# Glucosamine: Can you give too much?



## GunnersMom

I was considering a switch to Orijen for Riley and I just saw that both their adult and their 6 Fish formulas contain 1200mg of glucosamine and 900mg of chondroitin per kg. Wow. 

If I'm converting it correctly, a kg is going to be about 4 cups of food, so he'd be getting _almost_ the 1200mg/900mg everyday. And that's in addition to the Cosequin he already gets, at 500mg/400mg.

Is there a point at which too much glucosamine can do more harm than good?


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## BowWowMeow

Unless he has a stomach sensitivity to it there shouldn't be a problem. Chama was on Orijen 6 fresh fish, a double dose of Longevity and a loading dose of Cetyl-M. You can add it all up but it was a lot and didn't cause her any problems. 

Honestly, putting supplements in highly processed food has minimal effect anyway, imho.


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## Chris Wild

I actually just had this conversation with our vet when he told me to double joint supplement dosages for Kaiser because the arthritis in his shoulder is starting to get problematic. 

He said that while it's possible for a dog to get too much, it would be hard to do. If a dog ate an entire bottle of joint pills there could be a problem. But no worries at those dosages.


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## GunnersMom

Okay, thanks! 
This dog has a cast iron stomach, so I don't think it would be a problem in that regard. 

With his hips, I think the extra would be good for him. Just didn't want to overdo it!


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## LJsMom

> Originally Posted By: GunnersMomThis dog has a cast iron stomach


I'm envious!!!


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## GranvilleGSD

Shouldn't be a problem. My dog ate an entire bottle, aside from a little diarrhea for a day or so, she was fine. My vet and the vets at poison control all said not a problem.


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## rjvamp

> Originally Posted By: GunnersMomI was considering a switch to Orijen for Riley and I just saw that both their adult and their 6 Fish formulas contain 1200mg of glucosamine and 900mg of chondroitin per kg. Wow.
> 
> If I'm converting it correctly, a kg is going to be about 4 cups of food, so he'd be getting _almost_ the 1200mg/900mg everyday. And that's in addition to the Cosequin he already gets, at 500mg/400mg.
> 
> Is there a point at which too much glucosamine can do more harm than good?


I wish I had the conversion Champion Pet Foods did for me last year. When I tried a bag of 6 Fish with Lobo I wanted to figure out how to do the conversion. If you email champion pet foods they should be able to help out. Sorry I don't have the email they sent me.


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## Ucdcrush

I have had a dog (maybe 2) eat a full bottle (>100 pills, I reckon) of glucosamine/chondroitin which was the 3x/day (500mg/ea) formula. Noticed some white stuff in their poop the next day, but nothing after that, and no behavior change.

Even with human grade supplements, the actual amounts are not verified and policed, from what I read. So I might guess it's the same or worse with pet food, in which case I would tend to still give a gluco/chondroitin pill every day to see if the food is helping (or keeping him OK).


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