Dog owners that have to deal with canine arthritis know the nightmare this condition brings into their dog’s lives. And they’re constantly looking for a solution for the aches that continue to haunt their favorite furry friends.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that a product like glucosamine for dogs has been such a popular commodity in the dog owner community. But the issue here is there’s now an overwhelming amount of glucosamine supplements to choose from as a potential buyer.
It’s become almost impossible to determine, which glucosamine product is high-quality and low-quality within today’s market; therefore, we thought a buying guide going over all the ins and outs of these products would be a good idea.
It’ll even point you towards five best glucosamine for dogs products that we consider the finest on the market. But before we review those high-quality items, we must go over all the information you’ll need to make a responsible final decision.
So please, keep reading and let me walk you through this process to ensure this experience doesn’t become a frustrating nightmare.
Top 5 Glucosamine For Dogs
So please, keep reading and let me walk you through this process to ensure this experience doesn’t become a frustrating nightmare.
Causes for Dog Joint Problems and Arthritis
Joint problems tend to a burden that many dogs end up facing in their lives. Sometimes the situation can get to the point where the joint aches and pains turn into arthritis. These issues can manifest themselves from a variety of different causes:
Hip Dysplasia and Other Development Issues
One of the most common causes is a condition called hip dysplasia, which is a developmental/genetic disorder. It comes from when a dog’s joints don’t grow properly and become abnormal.
This abnormal bone growth results in them experiencing arthritic discomfort and pain. Other conditions mimic hip dysplasia’s devastating effects such as elbow dysplasia as well.
Metabolic Disease
Another condition that might cause joint problems in your dog is a metabolic disease called Von Willebrand’s disease. This condition is a type of hemophilia, which could result in significant bleeding in your dog’s joints.
This excess bleeding might lead to arthritis-like symptoms within your dog’s joints.
Cruciate ligament Problems
As a dog’s ages, the wear and tear can start degenerating their joints. This ends up causing cruciate ligament problems, which leads to joint pain and ultimately arthritis. It’s among the most common causes of arthritis and joint pain in existence.
Other Conditions
Outside of the three causes mentioned above, numerous other conditions might result in joint and arthritis: cancer, obesity, Lyme disease, hyperparathyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc.
If you think your dog might have one of these conditions, you should take them to the vet immediately. You shouldn’t take these conditions lightly.
Which Breeds Are More Affected?
Like most medical conditions, some dogs are more prone to experiencing joint problems and arthritis. If you have any of the following breeds, you should be on higher alert about how you can avoid these issues from occurring:
- Mastiffs
- Great Danes
- Golden Retrievers
- Saint Bernards
- Labrador Retrievers
- German Shepherds
- Dachshunds
- Old English Sheep Dogs
- Newfoundlands
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
When looking over this list, it might seem like these issues only affects larger breeds; but joint pain and arthritis does affect some smaller dogs more than the average dog. These smaller dogs that are prone to these conditions are typically apart of the chondrodystrophoid group: Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, and Bulldogs.
If your dog belongs to any of the breeds mentioned in this section, you must be more vigilant about any signs of joint pain. These signs include lameness, loss of appetite, limping, licking of joints, lethargy, having issues getting up from resting, and slow gait.
How Glucosamine Helps?
All this talk about joint problems and arthritis probably has you asking yourself one thing: how can I help my dog? Well, there’s a common osteoarthritis treatment called glucosamine. This supplement will help fight against these joint problems by strengthening your dog’s body cartilage.
In doing so, glucosamine decreases the inflammation within your dog’s joints, which effectively slow down the degeneration process. This supplement has been tested in various countries, and the results have been relatively positive.
For instance, there was a study done in 2006 by the National Institute of Health, which saw that 20% of the participants saw a reduction in pain. It’s a result like this one that makes many vets conclude glucosamine for dogs is a good idea.
Advantages Of Glucosamine
The use of Glucosamine as a dog arthritis treatment offers dog owners a variety of different benefits. For one, it provides fewer risks than your conventional medications, which often come with serious side effects.
You can also purchase glucosamine without a prescription as you can usually find it at your local supermarket or drugstore. And the effects of these supplements seem to have a longer lasting impact than your standard prescribed drugs.
The price of glucosamine isn’t bad either as most dog owners find it to be relatively affordable. But before purchasing some glucosamine, you need to consult your vet and have a detail examination of your dog.
And once the vet gives you the okay, do yourself a favor and invest in the best glucosamine for dogs product you can find.
What to Consider When Buying Canine Glucosamine
If you’ve decided that getting a glucosamine supplement is a good idea, there are going to be things you must consider. And in this section, we’ll discuss these factors at length to ensure you end up with the best glucosamine for dogs product possible.
Seller
The first you thing must consider before making a final decision is the seller you’re buying from; there are a lot of glucosamine products out there, and not all of them are created equal. You must make sure you buy from a reputable brand and seller.
If you don’t, you might be putting your dog’s health at risk. And since supplements aren’t regulated, it’s possible some of these products won’t even have glucosamine in them; therefore, you’d be wasting your money on a product that ends up offering no benefits.
You can determine whether or not the seller is legitimately through looking at the product reviews. Honestly, there’s nothing angrier than a person who’s been duped by a product, which is supposed to help their dog.
Other Ingredients
In most cases, the supplement you end up buying won’t consist entirely of glucosamine. As a result, you must ensure these other ingredients are healthy for your dog to ingest. Look for additional ingredients like fish oil (omega), which will offer your dog its own set of benefits.
It’s also a good idea to purchase a glucosamine chondroitin for dogs supplement. In other words, chondroitin will act as a secondary supplement, which itself will help repair cartilage. If you see an ingredient you aren’t too sure about, contact your vet before purchasing.
Don’t assume the ingredients in these products are entirely healthy for your dog because they’re in a health supplement. It never hurts to be a little bit paranoid when buying these sorts of products. After all, we’re talking about your dog’s health.
Type of Glucosamine
Glucosamine mostly comes in three different types: glucosamine KCL, glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl) or glucosamine sulfate. Experts often recommend going with a product that features glucosamine sulfate over the two kinds.
You see glucosamine sulfate is the most common type for a reason as it has been studied the most in both human and animal trials. Meanwhile, glucosamine hydrochloride is a more concentrated product, which contains a lot less sodium.
However, there has been significantly less research done regarding its effectiveness. And glucosamine KCL is generally thought to be a less effective product. As a result, a glucosamine sulfate product represents the safest and most effective pick for a potential buyer.
What Glucosamine Form is Best For Your Dog?
Glucosamine will also come in numerous different formulations such as liquids, powders, tablets, chews or even treats. You’ll have to decide, which one suits your particular set of circumstances.
How Much Glucosamine Should I Give My Dog And Ways to Give the Daily Dose?
The usual glucosamine for dogs dosage is 500mg per 25 pounds of your dog’s weight. This dosage can vary depending on the severity of your dog’s arthritis. We should also note that you can give one tablet 500mg tablet to dogs under 25 pounds.
In other words, you won’t have to split it up or anything like that with dogs under 25 pounds. Experts often recommend that you mix the glucosamine into your dog’s daily food. But we understand some dogs tend to a little fickle about eating tablets or pills.
If your dog tends to be a little picky, you can trick them by covering the glucosamine with some peanut butter. However, you must make sure the peanut butter doesn’t contain xylitol as it’s incredibly poisonous to dogs.
Product Reviews
Since you now have an understanding of what you should be looking for, it’s time we start discussing these products. And below, you’ll find reviews of the five best glucosamine supplements for dogs on the market.
But before we dive entirely into these products, we’re going to provide you with a guide discussing our criteria for the reviews. It’ll help you understand why we picked these products over all the other available ones.
Our Criteria
We’ve rated all the glucosamine supplements below on four different categories: chewable/easy to give, blend of ingredients, effectiveness, and price. Each one will be given a rating based on a scale from 1-10.
Chewable/Easy to Give
This rating will reflect the product’s texture as well as a dog’s response to it. It’ll give you an idea of whether or not other dog owners found their dogs were willing to take the supplement without hassle.
Blend of ingredients
This category will rate the quality of the ingredients themselves. The higher the rating, the more confident you can be in the potential benefits the supplement provides your dog.
Effectiveness
Does the product work? Do vets recommend it? This rating will be higher or lower depending on the answers to these questions. You’ll be able to determine the quality of the supplement from this category.
Price
The price rating will consider the cost-effectiveness of the product. It’ll also take into account how many pills/dosages you get with purchase and the package options you can choose from as a potential customer.
The 5 Best Glucosamine Products for Dogs
The following five products have time and time again proven to be the very best canine glucosamine products on the entire market. From these the reviews we provide, we hope you end up finding the perfect glucosamine supplement to help your dog’s arthritis.
VetIQ Maximum Strength Hip & Joint Soft Chews For Dogs
@ Amazon.com
The first product on our list separates itself from the pack by combining its ability to offer optimum joint health (glucosamine) with otherworldly antioxidant capabilities (krill). The krill within this product also helps promote skin and coat as well.
Given this information, you see why I thought VetIQ Maximum Strength Hip & Joint Soft Chews For Dogs deserved a spot on our list. But its ingredients aren’t the only benefit that it could offer to a dog or dog owner.
This product also has a delicious chicken flavor, which most dogs end up loving. And since it has a soft chew formulation, it’s easy to administer as well. The 600 mg glucosamine content is another positive as each chew should provide the deserved results.
Plus, VetIQ keeps its formula rather simple, which should give a sense of comfort as a potential buyer; therefore, you won’t have to worry about a hidden ingredient causing your dog issues. However, it being rather simple did leave out one specific supplement that I always like to see in any glucosamine product I’m considering: chondroitin.
So if you’re looking to combine the positive effects of both chondroitin for dogs and glucosamine, this product isn’t the one for you.
Zesty Paws Glucosamine for Dogs
@ Amazon.com
The Zesty Paws Glucosamine for Dogs offers a high glucosamine content at 450 mg to encourage joint health and combines it with a duck flavoring. Both these qualities put it well above many other glucosamine products on the market.
It’s also helpful that this product contains both chondroitin and MSM, which will act as secondary sources to relieve your dog’s joint pains. This product includes yucca extract that’ll further support both hip and joint function as well.
The chewable formulation is another positive as it makes administering it to a dog rather simple. There’s nothing worse than having a high-quality supplement that you can’t figure out a way to make your dog take it.
This product also promotes heart and immune system health, which is an aspect most other glucosamine products don’t offer. It seems Zesty Paws covered all the bases with this particular supplement.
But there was a reoccurring issue mentioned within the customer reviews concerning the odor of the product. In fact, this odor made some dogs unwilling to take the tablet. This type of issue isn’t something I like to see considering my dogs are rather picky about what’s in their food bowl.
Nutramax Cosequin DS Plus with MSM Chewable Tablets
@ Amazon.com
The best thing about our product is how it combines the three ingredients of chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine. All three of these supplements will work together to ensure your dog becomes free of their aches and pains.
This fierce combination provides this optimal joint health through facilitating cartilage regeneration and remodeling. In particular, the high concentration of glucosamine at 600mg ensure your dog’s joints get the optimal results.
This product comes highly recommended by vets as well, which is always something you like to see with supplements like this one. It also a chewable tablet formulation, which makes administering it incredibly simple for a dog owner.
All you have to do is mix within your dog’s food, and you shouldn’t have any issue. In fact, your dog probably won’t even notice. This product also contains manganese, which is considered a vital mineral for ligament and tendon strength.
Overall, this product represents a solid, useful choice that any dog owner should consider. Honestly, the only negative I could find is that it contains some artificial flavoring, which isn’t all that concerning.
Doggie Dailies Glucosamine for Dogs
@ Amazon.com
Consisting of all-natural ingredients, the Doggie Dailies Glucosamine for Dogs represents one of the best dog joint pain supplements on the market. It obtains this status thanks to its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory capabilities.
Putting these beneficial qualities with the always important combination of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSG ensures your dog’s aches will quickly become a thing of the past. I like that this product includes salmon and cod liver oil as well.
These ingredients are among the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which promote both skin and coat health. And the formulation of this product is a win as well considering its a soft chew that’s easy to administer.
You can also take comfort in that this product has an appealing chicken flavor, which multiple customer reviews conveyed their dogs seem to love. This product has been proven to be safe for all dogs regardless of the age or life stage as well.
The only issue this product has is the lower concentration of glucosamine at 100mg. But when you factor in all the other positive ingredients, this problem doesn’t seem to matter as much as you expect at first.
ActivFlex Glucosamine for Dogs
@ Amazon.com
Our last product, ActivFlex Glucosamine for Dogs, is considered the best joint supplement for dogs in some circles thanks to its high concentration of glucosamine at 625mg. This high level promotes optimum joint health and offers your dog improved mobility.
It also uses all-natural ingredients, which ensures you won’t get surprised by what’s in the formula. Plus, there are two antioxidants, organic turmeric and dried yucca schidigera, as well, which will help prevent inflammation.
In the same regard, two essential vitamins are in the formula, which will aid in antioxidant protection and care for your dog’s joints. It doesn’t seem like there’s much else ActivFlex could’ve done to ensure your dog gets top-level results from this product.
The dog treat formulation even makes administering this product a relative breeze for a dog owner. It also helps that the chicken flavoring is endlessly appealing to most dogs. In fact, there were numerous customer reviews, which conveyed that their dogs couldn’t get enough.
The one issue I do have with this glucosamine supplement concerns the type of glucosamine used in this product: it’s the KCL version. As a result, it might not be as effective as a glucosamine sulfate product.
Given our criteria, we’d have to recommend buying the Nutramax Cosequin DS Plus with MSM Chewable Tablets, which rated out as the best glucosamine chondroitin for dogs. Honestly, it’s not all that surprising considering the pristine reputation this product seems to have among dog owners and vets.
After all, it has everything you could want in a joint health supplement for dogs: easy to administer, contains the three essential ingredients, additional beneficial components that aid your dog’s health in other areas, etc.
Plays an important role in maintaining joint function for dogs #1 veterinarian recommended retail join health supplement brand With MSM.
What Are The Glucosamine For Dogs Side Effects?
Glucosamine is generally considered a safe, low-risk supplement for your dog to take as a short-term treatment of joint pain. But like all medications, it does have some side effects you should be aware of as a potential consumer:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Allergic reactions
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Excessive thirst and urination
In most cases, these side effects are incredibly mild and don’t require excessive treatment; therefore, if you notice any of these symptoms, contact a vet and get their perspective about whether or not to stop giving your dog glucosamine.
Conclusion
With all this new knowledge, you can now make an informed decision about whether or not glucosamine for dogs is something you should add to your dog’s life. But remember, if you do decide to buy a glucosamine product, please consult your vet beforehand.
In doing so, you’re ensuring nothing ends up happening with your dog reacting badly to glucosamine. It’s never a bad idea to put your dog’s safety first!
Thank you for reading this article. This information is not intended as a substitute for advice from your pet’s veterinarian or any other healthcare provider. You should not use this information for diagnosis or treatment of any disease, condition or health problem or for prescription of any medication, supplement or other treatment for your pet, yourself or any other person or animal. You should consult with a veterinarian before altering or discontinuing any of your pet’s current medications, treatment or care or starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program.
