like it more than a pill.

OTOH, Dasuquin Advanced is top of the line in those supplements, as it's got a lot more than gluc/chon. I think even the gluc/chon Nutramax uses is supposed to be proprietary and absorbed differently than the stuff sold in human OTC supplements (it's a low molecular weight form, if I remember correctly). Unlike most pet supplements, this one is known for quality control (and having what the label says actually inside it -- which you often can't count on in pet supplements). I think we pay something like $30/bottle which lasts just under 2 months. There's also a $4 rebate that's been running a while: https://nutramaxvet.inmarrebates.com/#/

The research on "regular" gluc/chon is pretty disappointing in people. I'm not sure that the research on Dasuquin Advanced helping dogs isn't due to the other stuff in it -- hard to say. Honestly though I think the biggest bang for the buck for treating actual arthritis in dogs is Adequan injections.

@Jax08, I'm pretty sure that Nutramax's veterinary-oriented site used to have their research out in the open to click and read, as I remember seeing them there. At some point, they must have moved it behind a log-in wall that requires a clinical credential to access now. The bibliography is still there if you dig a little for it...but the articles aren't. Harumph.

Veterinary and Medical Portal | Nutramax Laboratories, Inc.

Nobody supports you like Nutramax Laboratories' commitment to helping you help your patients live the healthiest lives they can, be it pet or human.

www.nutramaxlabs.com

I wonder if the publishers of the journals got after them, since most of that stuff lives behind journal pay walls? Bummer. I like journal articles to be posted so that consumers who are science-literate can access them!

I have fed tracheas sometimes. My lab kind of scares me. He choked on one and I had to yank it out of his mouth.

My shepherd chews normally and could have them.

I've been having more luck with bully sticks partly frozen jnto a kong to prevent gulping with the lab

 

[Jax08]

The research on "regular" gluc/chon is pretty disappointing in people.

Another reason I stopped giving the joint supplements. I feed raw trachea and find the cartilage undigested in their stool. I do like chicken feet when I can get them.