Best Alternative to Cosequin DS?

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Fasb's Owner

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As I've mentioned elsewhere, Fasb doesn't seem to be responding as well to Cosequin DS this winter as he has in the past. When he first started taking Cosequin approx. 20 months ago, there was a rapid, dramatic improvement. I've read the literature that suggests there's no real value to glucosamine supplements, but Fasb did very well on Cosequin for almost a year and a half.

There were some signs earlier in the fall that maybe the Cosequin wasn't working as well as it had previously. Fasb really seemed achy and stiff when the weather started turning colder in November, to the point our vet put him on a NSAID "as needed" a few weeks ago.

The wife and I still think there's benefit to a glucosamine supplement, so we've decided to change supps. From reading old threads, I know some other members of the board have to rotate supplements as the dog seems to build up a resistance after awhile. I don't think a supplement will replace a NSAID at this point, but, if we can get some mileage out of a supplement, Fasb hopefully won't require the anti-inflammatory as often, at least for the time being. Basically, I'm hoping we can find something that works well enough to delay things getting to the point where Fasb will need an NSAID every day.

Anything, thinking of giving Vibrant Pets a try. Before I order, does anyone else have any other suggestions? Not really sure what might work well enough for him. What other brands should I be researching?

Thanks.
 
You might ask your vet about using Adequan. You have to inject it, but it's a fairly simple process and your vet will teach you how to do it. I use it for Pixie, along with Cosequin. She gets a shot once every three weeks. It's essentially liquid glucosamine and does seem to help her.

I did try some other supplements and the only one I found to help was Doggone Pain (DGP). High end pet stores carry it and you can find it online. It's a good one if you need to rotate with Cosequin.
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-14042-american-biosciences-dgp-dog-gone-pain

Pixie also gets Vibrant Pets Senior.
 
I use Vibrant Pets and have been very happy with it.

I recommended it to a friend of mine with a Scotty with joint issues. She purchased it and the next time I saw her she thanked me immensely for the recommendation because it really helped him a lot!

The nice thing with VP is it comes with a money back guarantee if it doesn't work for you.
 
My vet & I talked years ago about glucosamine supplements for dogs & people. She said there were thoughts that Vitamin C helped with glucosamine. I wonder if there's anything to that.

How long have you been doing the Adequan ? Some dogs respond really well & some don't. It does take a while for both to build up from what my vet said. I have used the Adequan on a sheltie with no help but my friend's Great Dane had excellent results. I tried Synovi G3 with good results.
 
My Samoyed was on glucosamine for a few years before passing away in July. My vet said to use human-grade pills from a health food store as there was really no difference. We used the ones from Sprouts and put them in a pill pocket for him.
 
It just may be that he is getting worse, not that the Cosequin isn't working. After all, 20mths is a long time in dog years.

I will say Cosequin is a very basic joint supplement. It's probably time to get a more complex joint supplement - with omegas and joint supporting vitamins and minerals in addition to the G/MSM. And I know I'm being a broken record but Green Lipped Mussel.
 
lasheltie said:
How long have you been doing the Adequan ? Some dogs respond really well & some don't. It does take a while for both to build up from what my vet said. I have used the Adequan on a sheltie with no help but my friend's Great Dane had excellent results. I tried Synovi G3 with good results.
Click to expand...

We started Fasb on Adequan last January. Honestly, I can't tell that it's doing anything for him. When we started, Fasb was doing well on Cosequin only, so I didn't notice any change. I've never really seen any improvement since we started. Vet says that the main benefit for Fasb will be a slowdown in the progression of the arthritis. Even though, I can't tell if it's helping, I'm going to keep him on it until the vet says otherwise.

Caro said:
It just may be that he is getting worse, not that the Cosequin isn't working. After all, 20mths is a long time in dog years.

I will say Cosequin is a very basic joint supplement. It's probably time to get a more complex joint supplement - with omegas and joint supporting vitamins and minerals in addition to the G/MSM. And I know I'm being a broken record but Green Lipped Mussel.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I should have phrased things a little differently. I'm not sure if the Cosequin isn't working as well or if he's simply getting worse. In any case, it's time to find something better for him.
 
I'm planning on ordering Vibrant Pets by Monday, so anyone wants to suggest I look into another brand, now's the time.

Thank you.
 
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