Glucosamine is a naturally-occurring compound in the body that can also be found in supplements for dogs, but for humans as well. It has been an essential key in supplementation for people that are suffering from joint problems, but recently there have been studies about whether or not it works for dogs as well. There have been quite a few studies done already regarding glucosamine supplements for dogs, and it has been proven that adding it to a dog’s diet could help in many ways as well.
Why should you supplement with glucosamine?
1. It is a key element in preventative care
  It’s very important to consider maintaining our dog’s health in a top condition, and not only focus on treating issues that could appear. Prevention is always the best key in ensuring that your pet will live a happy healthy life. Any dog parent should try their best to provide their pet with quality meals along with a proper supplementation that is suited to their needs. It’s good to also keep in mind that natural glucosamine production tends to decrease along with the aging of your pet which usually results in longer healing times when it comes to minor or major injuries that could occur.
Supplementing with glucosamine from early on in your dog’s life could help in preventing the occurrence of osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disorder (DJD) that is rather frequent in dogs, and that definitely affects their quality of life.
2. It relieves inflammation and joint pain
Glucosamine acts as a chondroprotective because it helps regarding the protection and strengthening of your pup’s joints. The joints are made of cartilage, and that is why it is often recommended that the supplementation with glucosamine is also combined with chondroitin, another helpful supplement for the health of cartilage.
If your dog is suffering from inflammation, it can definitely decrease the quality of their life, because of the pain it causes. The issue tends to be felt the most in areas that support the weight of the dog, such as shoulders and hips.
Glucosamine can for sure aid in your dog’s health, because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties.
3. It helps with the treatment of DJD
Degenerative joint disease is a common issue that tends to affect pets and as we’ve previously mentioned, glucosamine can be helpful in the treatment of the symptoms of arthritis, along with other supplements. The reason why even studies have proven that it works is because it is a building block of the cartilage matrix and it also helps with the development of cartilage cells.
Generally, the supplements that are worth looking into for this particular health problem are glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, Vitamin C, Omega-3 fatty acids but also supplements that quicken the recovery of muscles and that help strengthen our pet’s general health and immunity.
Final thoughts
When it comes to the health of our pets, it’s very important to learn what signs we should look out for. Also, we should always assure that our pets are getting all of their nutritional needs fulfilled properly, because that way they are less likely to develop health issues, prevention will always be much easier than treatment.
Leave a Comment