Cosequin, Glyco-Flex or Synovi?

[AgilityKrazii]

What is your opinion/expereince with these brands.

I want to take anvantage of the sale and free shipping at fosters and smith because only Cosequin is sold locally. They all look like they are of good quality so I just would like to hear your opinions.

I will be useing it for Rosco my 3 year old Lab who is very active and does alot a variety of performance events and is from an unknown background.

[Beanie]

I've heard good things about Cosequin, but does Rosco have arthritis or is he showing any signs? I personally would not use it as a preventative product. It won't do HARM but it is very expensive and unless he's showing signs of arthritis and pain/slowing down, IMO you're wasting money.

Auggie gets salmon oil. Some believe it's a good preventative med for joints, and I know that it can also be used WITH glucosamine and chondroitin (Cosequin basically) when a dog DOES have arthritis. However there are lots of other health benefits to salmon oil too, like heart health, skin, and coat benefits, so I would rather give something that I know will give him benefits one way or another even if it turns out to not be a preventative for joint health.

[Amanda885]

I was just about to say a lot of the same stuff.....but Beanie covered it

[AgilityKrazii]

Beanie,
Rosco does not have arthritis and isnt showing any signs, I just want something as a preventitive measure because I know agility and disc puts alot of stress on his joints.
He does get salmon oil already, its wild ak salmon oil made locally (I live in Ak)

[BostonBanker]

There is nothing that shows that joint supplements work as preventatives, although I know plenty of people who choose to use them anyway.

To the best of my knowledge, Cosequin is the only joint supplement that has actual studies backing it up.

I use Hylasport Canine for Meg, but it isn't a F&S product.

[Beanie]

IMHO you are just fine with the salmon oil and don't need to supplement anything else as long as he's on a high quality food. The raw supplementing you're doing right now is also only going to be beneficial.

If you're determined I would try to get some human-grade glucosamin and chondroitin to feed him in the same amounts as are in Cosequin instead of dishing out the big bucks to give Cosequin all the time.

ETA:

Originally Posted by BostonBanker

There is nothing that shows that joint supplements work as preventatives, although I know plenty of people who choose to use them anyway.

I agree, I don't really know if I buy the idea that salmon oil is beneficial as a preventative with the joint health... however it does give so many other benefits that I don't feel like I'm throwing money down the drain. The heart health benefits alone are worth it. It's also not really that expensive.
I'm actually not sure if I totally buy Salmon Oil alone as something that will help a lot when a dog has full-blown arthritis either...

[elegy]

the manufacturers of synovi are currently shut down by the FDA.

for a young dog, i'd go with the glyco-flex. others have said they wouldn't use anything, but i don't think it's a bad thing to be using a joint supplement in a sport dog, even if they're not showing signs of arthritis. arthritis can still be there, and a joint supplement can help slow the progression of it. i'd want the benefit of the joint supplement in the very earliest stages, not just at the point where the dog has enough pain to be limping and uncomfortable.

for my dog with the bad knees, i try to stick with dasuquin, which is the "next generation" supplement from the makers of cosequin.

[corgipower]

I tried cosequin and saw no improvement. I switched to glyco flex and saw a lot of improvement.

[AgilityKrazii]

Originally Posted by elegy

for a young dog, i'd go with the glyco-flex. others have said they wouldn't use anything, but i don't think it's a bad thing to be using a joint supplement in a sport dog, even if they're not showing signs of arthritis. arthritis can still be there, and a joint supplement can help slow the progression of it. i'd want the benefit of the joint supplement in the very earliest stages, not just at the point where the dog has enough pain to be limping and uncomfortable.

My thoughts exactly.
I was looking at the different levels I guess you could say and I'm not sure if 1 or 2 would be better, it seems 2 fits him better.