Mmmm...my stiff, cranky knee, my MTP's in feet...I wonder if that would work as well in people  

I'm sure it would in adjusted dosages to account for size differences, we're really not that different.

I'll have to research these components (I take a few prescriptions and have to make sure there are no interactions.) I currently use a concoction I made up of turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne. I stir 1/2 tsp into a cup of tea twice daily. Already take the fish oil (though ran out and have to get to Sam's) and the Vit C (my doc thought it might help with the steroid induced skin tearing and bruising.) Now that I think about it - not considering that Archer ran into me and took me out at the knees a couple weeks ago, it's been awhile since I took the fish oil - forgot to get it the last time I was at Sam's...and I take the fish oil for inflammation. May be time to go back on the glucosamine, too.

Thank you for this thread - especially to Val and Megan!

Storm turns 10 years old on May 15. And we had an appointment with the vet today for a health check, and Storm is showing early signs of arthritis in his hips.

A couple of weeks ago, he started to slip in his hind legs on the hardwood floors from time to time when he shuffles around. I thought there might be something starting in his hind legs or hips, and it was confirmed today at the vet. The vet said, visibly, for a dog his size, his muscles are smaller than that it should be and she also noticed a difference from his last visit - a sign of atrophe because it's starting to bother him. When she went to examine his in his hips and tried to straighten his hind legs, he resisted, which is a sign that it bothers him. On his walks, he also seems a little slow, but I didn't think that much of it especially since it's warming up and he doesn't like warm weather unless he's basking in the sun. Jumping into my SUV, Storm sometimes will misstep in one of his hind legs...

I'm going to start supplements and increasing glucosamine and condroitin for him to support joints a little more than what I have had him on since we adopted him.

I knew this day was going to come sooner or later when his joints will start to ache - after all, half of his life - literally, up to age 6.5 - he's been extremely overweight and it's no surprise that his joints are now starting to ache. Vet records indicates that by the time he was 1 year old, he was already at 100 lbs!!! He maxed out at 140 lbs, and who knows how long he was at that weight!! When we adopted him a month before turning 6, he was 115lbs. It took us 9 months to get him down to 70 lbs and we've kept him between 69-71 lbs since. Yes, I was VERY strict about not letting him get over 71 lbs! People would say he was too skinny and that he needed to put on 5-10 lbs, but I just ignored that as I already knew his joints couldn't be healthy after carrying all that weight for 6 years!

So, thank you for this thread!!

Aww, sorry to hear that Storm is starting to struggle with arthritis. But I am glad that we could help. I too dismissed or completely missed some of the early signs of arthritis in Dakota...hindsight is 20/20 but it didn't make me feel less guilty for not noticing sooner.

Dakota, also 10 years old this year but diagnosed 2 years ago, has been doing amazing lately and because of it I have not made any changes to his supplement schedule. He never shows any signs of discomfort, he handles stairs like a champ, and I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw him limp. He acts like a puppy all the time and still gets mistaken for a puppy by strangers. My arthritic boy runs at full speed around the yard every day, bounds up and down the stairs like it's nothing, and jumps around like a lunatic for food and walks. Seriously, no one would think he had arthritis. Granted, realistically speaking, I expect that things will get worse as he ages but our supplement regimen has room for increasing various doses to accommodate future progression in his arthritis.

Claudia, if you don't mind updating, I (and I'm sure others who might search out this topic in the future) would like to know exactly what you ultimately end up doing to treat Storm's arthritis and the results. Hopefully you are able to manage Storm's pain so that he can still enjoy the years ahead as we've been able to do with Dakota.

I will certainly update this thread.

To start, I just ran out of the joint supplement that I was giving him, which was Connectin:

1 scoop has:

condroitin/hyaluronic acid = 1200 mg
yucca root = 1200 mg
glucosamin HCI = 625 mg
alfalfa = 500 mg
nettle leaf = 300 mg
devil's claw = 100 mg
celery seed = 50 mg
black cohosh root = 50 mg
ginger root = 50 mg
turmeric root = 50 mg
cayenne pepper = 5 mg

His maintenance dose was 1 scoop.

I did like condroitin/hyaluronic acid content, but reading through this thread, I think I need to increase glucosamine, and make sure he also gets MSM.

Since I just ran out of Connectin, I've started him on Cosequin and am starting on the initial load dose for the next 4 weeks. That includes 1800 mg glucosamine, 900 mg condroitin and 7500 mg MSM.

The maintenance dose will drop to 1200 mg glucosamin, 600 mg condroitin and 500 mg MSM, but I think I am going to supplement this with half a scoop of Connectin so he also gets 600 mg of hyaluronic acid.

I'm researching Duralactin for inflammation:
http://www.duralactin.com/duralactin_softchews.htm
(Val, have you heard of this? If you have, what are your thoughts?)

His blood work looks great - liver and kidney and everything else are all smack middle of normal, but I would rather not have to give him Rimadyl if Duralactin is a good alternative.

His last thyroid test a couple of years back showed normal but on the high side, and even that is smack middle of normal so he's doing well.

He's not showing signs of stiffness or pain, but I want to try and get ahead of that if possible.

Ok, so here's what I've found so far.

Comparing what was prescribed by the vet to what I had him on, and reading through other information on arthritis and inflammation, I've come to realize that a slightly higher dose of glucosamine, condroitin, MSM and anti-inflammatory ingredients is what I'm going to go with.

What I have found that has a lot of good stuff which I will be going back to is Connectin because it's the only joint supplement (that I have found) that also has natural anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Connectin (1 scoop):
glycosaminoglycans (or mucopilysacchrides) = 1200mg <== another form of glucosamine
glucosamin = 625 mg
condroitin/hyaluronic acid = 1200 mg <== rebuilding of tissue
yucca root = 1200 mg <== anti inflammatory
alfalfa = 500 mg <== vitamin to help absorb
turmeric and ginger = each 50 mg <== natural anti inflammatory

Our vet prescribed Cosequin and being that I just ran out of stuff, I grabbed a bottle on my way out. Looking at Cosequin and Connectin, I see that Cosequin has MSM and Connectin has the natural anti inflammatory ingredients. So I think what I'll do once I get through the initial dose, I'll supplement the maintenance dose of Cosequin with a scoop of Connectin so that Storm is also getting the anti inflammatory ingredients.

A bit of black pepper has piperine - will help absorb the turmeric. Also better absorbed with a little fat (don't know what the vehicle is in your supplements - may already have some fat.)

I swear by turmeric, ginger and cayenne for my knee. Just not so great on my stomach if taken without food.

Connectin also has cayenne pepper (5mg per scoop) and I sprinkle it over Storm's food

I too give Dakota's supplements mixed in with his food, this includes cayenne.

Sorry for my lack of response yesterday, Claudia. I have not heard of Duralactin and was waiting to check it out before responding but I never had time. I also had not heard of Connectin before either. I appreciate your sharing what you are using, I will keep the Connectin in mind if things start getting worse for Dakota and we have to make adjustments to his supplements in the future. I don't want to rock the boat currently since Dakota is doing stellar on what he is taking.

My mom uses Cosequin (maybe Cosequin DS?) on one of her dogs, a 10 year old Chihuahua who also has the beginning stages of arthritis. That is all she uses but I don't know how well her dog is doing on a daily basis or how advanced his arthritis is. I know her dogs arthritis is not as advanced as Dakota's.

Back when Dakota was diagnosed the vet recommended a product that I cannot currently remember the name of...I'd have to go back and check his vet records. That, like the Cosequin, had me balking at the price tag considering how much of it I would have to buy on a regular basis for the rest of his life. That's the reason I buy generic and make my own concoction. After all, we are on a single income with 2 kids (and 2 furkids)!

After just a brief look at Connectin it does seem like it has potential and would be a lot easier (and faster) to manage. So to sum it up, Claudia, you will be giving JUST the Cosequin and Connectin?

That's correct, Val. Cosequin and Connectin.

For me, it's easier to do the two than getting the ingredients separately and mixing it up. Besides, if/when hubby or a dog sitter has to feed in the mornings, it would be easier to say 1 tablet of Cosequin and one scoop of Connectin. LOL!

I had Connectin in rotation with Myristin (not at the same time). So since I ran out of Connectin, I would've gotten Myristin. I suppose I could simply increase Storm's dose of Connectin, but I also like the one ingredient in Cosequin (yes, it's Cosequin DS). So, I am going to do both so that he gets the joint support, rebuilding of soft tissue and anti-inflammatory.

I followed this for awhile now and Beka was my big "I need arthritis supplements" so I have not followed as much. How ever I thought I would add that in addition to natural turmeric and ginger for anti inflammatory with a bunch of the stuff that both Claudia and Val have mentioned here I added Traumeel for the fatigue at the joint/muscle due to the arthritis. We got turned on to it during torn ACL recovery by the dog ACL surgeon. Traumeel is natural and in pill form (Comes in gel/ ointment also since made for humans) that relieves musculoskeletal conditions – pain and inflammation. It is arnica which is a homeopathic remedy and a NSAID. I noticed the other day that it is now being sold on pet websites as Traumeel or T Relief. I originally found it at Whole Foods and VitaminShoppe as a human supplement

Thanks Colleen!
That's great info!

Found out what the original diagnosing vet (conventional, not holistic) recommended I give to Dakota and it's a product called Osteo 3 granules. It was pretty high priced for the product in her office but a quick search on it just now doesn't leave me very interested in it. I have seen better but thought I'd share anyway.

I wanted to update with an observation that I had recently over the last week. We had to leave town due to a family medical emergency and, as a result, ended up being gone longer than we had originally anticipated. Given that, I did not pack enough of Dakota's supplements for the entire time we were gone and I ended up being short 2 days worth of supplements for him. So the 2 days I didn't have his normal supplements I gave him Cosequin DS which my mom had on hand for her dogs. Well that did not go over well with Dakota. Not surprisingly, he started limping, was slow to rise and really struggled on the stairs leading to the backyard. It was almost painful to watch how bad things got after only 2 days off his normal supplements. And it was very clear that the Cosequin DS wasn't doing anything for him.

Once we got home I got him back on his normal supplements and it took 2 days for them to really take effect but after 2 days he's back to his normal self. I just wanted to share that because it really confirms that our supplement regimen IS working and that without it he would be in a world of pain. Now I just have to make sure I pack way more than I think I'll need if we have another family emergency so there's no chance that I'll run out!

Claudia, any update on Storm's progress?

I was just thinking about this! Thanks for the note!

Yes, Storm has been doing well, and in the process of researching and figuring out a blend for Storm, I started to notice Ginger slipping a little easier on the hardwood floors!

Trying to figure out what ingredients I wanted to include in Storm's formula ended up in one product, Connectin. I've already had it in rotation of joint supplements, but wanted 'more of this and that' ingredient. Bottom line, I wanted to make sure he anti inflammatory ingredients as well and joint support ingredients, and Connectin had it all.

Since he had already responded to the Cosequin that the vet gave, and I had Connectin in rotation previously, I just went with the maintenance does with a little extra. Same with Ginger - maintenance does plus a little extra.

I'm happy to say they both show no signs and the vet has confirmed that Storm's hips are looking good!

Glad to hear that, Claudia, and thanks for updating on their progress!

Val... how did you guys weather the SC flooding?

We actually were not in town when it happened due to the aforementioned medical emergency. We did keep an eye on our property via our security cameras and our house did not experience flooding thankfully. We live in Mt Pleasant which got the most rain, over 26" and the street behind us flooded & made the news even. We were fortunate. Thanks for asking.

Hi all. My 9yo Snickers has some arthritis stiffness in his hips. I had been giving him Rimadyl that a neighbor had spare for a while and it helped a lot. I've since run out of it and, looking it up on PetMeds, looks like I can't afford to give this to him regularly. I inquired to my vet about supplements and was sent this recommendation:
Glucosamine HCI &amp; Chondroitin Sulfate: ALWAYS use these 2 in combination; they can

usually be found together in 1 capsule or tablet. The dose below should be given TWICE

daily. Recommended pet versions are Cosequin DS (over the counter and the pet store) OR

Dasuquin treats from Nutramaxx (prescription needed if you get them elsewhere, we do sell

them here). If you elect to use an OTC human version, the recommended brands are

Cosamin DS or Osteo-Bi- Flex.

o For pets UNDER 25 lbs: BOTH – 250 to 500mg

o For pets 25-49 lbs: Glucosamine – 500 to 1000mg, Chondroitin – 800 to 1200mg

o For pets 50 lbs and over: Glucosamine – 1000 to 1500mg, Chondroitin – 800 to

1200mg.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM): The doses listed below should be given TWICE daily.

o For pets UNDER 30 lbs: 100 to 200mg

o For pets OVER 30 lbs:

Now, Snickers is about 95lbs. I saw the Osteo Bi-Flex at the grocery store the other day and they come in tablets, which would mean giving him pill pockets or something. I was thinking about a powdered version but it seems like this Connectin might do the trick. Am I correct? If that's all I need, I'll pull the trigger. Thanks in advance!

I had better luck with flexadin plus than I did with the Dasuquin. I saw better results for my dog, but know people who have liked the Dasuquin as well. probably the best thing I have seen results from though is coloidal silver. When I first got my dog with hip dysplasia the coloidal silver brought him faster relief than the glucosamine & chondroitin because it got in the system faster. you can't give it all the time, but to this day when we are going to be doing a big hike or vacation that could take him out of his comfort zone I will supplement with the coloidal silver.

TwisterII wrote:

I had better luck with flexadin plus than I did with the Dasuquin. I saw better results for my dog, but know people who have liked the Dasuquin as well. probably the best thing I have seen results from though is coloidal silver. When I first got my dog with hip dysplasia the coloidal silver brought him faster relief than the glucosamine & chondroitin because it got in the system faster. you can't give it all the time, but to this day when we are going to be doing a big hike or vacation that could take him out of his comfort zone I will supplement with the coloidal silver.

And that's a spray?

You can buy it in a spray bottle or just a regular bottle. i have mine in a spray bottle and just give his food a couple spritz once a day.

Oh, so it's still internal. That's where I was confused.

This is the first I've heard of colloidal silver for joint pain. I did a little searching on the 'net and am not finding the evidence that I think I am looking for. What exactly does the colloidal silver do? I am seeing mention of anti-viral properties for viral arthritis...what the heck that is, I am clueless.

That aside, since this thread has been resurrected, I may as well update on Dakota. 4 years post diagnosis and we are experiencing more bumps in the road than I would prefer but of course we expected him to deteriorate over time. I don't live in a fantasy world and know his arthritis will progress no matter what we do, doesn't make it any easier though to watch him deteriorate. At this point we are giving Boswellia more often than previously. Sometimes daily and sometimes on an as needed basis. We've also started giving him T-Relief (Traumeel was replaced with T-Relief as a homeopathic alternative to aspirin) on an as needed basis when he's having a bad day. The T-Relief has proven to be effective for him. He'll go from refusing to move to playing about 30 minutes following a dose of T-Relief.

On the bad side, he cannot go walking anymore despite all the supplements. When we try to walk him he makes it maybe 500 feet down the street before he starts limping and then limps all the way back home. And, as a result of the lack of walks, he's gaining weight which I know is not good for his already struggling joints. And yes, his dinner portions have been cut back substantially to combat the weight gain but he is still on the too heavy side and I can't have him 'starving' all the time either.

Considering how much he's deteriorated in such a short time I am thinking of starting him on Connectin in the near future. My baby boy is turning 12 this year.