Glucosamine

[Sube Ru's mom]

Hi Cynthia

Yes i give her Cosequin and gloucosime/chondrotion
I told the vet and they said it would not hurt her, it will actually help her.
Believe me Subi has SEVERE hip displasia, the worst one of the vets i took her to has EVER seen- he has been a vet for over 10 years, Subi was 10 1/2 months when she was Diagnosed. her being so young and getting diagnosed was NOT a good thing, but Subi has a lot of plus's the main one being she is only 39 pounds and that is her top weight, she will not get any bigger :(
Subi is also to little for a total hip replacement so the only option we had was to try all this medication and see how she does. believe me she has her good and bad days, but her bad days are mainly when i take her to the dog park once a week.
If you saw subi after seeing her on all these meds you would never guess she has hip displaysia, and a severe case at that. but believing in the man upstairs and doing everything we can to help has turned her around.
So i believe that all this medication has helped her TREMENDOUSLY!!!
If you have any other questions please feel free to ask, unfortunantly i have no other experience other then what i have gone through with Subi. So i am limited but i do believe in everything we are doing for her and her medication

 

[cynthia76]

I see! Well, I am wondering if I should up the dose of Bowzer's meds. He has OCD in his knee and he's only 3 (basically, the cartilage in his knee is wearing down). We haven't noticed TOO much of an improvement though. I guess it's back to the vet to see if we should do anything else!

Did your vet tell you to keep her activity to a minimum? They told me to make Bowzer rest for 6 months!! No jumping, running, nothing! It's hard to do, especially with Bella around.

 

[willc73]

Well, lots of great posts here.

Subi, have you gone to the www.glycoflex.com website , they have a drug called multisource glucosamine. They have extracted the glucosamine from 5 different sources. You might give that a try, however you seem to be doing good.

What is Herbal CA? I have done a search on 1888petmeds with no results. No one seems to know what it is. Can you tell me where to find it so I can research it?

Also, how do you feel about Generic Glucosamine and Chodrotin. Do you think it is as good as the name brand like Glycoflex or Cosequin?

Also, I was talking to the Cosequin people. They have two products , one for Dogs and one for People. They are the same stuff, same dosage, but the Dog version is flavored. The Dog version also costs almost double. Try www.cosequin.com all the info is there.

 

[Sube Ru's mom]

Cynthia76:
The vet told me that i need to reduce Subi's activity for about a month- which i did, but it was mainly no running, jumping and playing OUTSIDE, he understood that Subi is a boxer and a puppy at that and that i have another puppy at home- bailey was 7 months when she was diagnosed. So he said there is nothing i can really do about the playing in the house but take them outside seperately.
Willc73:
Herbal CA I got from a Herbalist, the rescue i work with gets it for me and i pay them back, i will find out where you can order from
i use the Generic Glucosamine and Chodrotin and then also Cosequin, i dont know anything about a human and dog versions, i would use the human one as long as my vet thought it would be ok i will have to ask about that especially since it is cheaper.
I hope this all helps. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[willc73]

New information,

check this out

Ester C The Miracle Cure for Hip Dysplasia?
www.workingdogs.com/doc0039.htm

Animal Health - CHD - Mega Vit. C Cures:
http://www.belfield.com/article5.html

Also, Juliette Levy recommends a natural diet augmented with comfrey,
nettles & carob.

You will find many articles if you do a search on vitamin C and hip
dysplasia, some that are pro and some that say vitamin C doesn't work. One
article stated that vitamin C is used to make collagen, one of the major tissues of cartilage, bone and tissues supporting the joint. Which would help explain why it works. But too much vitamin C can affect a dog's calcium balance.

Surely enough studies haven't been done as no one stands to make a fortune from selling Vitamin C. Vets make more money taking x-rays and prescribing rimadyl, etc.

And here's another that I don't have the website link for:

> Taken from Northwest Shepherd News, German Shepherd
> Dog club of Wash. State, from Dog News, by Jorge &
> Shirley Landa, Deattle Times.
>
> HIP DYSPLASIA has been assumed to be hereditary, & dog
> breeders (particularly those in large breeds) have
> long been concerned about their inability to eliminate
> this condition from their breeding programs. A recent
> study by Dr. Wendell of Belfield, Veterinarian,
> entitled "Cronic Subclinica Scurvy & Canine Hip
> Dysplasia" that reports, "In large breeds of dogs, hip
> dysplasia, long considered an inherited birth defect,
> may be an easily controlled biochemical condition. The
> lesion in hip dysplasia appears to be mertely poor
> quality, low-strength collagen. * In eight litters
> from dysplastic German Shepherd parents or parents
> that produce dysplastic offspring, there have been no
> signs of hip dysplasia when the bitches were given
> mega doses of an ascobate during pregnancy & the pups
> were kept on a similar regimen until they reached
> young adulthood. In his opinion, it has been
> demonstrated that selective breeding of OFA
> (orthopedic Foundation for animals) certified dogs has
> not succeeded in eliminating hip dysplasia from their
> offspring." "During 25 year's of exposure to hip
> dysplasia, I have never found a genetic pattern." Dr
> Belfield stated. "I have seen dogs & bitches certified
> by OFA produce dysplastic pups & conversely,
> dysplastic parents produce normal offspring."
> According to him, canine production of ascorbate is
> extremely low when compared to other animals such as
> goats, mice & rabbits. The major biochemical functions
> of ascobate are as anti-stress agent & detoxifies & to
> maintain biochemical stability in the animal's body.
> When high stress situations increase the body's demand
> for ascobate, the liver increases production. However,
> some dogs appear to be particularly poor producers of
> ascobate, Dr. Belfield says. It is known that
> insufficient ascobate synthesis results in poor
> quality, low-strength collagen. Collagen is the
> supporting protein in tendons & ligaments. Adequate
> ascobate is essential to maintain strength & proper
> functioning of tendons & ligaments. Dr. Belfield says
> that "In potentially dysplastic pups of larger breeds,
> the first year of life is a high stress period. The
> demands for larger quantities of ascobate are even
> greater." The ensuing lack of high strength collagen
> is some ligaments & the muscles is obvious. The weak
> collagen in the ligaments causes them to stretch or
> loosen resulting in joint laxity which allows the
> young dog's hip joint to separate, After separation
> arthritis ensues. Varing amounts of scar tissue form
> in the acetabulum, preventing the head of the femur
> from returning to its normal position. Poor quality of
> collagen in the thigh muscles & ligaments retards
> their growth & development. The impaired growth &
> development of tendon & muscle, together with the
> rapid growth of the femur, contributes further, the
> Veterinarian said. During the past five years he has
> observed that "eight litters of German Shepherd
> puppies from dysplastic parents or parents known to
> have produced dysplastic puppies have been maintained
> on mega doses of ascobate. To date, NOT ONE OF THESE
> PUPPIES HAS SHOWN DYSPLASIA.
>
> The preventive treatment is as follows:
>
> Pregnant Bitch--2 to 4 grams of sodium ascobate daily.
> puppies (birth to 3 weeks)-- 50 to 100 milligrams of
> Ce-Vicol (mead Johnson) daily
> Puppies (3weeks to 4 months)--500 milligrams of sodium
> ascobate daily
> puppies (4 months to 1 or 2 years-- 1 to 2 grams daily

 

[KarenD]

I bought some aspirin specially formulated for dogs and Rocky is doing a lot better. He jumps on me now every time I get home and can sit without any problems.

Here is the product:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=12&pCatId=530

 

[meatdude1]

glucousamine

My dog adrian of almost 6years has some hip displacia
I was gonna give her some some glucousamine soon and I didnt know how much for humans it says 1 tab 3x a day

so if i do that how much?

if i use liquid how much?


whats good for a dog?



Im new at these boards... So im not sure I always look for a reply in the rite place so if anyone has any ideas please feel free to email me

hope to hear from you all soon

thanks
Dominic

 

[cynthia76]

Amounts to give

On the Cosequin website, they list the recommended amounts to give your dog. They also list the daily amount and the timeframe (ie 6weeks to start, then reduce dosage to the recommended "maintenance level"). I used this site when looking for Glucosamine at Whole Foods. Make sure your amounts are right (I would have to give Bowzer 1.5 pills a day due to the dosage of glucosamine in the pills I bought).

http://www.cosequin.com/veterinary/cosequinchew.htm

 

[KarenD]

Dominic,

Most sites and vets agree on the dosage: 1500 mg for 6 weeks, and 750 mg after that.

Rocky definitely does better on the liquid kind (Synflex) than on the pills.

 

[matilda8255]

I just wanted you guys to know that the "people version" generic Glucosamine and Chodrotin available at any local health store will work just as well as the non-generic. My older boy has been on it for years because of arthritis and at 10 he is much better than he was at 7. Its also alot less expensive. If your dog dosn't like the taste try hiding it in peanut butter.