Ok, so my g.s. had surgery a few months ago for bilateral elbow dysplasia: ulnar osteotomy and pin/ screw placement. Left elbow healed up (though minimal arthritis still present in the joint.) Right elbow no change, screw left in to help support and possibly facilitate fusing. Screw broke in the joint, no fusing of the joint took place, dog limping more and more. Consulted Tufts vets, they concurred with our original surgical vet to have the unfused anconeal process and broken screw removed. Moderate arthritis already present in the right elbow. This dog is 1 year old.

My question, I have decided to give him Cosequin and Adequan, which do I start with (he's two days post op) or can I start with both? I know both have loading doses. I have been unable to find information about this, and our vet is not a good resource on these products. I'm thinking I shouldn't start them together, but do one loading dose, then the other. Maybe start with the "heavy hitter" the Adequan? Also, I have been unable to find information about dosing for the Adequan. ON the adequan website it only says to give the loading doses twice a week for four weeks, max 8 doses. Period. They don't say anything about maintenance doses. I haven't found anything on any seller websites either; it seems like the information reguarding adequan for canines is pretty vague. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I can only speak for Adequan. My pup finished the Adequan loading dose at the end of January. Maintenance doses are "as needed", which in my dog's case will be once a month to maintain the medication in his system. He may not NEED it that often but this is my preference. I've spoken with Novartis at length about this and there is no harm with continuing once a month.

The information is vague because "as needed" will be different for every dog.

Adequan is simply great...I highly recommend it.

And I can speak to the Cosequin part:

Cosequin is mainly glucosamine and chondroitin, which are not NSAIDs, but are supplements (nutraceuticals) and, from everything I have ever learned, very safe. I start all seniors on glucosamine, whether they show OA changes or not, because I think it's so safe and because I see no downside. (I take it too.)

JMO, and I'm not a health professional. However, every source I know of backs up the safety part, even if there is not universal agreement on efficacy. (I personally have seen very good results over time.)

BTW, I agree 100% with Sarah about Adequan. It's a relative of glucosamine (it's a combination of glycosaminoglycans) and has a similarly low danger of side effects.

JMO, and I'm not a health professional.

I just don't understand why on the Adequan website where they have the actual drug information they say nothing about continuing, just the loading dose. Here's an excerpt from their site saying max 8 injections, do not exceed...

Dosage and Administration: The recommended dose of Adequan ® Canine is 2 mg/lb body weight (.02 mL/lb, or 1 mL per 50 lb), by intramuscular injection only, twice weekly for
up to 4 weeks (maximum of 8 injections). Do not exceed the recommended dose or therapeutic regimen.
Do not mix Adequan ® Canine with other drugs or solvents.

I don't know either, Stephanie. I can only guess that because each dog's needs are different it is left up to the vet to inform owners about maintenance doses and to determine when and if any further treatment is needed.

No one at my hospital thought to suggest Adequan for my pup. I learned about it here on this forum.

My dogs' orthopedic surgeon put him on Adequan & Legend, loading doses twice a week for one month, then once a month for maintenance. Are you administering & monitoring yourself?

it may be a drug that stays in the system for days or weeks and therefore can build up to dangerous levels over time.

I have the same reaction to a certain kind of pain killer...I'm not allergic to it, my body doesn't get rid of it very quickly...so I can take it as prescribed and OD after a few days of regular doses.

Just guessing, but maybe it has something to do with that?

I will be administering it and monitoring myself, yes. My orthopedic surgeon and regular vet agreed with me good idea to try, but couldn't offer any info about it, so I also have gotten much of my information from this website. I do intend to call the company and clarify some things, though...

Now that I think back, there really was no "monitoring" other than gauging how well the dog was doing by sight. The only reason I went to the vet was because Legend has to be administered iv, but Adequan is intramuscular, so easy to give at home. I wonder if anyone else who has had their dogs on Adequan knows of any monitoring other than visually assessing the dog.