It's a fact that many of the prescription drugs used for treating canine arthritis have been found to cause quite severe side effects in many pets. On the other hand, glucosamine for dogs has been proven to be quite effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis joint disease which affects many older dogs.

The glucosamine for older dogs is an all natural supplement product that contains the exact same building blocks that the joint's connective tissue is made of. The condition of dog arthritis is the actual degeneration of this cartilage tissue within the joints. As the material becomes thinner, it allows the bones to physically rub together and cause pain. The discomfort comes from the fact that the living bone tissue contains countless nerve endings which are irritated by the rubbing.

Because the glucosamine for dogs contains the needed building blocks used by the joints, a regular dosage of the liquid can help the rebuilding process. Because it does not hide or mask the pain as many of the prescribed medications do, it does take time to experience any positive benefits. It can require several weeks to several months of daily doses before the dog will experience any of the benefits.

Besides that huge advantage of having no side effects, the glucosamine for dogs supplement is also quite easy to administer to the animal compared to having to give him or her pills or tablets. Additionally, since the concentration of glucosamine in the liquid form can be up to 1500 mg per one-quarter of an ounce, only pouring the supplement over the dog's food one time per day is all that is required.

Lastly, the cost of the all natural supplement is quite lower compared to prescribed medicines. In many cases the daily dosage can be one-half to one-third as costly when using the 100% safe supplement product.

If you pet is suffering the effects of pet osteoarthritis, be sure to get a complete diagnosis from your vet to be sure of the exact cause of the symptoms. If arthritis is determined to be the problem, always ask the doctor about first trying glucosamine for your dog before risking the more dangerous alternative products.

It is rare to find the liquid version of the supplement in stores. The reason for this is that there is an expiration date on the product that is too short of period for most brick and mortar stores to consider stocking. The problem is that the big box stores all buy their products in very large lots and they simply can't deal with products that have shorter expiration dates.

However, these shorter usage times are not a problem for individual canine owners. One bottle of glucosamine for dogs is enough to dose a medium to small sized dog for several months. The dates on the bottles purchased are always at least 12 to 18 months out from the time of purchase so there is plenty of time to use the product up before it expires.