In 1999, glucosamine was the best selling diet supplement in the U.S., with yearly sales of US $288 million. It’s become a massively favored diet supplement around the globe. It has proved itself again though its potential for fixing damaged joints and slowing the progression of arthritis.

Since glucosamine works so well for human arthritis, it is natural to ask : What about dog arthritis? Is it safe? Is it effective? The answer : Yes, it would seem to be both effective and safe. The main safety concern comes from animal studies in which big amounts of glucosamine were given to rats and other animals intravenously, for short amounts of time.

Ordinary healing quantities of glucosamine given orally haven’t been shown to have a difficult effect on insulin levels, insulin resistance or blood sugar levels.

Cosequin is the brand of a glucosamine and chondroitin formulation made to treat dog arthritis, pussy arthritis and pony arthritis. It is taken by mouth and seems to have a brilliant safety record. Cosequin has been seen to have a superb safety profile.

In safety studies, Cosequin given at twice label endorsed levels for thirty days in healthy dogs had no difficult effects on blood sugar levels.

No scientifically important effects were seen on any biochemical parameter in these studies. Though no change in blood sugar control would be anticipated for a diabetic dog, as with the addition of anything new to a diabetic’s regimen, it is a good idea to monitor closely.