I know this has been discussed quite a bit but I thought I would come back and let you know how I got on.

14 years ago I fractured the neck of my femur and lay in agony for 2 days before finally being admitted to hospital and put on traction. Because the blood supply was lost to the femural head although the fracture healed the femural head has started to crumble (probably not the right word) so instead of it being nice and round and smooth it is all rough and jaggy (I've seen the x-rays).

I don't take anything for the pain as I know one day I will really have to rely on painkillers until I can get a hip replacement which I hope will be many years ahead of me as I'm only 28. I see an osteopath on a monthly basis due to a back problem and she also works my hip to help keep everything moving freely. Lately though I have noticed that my muscles at the top of my affected leg have become quite tight and the movement slightly more restricted. I keep doing my usual exercises but decided to try Glucosamine. My osteopath informed me that it may not work because I only have arthritis in one joint and usually if you are "riddled" with arthritis then you see better results.

I've been taking it for 3 weeks now and although I'm not 100% free of pain I would say the difference is unreal. I can now walk much better, move my leg much better and doing my exercises seems so much easier. I'm due to go see my osteopath this afternoon so will see what she thinks about it all. I hope these results last.

One question I did have was my gran suffers badly from arthritis and I'm thinking this could help her feel so much better however she has had 2 heart attacks and suffers from high cholestrol. Does anyone know if Glucosamine will interfere with the medicine she already takes? Of course if she decided to try it she would consult her own GP first but sometimes they can be so sceptical. She is due to see her consultant next week so I'm hoping she remembers to mention it to her.

Sorry this is a long posting but I'm so pleased with the results I felt if folk knew my whole story they would see just how clever Glucosamine is.

Thanks to everyone for telling me about it. :-)

Really pleased to hear that it has helped Claire :-)

Hi Claire, after I'd seen how well it worked for the dogs, I got my mother to use glucosamine and I checked for any interactions with her drugs before she started. Your Gran will be on different drugs of course, but I didn't find any drug interactions at all for glucosamine. BTW as far as I know all the glucosamine studies have been on osteoarthritis, and if your Gran has rheumatoid arthritis the GP/consultant may say there is no point in using it. But mum has partly burnt out rheumatoid, and while glucosamine hasn't cured her, she has had some improvement.

My mom (who's a horsey person) tried out glucosamine after she noticed her TWH moving much smoother about 4-5 years ago. It helped out my mom's joints a bit, but she really noticed an improvement when she added MSM to the mixture. Apparently, Glu. works for cartilage & MSM for tendons & ligaments (I guess). Together, they work well together. I haven't had the courage to do the MSM ---can't get past the ucky taste.

Her attitude gets a little scary at times --- "If it's good enough for my horse, then it's good enough for me." But she started using these while they were still only being used in equine meds. Well, one doesn't have to worry about the "placebo effect" I guess. Still, it does make me worry at times :)
toodles
my mom has problems with her hip, some scoliosis, and a ruptured disc. So any improvement, is welcome and appreciated.

I can't help with your Mum, but I'm sure her GP would tell her.

My dog has turned into a bionic 11 year old (although I do have some suspicion that his 2 - 3 actual collapses might have been connected to his vaccinations having read some of the stuff on here but I don't know enough about it to be sure but they happened not long after his booster and have not happened since.)

But my Mum's on it now and my friend for her knee:D Why not give the GP a call.

And good luck to you for continued improvement:D

Anita

Arden Grange have just added MSM & Glucosamine as standard to their complete food. My Winstons like a new dog no more pain. Maybe I ought to have some!

great to hear that the glucosamine is working for you. My 10 year old shepherd is now running around like a 2 year old since he has been on it. The change in him is nothing short of miraculous!

Lisa
xx

My oldie has New Zealand Green Lip Mussel, and I certainly seem to see a very marked difference in her when she is having it regularly compared to when she is not for any reason, however you got me thinking about the question of 'Placebo Effect', Toodles. You say it can be ruled out with animals but what about the effect on the owner. I don't know anyting about horses but I think dogs expecially old ones take the exercise laid on for them by their owners, could it be possible, do you think, that I expect a lot more from Nellie when I think she is benefitting from the Green Lip and consequently stimulate her into more activity by suggesting it to her?

Interesting point, Isabel, on both placebo & older dogs with exercise.

When I'm talking about the 'placebo effect,' I think about it more on the part of researchers & doctors, than individual owners. Seeing it work or not working on one, several, or even 10 dogs of various ages/health just would not give a large enough sample population to have an idea of any drug's effect. There are too many variables involved.

From what I understand, MSM & Glucosomine have been used for at least a decade in the treatment of horses. At least, that's how long my mom has talked about using it. So who knows how long it's been around? It seems that what starts out in horses, moves on to canines, and then to human usage. Remember the packaging of hoof treatment for nail care?

As far as older dogs getting more exercise, I"m really for it. I see too many getting really sedentary, putting on weight, and not having any human stimulation. Just like us in our modern world. ;) Use it, or lose it :)

Thanks guys for your kind wishes :-)

Well my osteopath was well impressed when I visited her this afternoon. She could feel a big improvement in the mobility of my hip and when she was moving it around and doing all the nasty things she does to me :D it wasn't half as sore. I just pray it continues.

I'm going to be seeing my gran this weekend so I'll remind her to ask her consultant or GP and I'll remind my mam to remind my gran :D

Eukanuba also add Glucosamine Chondroitin to their foods, don't know if they add it to all of them but certainly the large breed kind they do.