# Time to start the Cosequin?



## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

I'm debating whether to start giving Gunner a Cosequin supplement.
He'll be 6 years old in November, is very active and gets a _lot_ of exercise. His hips have always seemed to be good - we've never noticed anything that would be a red flag (thus we haven't had them X-rayed, so I don't know exactly what's going on in there.) They don't seem to be causing him any discomfort. They certainly aren't slowing him down, at all. 
But for the past couple days now, I've noticed an occasional clicking sound when he gets up from lying down or when he jumps up on the couch.
I've always heard that Cosequin (or any glucosamine supplement in general) is very safe and that there's virtually no risk of side effects. The only concern I have comes from one opinion I read online, from a vet, stating that glucosamine can be risky for GSDs since they're prone to bleeding disorders and glucosamine is similar in makeup to heparin. I wondered if any of you have heard similar warnings?
Would you start the supplements now, or hold off?


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I started mine much sooner than yours, so I would say yes, time to start. I think those warnings might occur VERY rarely -- I've never seen it (which doesn't mean it can't happen), but there are ALOT of vets out there that don't believe in supplements.


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## Maedchen (May 3, 2003)

I'm with Lisa. The alternative to glucosamine products would be NSAIDs (Rimadyl, Deramaxx etc) to ease pain, which are much more harmful.
Remember, Vets are pushed to sell drugs (and they benefit from it), not over-the-counter supplements.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: MaedchenI'm with Lisa. The alternative to glucosamine products would be NSAIDs (Rimadyl, Deramaxx etc) to ease pain, which are much more harmful.
> Remember, Vets are pushed to sell drugs (and they benefit from it), not over-the-counter supplements.


And the opinion was posted by an online "ask the vet" type of thing, so who knows what his credentials actually are (or whose payroll he may be on.) I just did a broad search for side effects of glucosamine in dogs and found the article. I looked for it again, but of course I can't find it now. I just wondered if anyone else had ever heard the same thing.

I wouldn't even consider Rimadyl or the like unless it was a last resort - a 'nothing to lose by trying it' situation. And we're nowhere NEAR that stage. Gunner doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain yet, at all, but I thought it might be a good time to try to get ahead of it, before he does. I just wasn't sure if it was a good idea to do that. I didn't want to start treating if it isn't necessary at this point.
Thank you for the replies!
I guess the question I'm left with is this - does an occasional clicking sound indicate that arthritis is inevitable?


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

I started Gracie on Cosequin ds the day her hip prelims came back with mild HD, so she started at about one year with the supplement. When we redid her xrays a year later for her 2 year old finals, they came back OFA Fair with no signs of dysplasia so I feel the Cosequin helped. She also gets fish oil and 500 mg ester c daily. When she was younger, her hips clicked all the time. Now I never hear them clicking.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

My GSD, whose hips & elbows at 14 months were rated excellent" (not an OFA rating because he was too young, but the radiologist's rating), starting taking Glu/Chond on his 2nd birthday. THAT is how strongly I believe in those particular supplements, how well they work (not only for HD/ED, but also for arthritis) and their safety. 

If your glucosamine is sodium-based (most are), keep that in mind if your dog is ever diagnosed with heart issues, the sodium could be contraindicated. Like humans, too much salt, could be an issue. (Since he's young, you might want to write this down somewhere.) That's the main side effect I worry about. 

And if you're worried about bleeding issues, do you have a fully stocked first aid kit (gauze, wraps, pressure bandages, etc) and do you know where at least two emergency clinics near your home (dog park, anywhere Gunner goes frequently) are? If not, do that now. Every dog owner should anyhow. Call your vet's office for the emergency clinics (the receptionist should have phone numbers and addresses) and make yourself a shopping list for first aid kit items, going a little heavy on bandages. http://www.canismajor.com/dog/fstaidk.html

We can't negate all possible side effects. But we can certainly minimize them. And, every dog owner should have a first aid kit and know where two emergency clinics are anyhow!


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: 3K9MomMy GSD, whose hips & elbows at 14 months were rated excellent" (not an OFA rating because he was too young, but the radiologist's rating), starting taking Glu/Chond on his 2nd birthday. THAT is how strongly I believe in those particular supplements, how well they work (not only for HD/ED, but also for arthritis) and their safety.
> 
> If your glucosamine is sodium-based (most are), keep that in mind if your dog is ever diagnosed with heart issues, the sodium could be contraindicated. Like humans, too much salt, could be an issue. (Since he's young, you might want to write this down somewhere.) That's the main side effect I worry about.
> 
> ...


Okay, that's quite an endorsement! I've seen the effects of Cosequin, myself, but never with one of my GSDs. I had my last Golden on it and it did wonders for him. He had pretty severe arthritis and less than six months after starting the supplements, he was running around like a puppy again. And was STILL running around like a pup at 11 years of age.
I've also started Riley (my current Golden - a year old) on it already. His hips are not good, so it was definitely a can't-start-it-too-soon situation with him.
I just wanted to make sure it was a good idea for Gunner, considering the different, breed-specific issues.

I did speak to my vet about it earlier today and he said pretty much what I knew he was going to say, and pretty much what you guys have said here. He's very comfortable with Cosequin (gives it to his own dog.) He said that the risks are so slim that he'd be real tempted to say 'it can't hurt.'
So, we're going to start the supplements tonight.

Thank you for mentioning the sodium content. I wouldn't have thought of that and it's a good thing to keep in mind! Cosequin does contain sodium chondroitin sulfate - 400 mg.

I do have a pretty well-stocked first aid kit. I'm anal like that - I like to be prepared! LOL. And luckily, our vet's clinic is open from 8:00am to 1:00am everyday (including holidays) and a vet is always on call 24/7 for emergencies. There's also another emergency clinic about fifteen minutes from my house, so we're in a good area, here, when it comes to emergency treatment.
Thanks again for the advice! It's really appreciated!


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## TMarie (Jul 6, 2006)

Jake is 10 years old and he has been on Cosequin DS since he was 8 months old. He was diagnosed with HD, right hip poor, left hip fair. We opted not to have surgery, as he wasn't showing any signs of problems. 

When he was xrayed two different times after a few years, his joints showed improvement, not anything major, but significant enough to make me a believer that keeping Jake on Cosequin all these years has kept him comfortable. 

Only now at 10 years is he slowing down and showing signs of arthritis, but he has other issues now too.

My vet strongly recommends Cosequin.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: TMARIEJake is 10 years old and he has been on Cosequin DS since he was 8 months old. He was diagnosed with HD, right hip poor, left hip fair. We opted not to have surgery, as he wasn't showing any signs of problems.
> 
> When he was xrayed two different times after a few years, his joints showed improvement, not anything major, but significant enough to make me a believer that keeping Jake on Cosequin all these years has kept him comfortable.
> 
> ...


That's pretty incredible! 
Boy, after reading that, I'm real glad that we started our Golden on Cosequin a few months ago. (He was around 7 months at the time.) His hips definitely aren't good - we're going to have the x-rays done at 18 months to see just _how_ bad they are.

The previous vet we were going to advised me to hold off and not start him on supplements at such a young age. Well, I talked to quite a few 'Golden people' who flat-out disagreed with him so we decided to start the supplements. And I'm real glad that we did!

And hopefully we're getting ahead of this enough with Gunner that we can keep him in good shape well into old age.


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