Does Glucosamine Work for Treating Dog Arthritis?

At some point in a dogs life dog owners probably will recognize the onset of osteoarthritis in their dog. There is no cure for dog arthritis just as with arthritis in humans. However, there are ways that we can minimize the side effects of this debilitating joint disease. Glucosamine for dogs is an excellent supplement with virtually no side effects when used to treat canine arthritis. Additionally, the cost of this form of supplementation is often significantly cheaper than prescription medication alternatives.

Always consult with your dog's veterinarian if you suspect he or she may be exhibiting symptoms of dog arthritis. You may notice the dog having trouble negotiating steps and stairs. Or perhaps he is having trouble jumping onto and off of furniture as he is done his whole life. Another sure sign that the dog is having joint problems is when you witness him or her having trouble or taking extra time when lying down. Also, when lying down, the dog may let out a few slight groans. Understand that dogs handle pain in totally different ways that humans. Sometimes, I slight groan and a dog would mean pure agony for human.

Liquid glucosamine sulfate has been on the market and used for several decades now to treat dog osteoarthritis effectively without harmful side effects. Many of the prescription medications used to treat this joint disease, which are often prescribed by vets, have been shown to bring about significant and severe side effects to the dog. In fact, some of these side effects have even lead to death in some animals. It's advisable to first try an alternative such as liquid glucosamine for dog arthritis before putting your dogs on any of these prescribed medications. There is virtually no harm done in first trying the liquid glucosamine for a number of months to find out how the dog response to it.

Not all dogs respond well to the glucosamine. But some dogs do remarkably well with the product. It is definitely worth trying by pet owners when the onset of canine arthritis occurs in their pets. Again, there is no cure for this disease. All we can do is try to offset some of the negative effects caused by the join arthritis.

The liquid glucosamine acts to actually help rebuild the degeneration with in the joints caused by the osteoarthritis. It does not mask the pain at the prescribed medicines often do. And because is actually helping to rebuild the joints to alleviate the pain, it can take a number of weeks or even a number of months of daily dosages of the glucosamine before positive effects are seen in the animal.

It simply is not one of those things that you can give your dog for a couple of days and expect to see results. The positive benefits of glucosamine for dogs only occurs after the glucosamine has been able to help the dog rebuild the damaged cartilage with in the joints of the bones. Again, depending on the severity of the disease at the current time, this could take 4 to 5 weeks or even several months of daily doses with the glucosamine.

The amount of glucosamine to give your dog each day depends on his or her size. Read the instructions on the website you are buying the glucosamine from to determine how rapidly your dog will go through the product. For example, most of the bottles of glucosamine are sold in 30 day doses with respect to larger dogs. If you have a small dog with arthritis then the bottle will last quite a bit longer. But regardless of the size of your animal, always by enough glucosamine so that the dosages can last at least 2 to 3 months. There could be nothing worse than missing out on the opportunity for the safe and natural glucosamine product to do its work by running out of the product and stopping the dosages.

And another great benefit for providing liquid glucosamine for canine arthritis is how easy it is to give your dog a product each day. There are no pills or capsules you have to mess with and for Stan your dogs throat were trick them by inserting the pill into a treat. All you have to do is simply poor the glucosamine via the bottles reservoir onto the dogs food at meal time. There are no measuring devices or spoons that need to be used for this process. By having a simple process of supplementation with liquid glucosamine pet owners are more likely to follow through on a daily basis with the product. This gives the dog with arthritis the best chance of taking advantage of what glucosamine has to offer in the way of treating his or her dog arthritis.