I'm on this, Brenda. I figured that since you can't run down to a health food store and pick and choose, I would look for something that has performed well in studies, in liquid or capsule or powder form (easy to give dogs, sprinkled on food), with the right ratio of chondroitin, with no hanky-panky about the stated contents, and also at the best price.

I didn't forget you! This is something I have been meaning to re-research for ages, since better studies have finally been done on glucosamine and OA.

I found good reviews of Leerburg's Item #49. I also see a note on the web page about it not being shippable to several countries, so it might require a call or email to Leerburg: http://leerburg.com/contact.htm#phone
Syn-Flex: http://leerburg.com/49.htm

http://www.arthritis-glucosamine.net/comparison.php for recommendation.

Here are two more “Good Value” products. Flexicose was deemed a Best Value on independent sites. And Synovi was considered to be a less expensive substitute for Cosequin on a vet-practice (Placerville Vet) site that I often refer to for ailment and med overviews.

After the Flexicose and Synovi URLs are some of the sites I used to do this research.


Flexicose:
http://www.flexicose-usa.com/products.asp?cat=12

http://www.glucosamine-osteoarthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-for-dogs.html
QUOTE: Take a look at Flexicose as it contains 1500 mg of high quality liquid glucosamine, was less expensive per day than the other products, and also contained thirteen other ingredients such as MSM, Omega 3, Yucca, Chondroitin, and Manganese. END

Synovi:
QUOTE from http://www.dogstuffreviews.com
“The cheapest place to get it is KV vet supply in Nebraska. END QUOTE
Here's KV Vet Supply:
http://www.kvvet.com/KVVet/productr.asp?pf%5Fid=41957&gift=False&HSLB=False&mscssid=5BD3736F6C9A4B5D86C89AB8181DB64B
http://www.kvvet.com/KVVet/search_results.asp?mscssid=5BD3736F6C9A4B5D86C89AB8181DB64B&Gift=false&GiftID=

http://www.placervillevet.com/nutraceuticals.htm
QUOTE: Cosequin and Cosamine are excellent products, but we are increasingly recommending the Synovi line because it is less expensive END

I personally use a small-label brand made for a local chain of 5 health food stores, which is third-party tested and guaranteed to contain what it says, but I don’t think they have web ordering. I just called and left a message, and I will post if they do. From everything I have been reading, liquid is the way to go with dogs, but powder is second, and this brand is a very good value.


Sites I used:

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis-pets/glucosamine-dogs.html

http://arthritis.about.com/od/glucosamine/f/glucosamine.htm

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis-pets/glucosamine-chondroitin-dog-arthritis.html
QUOTES: “Flexicose .... is a best buy” and “Corta-Flex.... this product does not have much going for it but low cost.”

The Arthritis Cure for Pets by Brian Beale, Brenda Adderly

http://www.arthritis.org/good-news-for-knees.php
(Note: the big GAIT trial was all humans, and all with knee pain.)

http://www.nutrimed.com/news_gc1000.html

http://www.msmforless.com/~rabbit23/index.php?cName=glucosamine-hc1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15344672

http://www.consumerlab.com/results/gluco.asp
QUOTE: .... Among the 20 human and pet products that ConsumerLab.com selected and tested .... among products that claimed to contain chondroitin ..... a whopping 73% failed. END

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-product-guide.html

P.S. I joined ConsumerLab (which I had been meaning to do, anyway) to find out which were good values and which were a ripoff. (BTW, Corta-Flex shows up on more than one “not recommended” list.)

All of the above is JMO, and I am not a health professional.

Oh my goodness, Connie, you are a gem. Thank you so much! I just showed your post to my husband, who was absolutely amazed you would do that for us. (You scored some major points in his book.) :-)

I'll look at all the websites you posted - I have a couple of weeks before my husband goes to the States, so I can order online and have it shipped to his mom's in Colorado, and he can bring it back with him. It's perfect timing.

I've got one more small question - I've been doing research tonight but haven't found the exact answer that I need. In giving regular human aspirin to a dog, do you know the amount to give per body weight? Say, for a 78 lb puppy who is grunting and sighing every time she moves?

 Quote: Brenda Mitchell

I've got one more small question - I've been doing research tonight but haven't found the exact answer that I need. In giving regular human aspirin to a dog, do you know the amount to give per body weight? Say, for a 78 lb puppy who is grunting and sighing every time she moves?

http://www.placervillevet.com/aspirin.htm

Don't forget that aspirin is an NSAID too. I do have a senior on an NSAID (Deramaxx), and I have two things I stick to when an NSAID is a must. I stop the drug instantly at the first sign of gastric upset, nausea, lack of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea, because of the high incidence of bleeding ulcers in dogs on NSAIDs. I also ask for a baseline blood panel, and then monitor kidney and liver function if the dog is on any NSAID for any period of time. Also, since the dog has had a bad reaction to one NSAID, I'd be very careful about giving any NSAID. (I probably would not do it. I'd probably ask the vet for another c-class pain reliever.)

And I'd jump on the polysulfated glucosamine-type supplements.

All JMO, and I'm not a health professional.

Thanks - I just read your reply to Marc back in April where you also said it could cause ulcers. Since I'm already going to the skin doctor tomorrow morning and she's a regular vet as well, maybe she'll have a c-class pain reliever she can recommend and then I don't have to go back to the orthopedic doctor until it's time to get her x-rayed.

I went to the vet (skin doctor specialist) today to get Star checked for her mange. She didn't have any parasites in her skin scrapings, and the vet said she would scrape again in 3 weeks and 6 weeks, and if she had 3 clean scrapings she wouldn't have to take Ivermectin anymore.

I also spoke with her about Star's hip/joints/leg problems, and she gave me some Nutradyl Glucosamine tablets. She agreed that chondroitin alone would probably not do the trick. It's quite expensive, and we can probably get it cheaper in the States, but it should tide us over until my husband takes his trip.

Then she gave me some Movalis (European brand of Metacam) - an 8 day supply to see if that would help with the pain until the Glucosamine kicks in. She also said that Star is a bit overweight and she would like to see her thinner by the next visit.

I LOVE this vet. I hadn't been to her before, but she is the owner of the clinic where I had Star checked for mange. Not only was she knowledgable about everything I asked her, she didn't talk down to me and was very helpful. Her office is further away from our normal vet, but she just seems to know so much more than our normal vet - who's office is right down the road from our house. I discussed it with my husband and we agreed that after two or three visits we are still this impressed with her, that we will change vets completely.

It's good to finally find someone here in Estonia who seems to know what they are talking about!