Quick Tip!
If you haven’t checked out ouroverview on glucosamine and other active ingredients, take five, and go read that first!
Which Brand of Glucosamine Is Best for My Dog?
Now, on to the million dollar question: are all glucosamine supplements created equally?
(Spoiler alert: they’re not.)
Usually, this is because a dog joint supplement is not a single-ingredient product. You’re giving your dog a blend of ingredients either as a pill, chewable, or powder. Flip that package or bottle over, and take a look at the label. Are there “filler” ingredients? Anything included that helps support total joint health besides just glucosamine? Will your dog even like taking it?
When choosing a glucosamine supplement for your dog, consider these 3 factors:
Avoid online articles & publications that list “Top Joint Supplements for Dogs” without giving any qualifying information like ingredient comparisons. Sometimes, featured brands pay to be top of the list, and when they are not, comparison comes down to merely a price breakdown. We all want the best for our dogs, so simply trusting a ranking or low price is not enough.
We want to share key information to help you make the best decision for your dog’s overall wellness. That’s the key phrase: overall wellness. And that’s why we chose these 3 factors to consider when deciding on a joint support supplement.
1. Palatability
Before any supplement can start working for your dog, they have to eat it! This may be why tablets are decreasing in popularity--dogs aren’t swallowing them. Alternative supplement options, like powders, chews and liquids have grown in popularity. Their ease of use helps people realize that giving their dog a supplement isn’t such a headache (and constant battle).
Some dogs are just...picky eaters. It’s important to us that your dogs love K9 Power, so we offer a 100% money back guarantee. This way, you can see if she loves it or leaves it before committing to the whole container. For any supplement you buy, from any company, always look for this option when buying.
One final note on palatability is to watch for words such as “flavoring” on an ingredient label. Good products should never rely on additional flavoring to be more palatable for a dog. Often, those flavorings add zero nutritional value. Why pay for that when better options are out there?
2. Efficacy
Evaluating how effective a glucosamine supplement would be for your dog involves a little math… But hey, aren’t we all wanting the best for our pups?
It’s critical to consider nutrient absorption potential. For a refresher, check out ourprevious overview on supplements.
Remember to look for the sources of the key ingredients. For example, a label that references an ingredient as “a source of glucosamine or chondroitin” means the bioavailability of glucosamine or chondroitin is lower than their isolated forms. You wouldn’t say that a car bumper is a source of iron, would you?
These are common roadblocks to efficacy. Your dog must digest those additional ingredients before getting to the core nutrients, and that’s less efficient.
3. Other Active Ingredients
Joint health is maintained by a variety of nutrients, not just one. Glucosamine alone is not enough.
For full joint health support, look for these additional ingredients:
This trio of ingredients, plus glucosamine, are key for total joint health. In terms of effectiveness, they do not work nearly as well alone as they do together. Think of them as a support system. Together, they combat weak joints from three angles:
Why K9 Power?
As a company, we have over 25 years of experience researching & developing premium pet supplements for health-conscious dog enthusiasts, breeders, trainers, and competitors. We believe that our supplements combined with a balanced diet, can greatly improve any dog’s quality of life.
If you are looking for a powder-based supplement that contains all of the important joint ingredients, K9 Power offers a supplement called Joint Strong. We recommend Joint Strong for dogs with visible mobility issues and those that are more susceptible to joint issues.
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