Glucosamine in treats, enough for arthritis?!

by **EmmaLove** » Tue May 22, 2012 6:06 pm

Can anyone speak to the fact that treats like Happy Hips do not contain enough glucosamine to be of any benefit?

I'm trying to convince someone that his very arthritic dog needs an actual glucosamine supplement; he believes the few daily jerky treats he gives his dog are more than sufficient, because the package says it has however much glucosamine in it.

To me it just makes sense that a processed jerky treat couldn't have enough supplements or nutrients to have any added value. But I'm no nutritionist or veterinarian, nor do I have any data to back up my thoughts on this.

I'm hopeful someone can point to some research that proves this theory.

by **Stormi** » Tue May 22, 2012 6:28 pm

They don't. And (someone correct if I'm wrong) but I *think* that brand of jerky is made overseas, and there have been numerous reports lately in regards to chicken jerky made overseas being a cause of death in many dogs.

by **AllisonPibbleLvr** » Tue May 22, 2012 6:48 pm

I think the standard dose is 1000mg/day (for my 80lb dogs). I doubt a few treats can provide that.

by **EmmaLove** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:03 pm

Stormi wrote:They don't. And (someone correct if I'm wrong) but I *think* that brand of jerky is made overseas, and there have been numerous reports lately in regards to chicken jerky made overseas being a cause of death in many dogs.

Yes, it is one of the Chinese made products. He knows that, and that's why he now only buys the duck flavor. I guess he thinks because it isn't chicken, it's safe. I've only read about chicken being dangerous, but I wouldn't consider anything made in the same factory safe. Thoughts?

AllisonPibbleLvr wrote:I think the standard dose is 1000mg/day (for my 80lb dogs). I doubt a few treats can provide that.

He claims they have 500mg or something like that of glucosamine. I don't know where he got that tho, cuz all I saw on the bag was to feed 2 treats per 15 pounds (which, for an 80+lb dog, would be about 11 jerky treats a day!).

Even if it did claim to have 500mg per treat, I still don't buy that it is substantial or pure enough to offer the same (if any) benefit of a straight glucosamine supplement.

by **AllisonPibbleLvr** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:09 pm

And 11treats a day will likely cause weight gain...

by **mtlu** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:26 pm

Dogswell makes the Happy Hips and I believe their ingredients are sourced in China. Something to note, most vitamins and minerals are sourced from China now too - I'm talking about anything you buy in a bottle for human consumption and any manufactured foods that have added vitamins and minerals (which is pretty much anything that comes out of a box or plastic wrapping). Another thing to understand with labels on vitamins is that while the label may say a certain amount, how much is actually bioavailable that your body (or your dog's body) can absorb is another thing – when added to a food product, the measure given may be the amount added before the processing of the food (treat in this case) but after processing, you may not have the same amount of that supplement due to whatever manner the food/treat is processed/cooked.

This is one of the big reasons why I stopped fussing with probiotics and have been giving Molly kefir (goats milk) and kelp (which is a dried powder and needs to be reconstituted). We do give her a liquid glucosamine/chondroitin/hyaluronic acid supplement but I am currently looking for another brand/option that does not contain shark cartilage because while I love Molly and she needs her glucosamine, I also can't abide by how certain things are sourced.

by **Stormi** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:28 pm

EmmaLove wrote:Yes, it is one of the Chinese made products. He knows that, and that's why he now only buys the duck flavor. I guess he thinks because it isn't chicken, it's safe. I've only read about chicken being dangerous, but I wouldn't consider anything made in the same factory safe. Thoughts?

Same as yours. It's not something I'd be trusting my dog's life with. And if he's feeding that many a day or anywhere close, it's all the more likely he could sooner or later end up with a tainted batch. I'd rather buy straight supplements (way cheaper, too) than be feeding a ton of that crap to my dog.

by **Murfins** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:04 pm

mtlu wrote:Dogswell makes the Happy Hips and I believe their ingredients are sourced in China. Something to note, most vitamins and minerals are sourced from China now too - I'm talking about anything you buy in a bottle for human consumption and any manufactured foods that have added vitamins and minerals (which is pretty much anything that comes out of a box or plastic wrapping). Another thing to understand with labels on vitamins is that while the label may say a certain amount, how much is actually bioavailable that your body (or your dog's body) can absorb is another thing – when added to a food product, the measure given may be the amount added before the processing of the food (treat in this case) but after processing, you may not have the same amount of that supplement due to whatever manner the food/treat is processed/cooked.

This is one of the big reasons why I stopped fussing with probiotics and have been giving Molly kefir (goats milk) and kelp (which is a dried powder and needs to be reconstituted). We do give her a liquid glucosamine/chondroitin/hyaluronic acid supplement but I am currently looking for another brand/option that does not contain shark cartilage because while I love Molly and she needs her glucosamine, I also can't abide by how certain things are sourced.