Glucosamine for Pets?

[ThymeforRodney]

I have an older Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix that has a bit of arthritis in his hips. He is a bit older so I'm cautious about giving him anything. I have, however, found a mix of glucosamine and chondrotin for pets that I'm going to try on him. Has anyone tried this and did it work as advertised?

 

[Georgia]

I hadn't heard that you could get it for pets. I certainly use it for myself, and find it extremely helpful. Does the package say it can be used for Cats as well as for Dogs? If it does, perhaps you could tell me where you got it from. I have an aging tabby cat, who is my best friend, and he is suffering quite a bit.

 

[ThymeforRodney]

I got this at Wal-Mart. I'll take a look at it and let you know if it's for cats too. I went ahead and bought it but I was going to call the vet to make sure. I have taken it also but sometimes what's good for us isn't always good for our pets.

 

[wanderingherb]

Yes, you can give glucosamine/chondroitin to animals. The doses, gosh darn, I had written somewhere, but not sure. Sorry. But you can find that on the internet. I also have the dose breakdown for herbs.

I started using Celedrin for particular problem of mine and liked it better than glucosamine/chondroitin. So I started giving it to the boys and they actually improved.

I don't use walmart brands. I chose not to. I usually stick to brands like Jarrow, Source Naturals, etc. Only because i checked into it and liked what I found.

Some good products exist for our doggie friends out there you may want to do a search and find a product you can buy in bulk and sprinkle on the food.

Using glucosamine/chondroitin is also used in conjunction with MSM. It takes about three or more months though to see any difference. I did find the celedrin worked faster. About 7 years ago a friend with arthritis told me about the celedrin and I checked into the studies on it. It seemed reliable source so i tried it out. So you may want to check into this doing your own research. Its pretty interesting. It was gentle enough that my husband who had luekemia was also taking it.

You may also want to check into bromelain and other anti-inflammatory herbs. Watch the combinations that some companies use though. Their mixtures don't make sense and really won't be effective. You can always look up the monograph of an herb. Also you can visit different pet herb sites and gather as much info as you can. Then you can also double check on this site:
Veterinary Institute of Integrative Medicine

They have some good links you can follow through on.

And don't forget the omega's. Some good fish oil also helps. I prefer Alaskan Sockeye oil, but there are many different types out there. Try to avoid farmed fish oil. Find out where the source of the oil is from.

The Monterey Bay puts out great information on seafood and how its caught.
Seafood Watch Program | A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Seafood | Monterey Bay Aquarium

Just things you want to watch for for quality.

Have fun!

Wanderingherb

 

[Jasmyne]

Felines and canines can benefit?

As a cat owner, I've some troubles getting my cats to eat anything other than commercial cat food: I didn't raise them from kittens, they're rescue-animals. The occasional egg yolk mixed into some wet food seems to be about as good as it gets: I can't get them to eat any kind of meat or seafood, or wet canned stuff that's been 'doctored'.

 

[ThymeforRodney]

WanderingHerb-thank you so much for that information and for the links. Yeah, I found out about Wal-Mart brand dog food and cat food the hard way. I had a dearly beloved little Chi/Pom mix and she died a couple of months ago of either a massive heart attack or massive stroke. She died in my arms coming back from the vet. Wal-Mart's food can be contaminated with any number of foreign substances and they use more cereal fillers than anything in their foods. I feed my remaining pets with a better brand or I cook for them. I would rather cook for them and let them have something that's healthier for them than give them any of their foods.

 

[wanderingherb]

I had a dearly beloved little Chi/Pom mix and she died a couple of months ago of either a massive heart attack or massive stroke. She died in my arms coming back from the vet. Wal-Mart's food can be contaminated with any number of foreign substances and they use more cereal fillers than anything in their foods. I feed my remaining pets with a better brand or I cook for them. I would rather cook for them and let them have something that's healthier for them than give them any of their foods.

Most unfortunate. I'm so sorry to hear this. Yes, not just walmart, but many places. We had a scare with Nutro. Don't know if anyone remembers this. I have a friend who's beloved friend passed away due to contaminated doggie food. Its so sad. His dog actually had to do dialysis to no avail. This was right when the scare came out. He wrote to the company, and no response. Come to find out it was the dog food.

Most unfortunate. It makes me so mad.

Wanderingherb