I really like to let all dog's owners know that all the chondroprotective medicines are trying to repair minor cartilage damage and improve synovial fluid condition. They also have mild antiinflammatory function. Most of CHD dogs have to keep on this protective medicine for a long time(sometimes all life time). The right way to use this medicine is using high dose when there is active damage and keep on low/maintain dose when there is no active damage. The CHD dog has abnormal joint structure and the cartilage will get damaged continuously when the dog keeps using the joint. The continuous supply of chondroprotective medicine is necessary. Once the clinical signs subsides you can keep your dog on low dose but do not stop it. If you keep this medicne one month and stop another month which will induce repeating damage of the cartilage during the month without medicine. The repeating damage will make the joint conditon getting worse and evantually complete destroy the joint.
Hi:
We have some patients were on glucosamine products for years. We did not see any side effects. Well, some owner complains the dog becomes too hyper after that. If I have chance to post the radiographs, you will be amazed that hip joints can remodel so well. The most important of all, these dogs have no clinical sign of limping at all. They are using the glycoflex (a cheaper brand) not the expensive brand and still get very good result. I do not want to say which brand is really better because it really depends on the indivisuals' response to these supplyment.