| By Ian M. Stewart
Used with permission.
It's a fact of life. We, along with our pets, get older.
Sometimes the symptoms of aging are the same in both human
and canine. When they get older, dogs are susceptible to conditions
like arthritis and osteoarthritis, just like we are. You can
probably notice a change in your dog's behavior after walking
her a couple of miles. Instead of staying with you, your dog
might begin carrying her hind leg.
You take her to the Vet to see if she is dysplastic or a has
a problem with her spinal cord or elbows or even the starting
of hip displacement. But after an X-ray your Vet declares
your dog to have arthritis and recommends some drug treatment,
such as aspirin, phenylbutozone, and later maybe Rimadyl.
But then you hear about some clinical trails with Glucosamine
and Chondritin on humans suffering osteoarthritis and start
wondering if might work as an additional method of treatment.
Is it available without a prescription since it is a food
supplement, you wonder? And can be administered concurrently
with the rimadyl?
Because Glucosamine and Chondroitin are still somewhat new,
the question is whether each is scientifically validated.
According to some veterinarians, these products are used widely
in veterinary medicines and it seems likely that they work
for at least some dogs based on their popularity.
Unfortunately, when evaluating medications for pain relief
and for chronic debilitative conditions there is a strong
desire for the medications to be effective and have a high
"placebo effect."
As an example, according to Dr. Mike Richards, DVM, who answers
Vet questions on the website VetInfo "in the clinical
trials for Rimadyl (Rx) the placebo group was estimated to
have improved by 15% of the veterinarians and 25% of the clients.
On the other hand, these products appear to be safe to use,
so why not try? That is the basis we work on in our practice.
To the best of my knowledge there should be no problems using
these products in conjunction with carprofen (Rimadyl Rx)."
Dr. Mike, as he is called on his website, also says that
he "personal experience with Glucosamines (we have not
used Chondroitin) is that about half of the owners feel that
it makes a significant difference."
However, he goes on the caution that using these treatments
doesn't help all dogs, and has no real proof one way or another
if it works or not. To have more in-depth questions answered
about these two treatments, consult your Vet.
Joint & Cartilage Management Nutrition
Healthy joints are not only important in the ability of dogs
to perform well, but also for the comfort of dogs in routine
movements such as walking, climbing stairs, and rising.
Glucosamine and chondroitin work together to improve the health
of joint cartilage. Since joint health depends on the continued
health of this cartilage, this is a very important benefit.
Joints, responsible for movement, are made up of a joint
cavity filled with synovial fluid, a synovial membrane, and
particular cartilage. The particular cartilage acts as a shock
absorber and a smooth gliding surface for bones within the
joint. The synovial fluid acts as both a lubricant and a source
of nutrition for the cartilage. Cartilage is a matrix made
up of collagen, hyaluronic acid (component of synovial fluid),
and glycosaminoglycans. Because of the mechanical forces of
movement and weight bearing, these matrix components are constantly
being replenished in order to maintain strength and resilience.
This rebuilding process creates a large demand for the building
blocks utilized in this process. If these building blocks
are not available in adequate levels, the process will breakdown,
and eventually lead to degenerative joint disease.
Two major building blocks for cartilage synthesis are Glucosamine
and Chondroitin.
Glucosamine is responsible for the synthesis of hyaluronic
acid and glycosaminoglycans within the joint.
Chondroitin, while being one of the major gylcosaminoglycans,
also acts to inhibit degradative enzymes that promote the
breakdown of cartilage.
Since these important building blocks decrease with age,
and the incidence of degenerative joint disease increases,
Professional has designed a Senior diet with 4 times the amount
of glucosamine and chondroitin found in the maintenance diets.
This level is close to a therapeutic dose but customers should
consult their veterinarian on whether further supplementation
is necessary.
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Be sure to visit the Glucosamine Product Guide for a review of commercially available glucosamine products broken down by 9 different categories such as price per month, quality and type. Learn what the best products out there are and what criteria was used to ranked each.
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