How I Found Out My Dog Had Osteoarthritis
Few days ago I found out that my dog, Pepper, has early DJD (degenerative joint disease). For those of you who are not familiar with this term, this is a “fancy” term for osteoarthritis.
This is how I found out: I made appointment with a veterinarian to rule out hip dysplasia. I had been concerned about this for some time due to noticeable hip swaying and the fact that his parents hadn’t been health tested. To be honest, I went in mostly for the peace of mind. I was expecting to get physical examination, take one or two x-rays, and to be told that he does not have any issues and that I don’t have to worry about it. I did not expect for him to get diagnosed with an orthopedic issue at such a young age (he’s only 2 years old).
When I brought Pepper to the office, the veterinarian who examined him noted that he showed no signs of pain in his hind legs. In fact, he suggested that x-rays might not be necessary. Nonetheless, I requested them for my peace of mind, and the vet agreed.
When the x-ray results came back, I was devastated. I learned that Pepper has early-stage osteoarthritis, which is likely to progress as he ages. I immediately had a slew of questions for the vet: “Should I limit activities that might stress his joints, like jumping into the car or onto the bed?” “Do I need to reduce his exercise?” “Is there anything I can do to slow the progression of this disease?”
The vet advised me not to limit Pepper’s movement or exercise at this stage, as he does not exhibit pain or lameness. Instead, he recommended maintaining his current exercise level to preserve muscle strength and, most importantly, keeping him at his ideal weight. He also suggested giving him Dasuquin or Cosequin as joint supplements.
As a pharmacist, I was a bit skeptical about joint supplement recommendation. Nutraceuticals like Dasuquin and Cosequin, which contain glucosamine and chondroitin, are not FDA-approved, and their effectiveness isn’t firmly supported by scientific evidence. While some small studies suggest they might help, other research often contradicts these findings. Before committing to this expensive joint supplement, I decided to do some research. Here’s what I found:
Effectiveness of Joint Supplements in Canine Osteoarthritis
Study 1 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9929184/):
This is a prospective, block-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which is a gold standard for clinical trials. I consider this a great study design, except that the sample size is pretty small, with only 75 dogs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, marine-based fatty acid compounds and carprofen (FDA approved drug for canine) in alleviating pain from hip osteoarthritis. The results indicated that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate did not significantly improve pain. Instead, marine-based fatty acid compounds were found to be as effective as carprofen in reducing pain. However, I am cautious about the effectiveness of these fatty acid compounds, as the study was funded by Pharmalink International Ltd, the manufacturer of the supplement.
Study 2 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090023306000554):
Here is another is a randomized, double-blind trial. But this time, this is a positive controlled trial! This means that instead of comparing the efficacy of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate (Glu/CS) to that of placebo, this study compared the efficacy of Glu/CS with that of carprofen. Sample size was very small, with 35 dogs with confirmed osteoarthritis of hips or elbows. In this study, Glu/CS was shown to result in significant improvements in scores for pain, weight-bearing and overall clinical condition. It is important to note that compared to the carprofen-treated group, significant improvement occurred later in the course of treatment for the Glu/CS-treated group, at day 70, versus day 42 for carprofen. Note, this was financially supported by VetPlus, the manufacturer of the Glu/CS supplement.
Study 3 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12665145/):
This is a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 71 dogs with osteoarthritis. It compared efficacy of Cosequin, meloxicam and carprofen. This study concluded that Cosequin showed no significant response in terms of the objective gait analysis or either of the subjective assessments after 60 days of treatment. In contrast, meloxicam and carprofen showed significant improvements.
These studies collectively suggest that there is very weak evidence supporting the use of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate (Glu/CS) for pain relief in dogs with confirmed osteoarthritis. However, it is true that the studies did not look at the long-term efficacy of Glu/CS. Although one study concluded that dogs on Glu/CS showed improvement after 70 days, the sample size was very small with only 35 dogs. The long-term effectiveness of Glu/CS remains unclear, and additional research is needed to better understand its benefits.
What About the Benefits of Long-Term Use of Glucosamine?
I went through several articles but my question was remained unanswered: what about the long-term efficacy of Glu/CS in delaying progression of early osteoarthritis? Unfortunately, I could not find any clinical studies looking at the long-term effects of Glu/CS in canine patients. So instead, I looked at clinical studies assessing the efficacy of this compound in human patients.
Study 4 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/213562):
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of glucosamine in humans over a period of three years. It found that long-term oral administration of glucosamine could delay the natural progression of knee osteoarthritis. Patients who took glucosamine for an extended period experienced significant improvements in joint pain and functional limitations, and there was a reduction in progressive joint structure changes. However, it’s important to note that this study was funded by Rottapharm Group, which manufactures glucosamine supplements, raising the possibility of sponsorship bias.
Several other studies support these findings. They also examined the effects of long-term treatment with glucosamine or glucosamine/chondroitin and concluded that a three-year treatment regimen offered a small to moderate protective effect in delaying osteoarthritis progression. In summary, while short-term benefits of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate (Glu/CS) for pain relief or slowing osteoarthritis progression in dogs appear minimal, there may be potential long-term benefits from using these supplements to help slow the disease’s progression.
My Conclusion
After completing my research, I decided to order a bottle of Cosequin from Amazon. Despite finding very weak scientific evidence supporting both short- and long-term efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate (Glu/CS) in dogs, I felt more comfortable giving my dog these joint supplements. The side effects are minimal, and there is some evidence suggesting long-term benefits in humans, which makes it plausible that dogs might also experience similar benefits.
