Twenty years after starting my first greyhound on glucosamine, the market has exploded with a dizzying variety of joint supplements for dogs. Understanding their ingredients makes it easier and quicker to pick the right one for your dog…and your budget.
Veterinarians agree that the most effective joint supplements for dogs include one or more of the following: glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin. They typically recommend supplements begin at when the dog turns 8, but some veterinarians argue that starting joint care in puppyhood makes for a better outcome later. Owners also may choose between the pet-formulated supplements, and those intended for humans. The latter often saves money. It is possible, with careful attention to dog-friendly ingredients and appropriate dosing.
Choosing the right joint supplement for your dog can be time-consuming and frustrating. Chondroitin? MSM? Hyalu…uh…. ? And don’t you hate it when you look something up, and the definition makes you feel even more confused? This article provides a clear picture of which “active ingredients” are important, and why.
Table of Contents
- Choosing a Dog Joint Care Supplement Used to be so Easy
- Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM: the trinity of doggie joint care
- The Problems with Pet-Formulated Joint Supplements
- Smart Shopping for Dog Joint Supplements
- The Problems with Human-Grade Joint Supplements
- “People” Glucosamine – Lower Price! (but do it safely)
- Resource Links for Further Exploration
Choosing a Dog Joint Care Supplement Used to be so Easy
Getting a joint supplement for my first dog was a simple thing – Peaches’ veterinarian said to get her some glucosamine, that it didn’t matter what kind. I bought her some Cosequin, and she did great on it for the rest of her life. My next greyhound was a different story, though – Shannon had terrible arthritis, and a simple Cosequin tablet was not going to do it. To avoid putting him on Rimadyl, I did a lot of research; including asking his veterinarian, and friends with a lot of greyhound and elder-dog experience. We ended up with a multi-pronged approach. It was a bit of work, but it was worth it to keep Shanny happy and comfortable. I’ve created a separate page with links for the things that brought Shannon relief, which you may refer to here. I keep the basic focus of this article on the ingredients, because your dog may not need them all, and you might go through different combinations as your dog ages.
Less than 10 years after losing Shannon, my Lily is now eight, and I am starting the joint supplement process all over again. I’m amazed at how many products there are, and am glad I’m not doing this for the first time! It’s really very simple, though. You only need to learn about three ingredients to get your dog a good joint supplement – Glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM.
Let’s have a look at what each of these ingredients does for joints.
Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM: the trinity of doggie joint care
The Pharmaca company gives a fantastic overview of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM; which I will paraphrase here, for the sake of clarity:
- ‘Glucosamine can actually help to repair the sponge-like pad between the joints, called ‘cartilage.’ It also draws water to the joints, helping to lubricate them and ease shock to his bones. Your dog produces glucosamine naturally, in many parts of his body, such as tendons, ligaments, heart valves, mucous membranes, fur, and claws. As he gets older, his body doesn’t produce as much glucosamine as before. With less padding between his joints, his bones can begin to rub together, causing pain and stiffness. When you add glucosamine to his diet, it can restore the padding between his joints enough to ease the stiffness, swelling, and pain.
- Your dog’s body makes chondroitin, as well. It absorbs water and helps keep the cartilage from getting compressed too thin. It will provide your dog with relief, the way glucosamine does, and will help his joints work better, too. Instead of taking it alone, it’s usually paired with glucosamine, which absorbs better.
- Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM) is a healthy form of sulfur (the third most-found mineral in our bodies), which has many purposes. Sulfur is needed to build cartilage. Sulfer from MSM strengthens joint tissues and helps with elasticity. Known as “nature’s beauty mineral,” MSM improves skin health and strengthens coat and claws. It also works as a detox, speeds healing, and gives your dog more energy.”
The Problems with Pet-Formulated Joint Supplements
One problem with all pet supplements is that milligram for milligram, you’re often paying more for the active ingredient, sometimes quite a bit more. For example, as of this writing, there is a difference of about 25% between Cosequin and a comperable human-grade supplement (compared at Amazon on October 12, 2021). I found this out when my veterinarian recommended a high dose of glucosamine for poor, arthritic Shannon. That much Cosequin was going to cost a fortune, so I started looking for alternatives. Keeping Shannon happy without Rimadyl (which made him a zombie) took a lot of supplements, which wasn’t cheap; but we managed to keep costs down. Plus, your dog won’t need much, at first; and may never need as much as Shannon did.
Many pet supplements do not contain enough of their active ingredients to help your dog. My local Dollar Tree store has a joint care chew that Lily loves; but I would have to give her a very unhealthy amount of them to provide her the glucosamine that she needs – More than four full bags…daily (about 250 chews)!
Another way your dog’s joint supplement may fall short is if it contains the cheaper form of glucosamine. The one you want to look for on the label is Glucosamine HCl (that’s an “L” on the end, there, not a “1”). The cheaper form is called Glucosamine Sulfate. Research says that this latter type is not as good – That it absorbs quickly, but doesn’t get into your dog’s joints, where it’s needed. Any product that doesn’t indicate which form of glucosamine is probably using the cheaper stuff, which means a waste of your money and more days of pain for your hound.
My final major issue with pet supplements is that they often contain a lot of different things. If your dog is already on other supplements and/or medications, you have no way of knowing if one ingredient might interact badly with another.
Smart Shopping for Dog Joint Supplements
Still, there are several great dog joint supplementson the market. I designed the graph below to help you shop for a good one. This cute, little graphic could save you – literally – thousands of dollars. If you think the cost difference between one supplement and another can’t be that much, check out my video, after the graph (I also have a full-length video version of this article coming soon)).
The Problems with Human-Grade Joint Supplements
Joint “blends” made for people can present the same problem – Too many exotic ingredients, some of which may be toxic to dogs, such as xylitol, chocolate, or food dye. Never give your dog any candy-like supplements, such as gummies; it’s not worth the risk, which is compounded when it’s something he’s going to be taking every day.
Supplements that are just a standard, white pill or capsule are what you are looking for.
“People” Glucosamine – Lower Price! (but do it safely)
Interestingly, the active ingredients in dog-formulated joint supplements are the same as in their human-grade counterparts. There are three factors you must consider, however, before giving a human-grade supplement to your dog:
1. Research every ingredient that is in the supplement, to make sure none is toxic to dogs.
2. If your dog is taking any medications, find out if there would be any dangerous drug interactions between his medications and the supplement.
3. Be sure you have the appropriate dosage for your dog. This is usually determined by his weight. Since greyhounds have less fat, however, I usually begin with smaller doses.
The good news is that the ingredients on both pet and human supplements are right there, on the label…and images of the labels are easily found on the internet.
The price goes up if they include MSM and/or chondroitin, but that also gives you a higher quality product.
Regardless of which kind you use, be aware that you may need to give your hound a larger dose for the first few weeks. This is common practice with natural supplements. As , Dr. Brunke, DVM says, “a loading dose of two times maintenance for four to six weeks is required for glucosamine hydrochloride to reach therapeutic levels. Maintenance is 500 to 1,000 mg for a 75-lb dog, which works out to about 15 mg/kg.”
I didn’t do this with Lily, because I put her on it as a preventative measure. If you’re seeking help, because your dog is already hurting or stiff, he will welcome that “loading dose.”
For Lily, I use this capsule from Swanson Vitamins. I like it, because I can open up the capsule, tip half of it into her food, and save the other half for her dinner. I must say, though, after resaerching for this article and discovering the ProSense supplement for the astonishing price of $6.99 for 120, with each pill containing 650 mg of high-quality glucosamine, I may be making a change!
Once you start your hound on the supplement, be sure to have it added to his chart at his veterinarian’s office, for future reference.
