Vet Recommended Adequan

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Fasb's Owner

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... to treat Fasb's arthritis. We went in today for Fasb's six-month checkup and yearly shots. Fasb has improved greatly since I started him on Cosequin DS, but he still gets creaky late at night. Not too severe. Vet thinks we should start him pn Adequan, in conjunction with Cosequin.

Basically, the vet recommended giving him four shots to start - one per week for a month. Then a maintenance shot every 3 months or so (3-6 months). The veterinarian believes that it Adequan will help Fasb more if we start now instead of waiting until the arthritis gets more severe.

Thoughts? Is this good advice? Is there a better alternative? How bad are the side effects and how common are side effects?

FWIW, Fasb's arthitis is mild-to-moderate. Vet examined Fasb and gave me a handout on arthritis. Fasb doesn't even really show most of the symptoms listed under "mild" and the symptoms he does have mostly respond to Cosequin. Vet thinks Adequan will help him more now than if we wait until symptoms get more severe ("have more to work with" is the way he put it) and, since the arthritis isn't extremely bad, he won't need to come back in for shots as frequently (back in every 3-6 months).

Thanks.
 
Absolutely agree, get the shots.

We have Pentosan injections here which are similar (although studies have shown Pentosan has better long term results than Adequan). I know the injections have literally been life saving for Deska - he simply could not have lived this long without them.

They have few side effects with either injection and the idea is it slows down the progression of the arthritis. It doesn't cure it but certainly it's a good idea to start the shots as early as possible. I'm surprised the vet didn't suggest it sooner.
 
Agree with Caro !! The injections can be very helpful and are usually inexpensive and with few side effects. Definitely worth trying.
 
Caro said:
I'm surprised the vet didn't suggest it sooner.
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New vet. We only started seeing him last month. We talked generally about starting Fasb on shots, but decided to hold off a couple weeks to see how much he improved with Cosequin.

I don't mind the time to research the subject and get some opinions, but I would have gotten him the first shot yesterday if it was feasible. The vet's supply of the drug is low and he has trouble getting it from his supplier (?). He wants to wait until he gets a new shipment and can guarantee he has enough onhand for Fasb to get four doses in four weeks. We should get started next week.

I kinda think we'd never have had this conversation with the old vet. One of several reasons we decided we had to find a new vet for Fasb.
 
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Adequan is great. Worked very well on my horse and I used it on my Airedale when he was 8 years old and training/showing hard for his Utility Dog title. Kept him sound and comfortable and he's 11 now and still in very good shape. I would keep him on it if I had the extra money (it's not expensive as these things go, certainly less money than rimadyl once you get past the loading dose period).

You can save money if you can learn to give the shots yourself. It's an IM injection, so it's not hard. My vet charged a ton of money to give the shots and for the medication itself. I was able to get it for almost half the cost online from Valley Vet, and then I just had them show me how to give the shots. My dog is very very good and I could give it to him myself with no restraint.

It would be my go-to first choice for a dog with developing arthritis, since it can actually prevent/repair joint damage and doesn't just mask pain like NSAIDS do. And less side-effects. I don't know why more vets don't recommend it, maybe the loading period seems overwhelming to most owners?
 
Lexi got 10 shots after her elbow surgery. I think it is great!! She is doing so much better than anyone expected. She had surgery at 16 months. She's now 6 years and no arthritis, yet.
 
I used it on my horses years ago and it was great. My older gaited horse who was very arthritic perked up and moved much better on it.
I'm also using it on my older two girls who are 7 and 9 years old now and run agility. Given they have been running agility for 5.5 years and have competed fairly heavily, they have some mild arthritis. They are both still in the loading dose phase but in three weeks am seeing amazing results. Kai hasn't been so wild in a long time. It is doing them a lot of good. When it comes to arthritis, adequan works better than about anything else
 
I highly recommend it too. It didn't help my sheltie but that was because the vet misdiagnosed her. She actually had hip dysplasia & needed an FHO surgery. But in trying it I did suggest it to my friends who were thinking of having their Great Dane put down due to the pain & trouble walking. They tried it & had great results. It got to where they only had to use it once every few months. It is easy to inject yourself & much cheaper. Do follow the guidelines & give it as directed in the beginning. It takes a bit to build up but I was told you'd notice a difference within 2 weeks or sooner & that was true.
 
First shot administered today. Four shots over four weeks, followed by a fifth shot one month later. Then maintenance shots every several months.

Curious how much improvement I'll see. Fasb has been very good since I put him on Cosequin (which the vet recommends I continue), so he doesn't look particularly creaky most of the time. Main thing I see day to day is the difficulty he has jumping on beds (low furniture doesn't present a problem).
 
Good luck, hope it helps. My friends with the Dane also gave her Deramaxx from time to time in between shots if needed. I feed my shelties a food with glucosomine & chondroitine in it as a little extra boost.
 
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