Why Liquid Glucosamine for Dogs

Like the cartilage in any mammal, a canine’s cartilage contains glycoaminoglycans. If a dog’s system fails to produce those vital glycoaminoglyans, then the affected animal can display certain symptoms. Those are the symptoms of osteoarthritis, any of which could lead a veterinarian to suggest the administration of liquid glucosamine for dogs.

Certainly a dog-lover should be familiar with those symptoms. Those include a sensation of pain, when making sudden movements and a tendency to shy away from those who want to touch a tender body. A doctor may also recommend using liquid supplements, if a older canine shows signs of having trouble, while attempting to make simple movements.

Glucosamine’s benefits can be delivered by a solid medication, such as a capsule, a chewable tablet or a powder. However, by using something that can be poured on food or placed in any type of container, a pet owner usually finds it easier to see that a slow-moving pet gets the proper dosage. That dosage is 20 mg for each pound of body weight.

That is the dose that a canine should receive daily. However, it is not necessary to feed an animal all 20 mg at once. A dog’s system can receive half of the daily dose in the morning and the other half at night.  Over time, a veterinarian may find that a lower dose would be sufficient. In that case, the pet-owner who has chosen to use one of the liquid-type supplements has little trouble following-up on the vet’s observation.

Another time, a pet-owner might be told to decrease the dosage of this supplement due to the possible appearance of side effects. Evidence that a dog’s system has not responded as expected could cause a veterinarian to suggest using a lower dose. Such evidence would include the appearance of mild side effects, such as vomiting, abnormal stool production or drowsiness. Obviously, it would be difficult to feed an animal a lower dose, if the medication chosen was a pill or a tablet. That fact underlines yet another of the reasons for choosing a liquid form of supplement.

Sometimes a dog can exhibit a more severe reaction. Sometimes a pet can display those symptoms that are evidence of an allergic reaction. A canine could be allergic to the shellfish protein, which is present in most of the supplements that are used to treat osteoarthritis. That should push the canine’s owner to switch to a medication/supplement made from corn, or to one of the other plant-based products.

It can be difficult to find a product that has been made from corn or some other plant, and also promises to help an animal with osteoarthritis. Yet when looking for such a product, the consumer must use the same amount of caution as is required, when buying any liquid glucosamine for dogs. That is a time when it definitely pays to read the label carefully. A product that contains both glucosamine and chondroitin could cause the dog that has a bone condition to develop another problem, notably one that relates to a thinning of the blood.