GreatDanes Online

Shadow · Site Admin Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 26

Glucosamine and Chondroitin have been used to treat osteoarthritis in Europe for over twenty years. Recently, physicians and veterinarians in the United States have begun to prescribe this product for their patients and have been extremely happy with the results. These products are proving to be one of the safest and best treatments for the crippling effects of osteoarthritis that affects millions of aging dogs throughout the United States.

Despite the fact that the benefits of these glucosamine and chondroitin products have been known for over twenty years, many people question why these products are just now being used in the United States. The answer lies in the fact that glucosamine and chondroitin are not products that can be patented, and therefore, offer little incentive to the large pharmaceutical companies to develop a product. Pharmaceutical companies spend millions in research and development and need a patented product to guarantee sales and to recoup their investment.

Another issue is that glucosamine and chondroitin are considered nutraceuticals and are not strictly controlled by the FDA. They are naturally occurring substances in many food products and fall in the same class as vitamins. Despite the overwhelmingly positive studies done in Europe, American researchers still refused to perform controlled studies. In fact, literature searches show that there are hardly any North American studies done on these products. But all this is quickly changing. Because of the huge number of humans and pets suffering from osteoarthritis and the tremendous success in the treatment of this disease when using glucosamine and chondroitin, many companies are now producing a product line and several broad research studies are underway.

USES:

Glucosamine products have been studied and used for the healing of skin wounds, stomach ailments, and joint problems. Their use in the relief and healing of the symptoms of joint disease is currently their biggest use. Glucosamine and chondroitin have been successfully used in humans, horses, dogs, and cats. This article deals only with glucosamine and chondroitin and their therapeutic use for osteoarthritis in the dog and cat.

There are many different joints that can be affected by osteoarthritis in the dog, but by far, the most common is the hip joints. Hip Dysplasia is very common in many of the larger breeds of dogs. This condition greatly exacerbates the normal wear on the smooth cartilage protecting the bony surface of the joint. When this cartilage wears away there is a bone to bone contact, which creates the pain seen with arthritis. Even dogs that do not have hip dysplasia may have a decrease in this cartilage as they age, and will show signs of arthritis. In addition, aging dogs may also have arthritis in their knees, elbows, and shoulders and cartilage loss or damage that respond to glucosamine and chondroitin.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are also often used as an aid in the treatment of spinal disc injuries or post operatively in dogs that have undergone joint surgery.

The typical patient that is placed on and responds to glucosamine and chondroitin therapy is a middle aged to older medium to large breed dog. Dogs may show symptoms of limping or stiffness especially in the morning and during cold weather. They usually loosen up as they move around and exercise. Some dogs have difficulty climbing stairsor getting into or out of a vehicle. Many dogs respond to treatment with buffered aspirin (Do NOT give your cat aspirin unless prescribed by your veterinarian) or carprofen (Rimadyl), but when the product is discontinued the pain and symptoms return. Osteoarthritis also affects small dogs and cats and glucosamine and chondroitin have been used very effectively in relieving their symptoms.

In my experience I would say that most older dogs suffer from some level of osteoarthritis. Many owners attribute the loss of activity to old age and may not even identify it as a problem. And they never appreciate how much their dog’s activity level was being reduced by the arthritis until they place their dog on glucosamine and chondroitin therapy and see the return of normal function.

How do glucosamine and chondroitin work?
The way that glucosamine works is a very complicated process. In a nutshell, cartilage consists of several different cells, one of which is chondrocytes. Chondrocytes are responsible for synthesizing new cartilage. Through normal wear, cartilage is constantly being broken down and replaced. When a dog has hip dysplasia or ages, the chondrocytes do not have the building blocks available to them to build enough new cartilage to keep up with the breakdown of the old cartilage. Glucosamine provides the building blocks to synthesize new cartilage. Glucosamine is the building block necessary for the production of the substances called glycosaminoglycans. The glycosaminoglycans are combined with hyaluronic acid to make the substance proteoglycans. The proteoglycans and collagen are the main structures of cartilage.

Chondroitin also is one of the products necessary for the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans. But it probably plays a more important role by combating and neutralizing destructive enzymes in the joint. There is always a low level of destructive enzymes found in the joint, but when injury or abnormal wear occurs, the destructive enzymes and agents increase accelerating cartilage destruction. When chondroitin is added to the diet it helps to reduce the level of these destructive enzymes.

Most pets need to be on the replacement therapy for the rest of their lives. Studies have shown that cartilage degeneration will reoccur about four to six months after the product is discontinued. The exception to this would be young animals that were on it for 3 months or so following a joint surgery or injury.

There is no indication that this product slows the progression of hip dysplasia. It does not prevent the development of hip dysplasia. Many animals that have hip dysplasia benefit from being on glucosamine and chondroitin because it helps heal the cartilage and reduce the pain involved with this disease.

Pharmaceutical grade glucosamine and chondroitin are used for humans and are found in some veterinary products. It is perfectly safe to use human glucosamine in your pet, however, products made for animals contain ascorbic acid to help in the uptake, in canines. In addition, animal products are dosed in the correct size for animals and are often flavored to make them more palatable to pets.

It is safe to use in cats and appears to work very well in reducing the signs of feline osteoarthritis.