Arthritis Prevention Products...

[Michelleva]

I'm sooo confused..

Our sheltie is one and has had patella surgery. She's also had a secondary surgery to have the pins removed. After the initial surgery she had a course of injections to prevent arthritis, called Zydax. At this stage she doesn't have arthritis, but I think it would be a good supplement for her, since her joint issues.

I picked up a brochure at the vet for a product called Glyde Powder, which is made by the same people who make the injections. Its over $100 a jar though, but says it should last my little dog about 8 months, which is pretty reasonable.

I've been looking on the net this morning and there are soo many products all claiming to do the same thing, at varying prices.

The other two I've looked into are shasha's blend and joint guard. Has anyone else used these products in their dogs, and whats your verdict. I will also speak to the vet next time we're there and see if he agrees it will be helpful to her and what his recommendation is.

The Glyde contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin (not shark cartilage) and Green Lipped Mussel containing ETA.

[oakway]

I don't believe that any of it is a preventative.

In some cases the owners say their dogs have received some relief from using these products.

I just think that if these products worked like their manufactures say, we would have people and

dogs without joint problems and thats not the case.

If you think that you have found a product that will work go for it.

[wuffles]

We use Joint Guard for my large breed who was getting a bit stiff after walks at 3 years old. He's now 6 and very, very rarely exhibits any sniffness anymore. We noticed a big difference within about 2 months of starting the product.

For a small dog I think it would be worth it as you wouldn't use much, so it doesn't work out too expensive

[Michelleva]

I don't believe that any of it is a preventative.

In some cases the owners say their dogs have received some relief from using these products.

I just think that if these products worked like their manufactures say, we would have people and

dogs without joint problems and thats not the case.

If you think that you have found a product that will work go for it.

So you're theory is to not treat a problem thats not already there. I thought these products claimed to prevent or lessen the effects.

I think with all Georgia's joint issues that she will get arthritis at some point, I guess its just a matter of when. I suspect the vet will the push the product that he sells, thats why I thought I'd get some other views.

[Kajtek]

We've had a cruciate ligament fix surgery (our bully thinks she is a racing/jumping breed )

The advice was to keep my girl on joint guard (or something similar) for the rest of her days. Apparently it helps to prevent post op arthritis setting in.

[Staranais]

As far as I know, there's no evidence that any of these products prevents development of DJD, although also no studies to prove that they don't - no one has really looked at it since it would be an expensive and longterm study to do.

What there is is evidence that some of these products can slow progression of DJD in dogs that already have it, by reducing joint inflammation & slowing the degradation of cartilage.

I personally give my own dog glucosamine, chondroitin, fish body oil, & sometimes green lipped mussel orally, as well as Pentosan/cartrophen injections q 6 months, in the hope it will do some good.

[TashaBailey]

Michelle,

I have sent you a PM. I have used Glyde on my sheltie who has arthritis.

Decide on which product you want to use and shop around online. My vet charged me $130 to $140 for the first lot of Glyde that I purchased however I was able to get from my online supplier for less than $90. To save on postage I was buying 2 at a time.

TB

[cowanbree]

After being a sceptic for some time I was talked into trying a magnetic collar for one of my dogs who is a chronic foot licker. Must say 3 days in and zero licking which is unheard of. They apparently promote healing and also help with arthritis. I am not a convert yet as it is early days but might be worth doing some research as some people do swear by them and they are cheap as chips.

[Inevitablue]

I don't believe that any of it is a preventative.

In some cases the owners say their dogs have received some relief from using these products.

I just think that if these products worked like their manufactures say, we would have people and

dogs without joint problems and thats not the case.

If you think that you have found a product that will work go for it.

It's not that it's a preventative, osteoarthritis is asymptomatic for awhile before the owner starts to see changes in the dog. The claim that people with high risk dogs should begin using the products before the dog starts showing signs is because the chondrocytes can be influenced before the inflammatory response begins.

I think Joint guard is good before a dog gets too stiff, but if trying to treat a sore dog then the ETA in Glyde offers quite good anti inflammatory properties.

[mac'ella]

Have a look on My shopping .com.au they have a list of different suppliers and the price difference on products varies greatly, just check expiry dates as to whether you will use the amount in the time frame.There is a lot of info on most products.

Edited March 13, 2011 by mac'ella

[MentorAdvantage]

When I see posts where people are asking is there anything else that they can try for arthritis I say ... probably.

I've just returned from California where I attended the Natural Products West Expo where manufacturers from all over the world display their latest products to the health and nutrition industry.

I'd love to tell you that I saw the ultimate silver bullet cure for all aliments but it wasn't there and probably will never be.

I did spend some time with Dr Theo the author of the best selling book The Arthritis Cure discussing his next book revision and new arthritis nutraceuticals that are becoming available.

Here's some inside info for you ... to be honest there are but a handful of proven products for arthritis which are backed with scientific research data.

For every proven product there are hundreds of "snake oil" ones with no scientific research.

The problem with marketing the proven nutraceuticals into the retail sector is that you have to keep on reinventing it .... you know "new and improved", "now with added ????".

As with any mainstream product you the consumer are targeted with (and respond to) these marketing catch phrases like flies to fly paper ... do they even make fly paper anymore?

Think about it ... when you're standing in a retail store confronted by all the different brands and labels I bet you go for one which catches your eye with "technological breakthrough" on the label etc.

There is one market sector where marketing isn't taken into consideration as it's results driven.

Can you guess where it is? .... it's the nations network of naturopaths and similar health care professionals.

They know which products work and they don't have to worry about fancy labels as there is a certain amount of trust established between you and your health care professional.

Now again some are better than others so it's still up to you to ask questions and do your own research as within every industry there are always charlatans.

Here's where it gets interesting .... when you find something works for you and then you come across someone or indeed a dog, cat or horse with the same complaint you naturally think I wonder if will work for them. Being adventurous we give it to our animals and as animals don't know about the placebo effect they either have a response or not. Thus it's easy to see that when they do have a positive response why there are so many products that make the transition from human use to animal use. Some with APVMA evaluation and others without.

Cartrophen, produced by Biopharma Australia and registered with the APVMA, is a product which has made the transition from human use to animal use for the treatment of Osteoarthritis in adult dogs.

For humans Cartrophen is know as Pentosan polysulfate (sold under the name Elmiron by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, inc.) it's the only oral medication approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome. So from painful bladder syndrome in humans to arthritis in dogs ... but it's been approved by the APVMA so go figure :-)

So when I see posts where people are asking is there anything else that they can try for arthritis I say ... probably... as there are a lot of good human products which are being used (without APVMA approval) on animals.

Disclaimer - Whilst I have over 15yrs of joint and cartilage knowledge as a nutriceutical manufacturer and supplier to the naturopath industry I'm not a human or animal health care practitioner so before you embark on using, or giving, any unapproved treatment please check the science very carefully and seek advise from a suitably qualified professional.

[Inevitablue]

For humans Cartrophen is know as Pentosan polysulfate (sold under the name Elmiron by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, inc.) it's the only oral medication approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome. So from painful bladder syndrome in humans to arthritis in dogs ... but it's been approved by the APVMA so go figure :-)

Are you sure that the human version is marketed at Pentosan Polysulfate? The chemical name for Cartrophen is Pentosan Polysulfate (also marketed by Nature vet as Pentosan and by Parnell Labs as Zydax)

The oral version is not carried on the sulfur molecule, but a calcium molecule. The problem is that the calcium molecule doesnt easily transverse the stomach wall.

Pentosan for arthritis was an Australian discovery, at Royal North Shore Hospital. The trial didnt work as expected but elderly human participants reported that they no longer had joint pain.

The use of Pentosan Polysulfate in the animal form has not passed clinical trials in humans due to bleeding issues. Correct me if Im behind the times, but I sales repped for Parnell a few years back, so that gave me a good insight into the history/ story behind PPS.

The bright hope for arthritis is in the form of regenerative medicine. Check out the wonderful things this Melbourne based company is doing - www.mesoblast.com

Im in the veterinary regenerative medicine field now and it is so exciting, and not just for osteoarthritis.

[aussielover]

As far as I know, there's no evidence that any of these products prevents development of DJD, although also no studies to prove that they don't - no one has really looked at it since it would be an expensive and longterm study to do.

What there is is evidence that some of these products can slow progression of DJD in dogs that already have it, by reducing joint inflammation & slowing the degradation of cartilage.

I personally give my own dog glucosamine, chondroitin, fish body oil, & sometimes green lipped mussel orally, as well as Pentosan/cartrophen injections q 6 months, in the hope it will do some good.

Is that because of her shoulder issues staranais?

I give my dog joint guard treats because she likes them. I doubt whether it would prevent any issues arising though.

Glyde is very expensive and it did not help my old dog with severe arthritis at all. It may help in less severe cases though.

Cartrophen injections have around a 60-70% success rate, ie 60-70% of owners think it has lead to some improvement (so quite subjective)

[Staranais]

As far as I know, there's no evidence that any of these products prevents development of DJD, although also no studies to prove that they don't - no one has really looked at it since it would be an expensive and longterm study to do.

What there is is evidence that some of these products can slow progression of DJD in dogs that already have it, by reducing joint inflammation & slowing the degradation of cartilage.

I personally give my own dog glucosamine, chondroitin, fish body oil, & sometimes green lipped mussel orally, as well as Pentosan/cartrophen injections q 6 months, in the hope it will do some good.

Is that because of her shoulder issues staranais?

Yup, sure is. She's jumping 75cm at the moment with no sign of limping. And I want to keep it that way!

[cheekygal]

My 9yo boxer just had her second injection of Cartrophen today. She has stiffness in her hindlegs when attempting to get on the lounge and chairs :D .Other than this she is faring quite well for her age except that she has just lost her best friend. Will be interesting and hopeful to see how she responds to this.

[Mason_Gibbs]

Must say i gave my horse joint support suppliments for years but imo did not make any difference

[Poppy's mum]

I used this for Tielle my greyhound: https://secure.synflexamerica.com/products/?utm_source=synflexamerica&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=August2011 (ordered the human version because you can't import the animal version of anything). She had very little joint stiffness when put to sleep at age 13. No idea if it made a difference. I think you can buy liquid glucosamine locally too from some pet supply outlets but I preferred this one at the time. Vet said it couldn't hurt.

Current code for 10% discount is "Happy" - they have monthly offers of this kind. I used it and found it helped my sore knees

Most of the evidence seems to be anecdotal for these sorts of products. My 15 yo chi is on rimadyl from the vet - it works well for her knee stiffness.

[mac'ella]

I used joint guard for my 13yr old boxer there was some improvement,but then was advised to try seaflex joint function by our pet supply store lady who also has boxers, sounded too good to be true but it has worked great.The best thing is its in treat form so I know hes eaten it and is quite cheap in comparison to other suppliments.He also seems more alert and started playing more.

[carrie]

I used Joint Guard for two years and saw a massive improvement in my chihuahuas arthritis. Then we found he went downhill quickly. I changed onto Glyde but felt it still wasn't helping as much as I hoped it would (he was still sore and limping sometimes). So I took him off Glyde and within a week he was about twenty times worse - constantly limping, sore, stiff, painful... So back on the Glyde and his symptoms lessened a great deal.

Glyde has Green Lipped Mussle which the other products don't have, and apparently it works as an anti-inflammatory. It's very expensive though but I will continue to use it because I feel it makes a big difference to my little dog!

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Emma had signs of arthritis when I got her so I immediately put her on to fish oil capsules (on the recommendation of a natural therapist) and also Sasha's blend. I definitely saw improvement in her - do't know what caused it as I think when she came to me she probably also lost a bit of weight and had a better exercise regime. So there were a number of factors at play. But they do say fish oil is good for general health anyway and it certainly helped give her the most beautiful shiny coat!!!

In her last couple of years she was also getting cartrophen injections - these did make a differencee. i don't know how they go as a preventative (from my understanding of how it works I assume it could act as somewhat of a preventative) but it made a big difference to her ease of mobility up until the day she left us.

Definitely do the shop around for whatever product you choose. I bought my Sasha's online and there was often up to $20-30 difference in price (between shops/clinics etc). Also if you go the natural way with things like fish oil check out all options as again there is a big variation in price.