Glucosamine and chondroitin are the main ingredients found in most canine joint supplements. These two natural cartilage building blocks are essential for maintaining healthy joint function and for helping to lessen the aches and pains so many dogs experience with canine arthritis. But you know what they sometimes say about too much of a good thing…
Luckily, while your dog can get too much glucosamine and chondroitin for their weight and arthritis needs, it would be quite difficult for them to overdose in a way that seriously affected them. Here’s why.
Finding the Right Dosage
The amount of glucosamine and chondroitin that is right for your dog depends on two things: 1) their weight and 2) the severity of their joint condition. For this reason, it’s important to consult with your veterinarian on how much they recommend daily for your particular pup, and buy supplements accordingly.
To get you started, here are the average recommendations:
Average Glucosamine Recommendations for Dogs
- 250-500 mg for 5-20 pounds dogs
- 500 mg for 20-45 pounds dogs
- 1,000 mg for 45-90 pounds dogs
- 1,500 mg for dogs weighing more than 90 pounds
Average Chondroitin Recommendations for Dogs
- 900 mg for dogs weighing less than 80 pounds
- 1,800 mg for dogs weighing more than 80 pounds
Choosing a High-Quality Supplement
The use of joint supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin has increased exponentially in recent years – a Google search for “joint supplements for dogs produces over 40,000,000 results! It’s wonderful to have natural options that are effective at combating the effects of canine arthritis, especially considering that many of the synthetic prescription drugs available can cause unpleasant side effects if used long-term. However, it’s important to understand that just because a dog joint supplement is labeled “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.
Recent reports of glucosamine toxicity in dogs have most often been linked to joint supplements with ingredients sourced from and/or manufactured in China. Many pet parents purchase these supplements because they are cheaper than ones sourced and made in the United States, but the truth is they can take a much higher toll on your pet’s health in the long run. Cheap supplements from China often contain the addition of toxic chemicals and bacteria as fillers such as lead, arsenic, and Salmonella, to name a few.
If your dog were to ingest too many of these cheap supplements at once or take them for too long a time, the results could be disastrous. That’s why it’s important to do your research and ensure you’re purchasing a high-quality glucosamine chondroitin supplement for your dog. Choose a canine joint supplement made in the USA, with ingredients sourced in the USA. Buy from a reputable company that’s transparent about their manufacturing process, read labels carefully and go through reviews thoroughly. TopDog’s veterinarian formulated GlycanAid HA is a 5-star product made in the USA with only natural, pure ingredients, including glucosamine, chondroitin, and other essential nutrients to help your dog maintain normal healthy cartilage and joint function, limit discomfort, and improve joint mobility. And most importantly, keep them safe and healthy.
Avoiding Overloading Their System
Once you ensure you are giving your dog the right dosage in their joint supplements, there are then essentially two main ways they could get too much glucosamine and/or chondroitin in their system:
1) An Overdose of Supplements
To make them more appealing to pups, most canine joint supplements come in the form of soft chews flavored in delicious combinations like bacon and cheddar. This can make them seem more like tasty treats than supplements, and if your dog can sniff them out, chances are they may eat the whole bottle and experience an overdose.
Luckily, glucosamine is more of a food supplement than a drug, so it’s only in very rare cases when a dog consumes extreme amounts of glucosamine that a toxic overdose would occur. Most likely, your dog would experience some vomiting and/or diarrhea, with no lasting side effects. However, if the joint supplement also contained active ingredients like vitamin D or zinc, this can be very serious and warrants an immediate call to your veterinarian.
2) Additional Glucosamine Sources
Even if you’re giving the right dosage in supplements to your dog, they may be getting additional glucosamine from other sources. For example, some brands of kibble contain glucosamine. While a little bit won’t make much of a difference, too much kibble will not only make them overweight but could lead to extra glucosamine in their body. Again, the chances of this being dangerous are extremely slim, but it’s important for optimal effectiveness that they receive the correct dosage.
Another possible way your dog could be getting extra glucosamine is from natural food sources. However, you would know if this was the case, as you would be feeding them raw foods such as chicken feet, oxtails, or shellfish shells. These raw foods are great sources of glucosamine that is very easily absorbed by your dog’s body, but it can be tough to provide these foods to your pup every day, which is why most pet parents choose supplements.
So in essence, it would be quite difficult to give your dog too much glucosamine and/or chondroitin. While it’s important to ensure they’re receiving the correct dosage in their supplements for their weight and needs, the chances of them experiencing a toxic overdose are slim. So rest easy, pet parents.
