Dasuquin

I was browsing an issue of Veterinary Practice News recently, and an article about a product called ”Dasuquin” caught my eye.  The sub-heading said that this new nutritional supplement was achieving better results than Cosequin in clinical trials, and as the owner of an old, hobbling dog, I immediately wanted to know more.  Cosequin has always been considered the best “by mouth” glucosamine supplement for arthritic cats and dogs, but apparently Dasuquin may be even better.  Anecdotes in the article said that dogs given Dasuquin showed increased mobility and decreased pain, everything you’d want from a supplement.  The secret ingredient is something called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, which is also being tested on human patients.  Even in people, studies show that the supplement decreases pain and increases mobility.  Although regular avocado leaves, skin, fruit, etc., can be poisonous to some dogs, apparently these “unsaponifiables” are quite the opposite!

I’m going to be starting Eli on this next week, and I’m anxious to see if it helps her arthritis pain.  She’s currently on Cosequin and Rimadyl, but I’d love for her to have more pain relief.  I’ll report back in a couple of months and let you know if Dasuquin lived up the hype for us.  Have any of you tried it with your dogs?

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/03 at 03:12 AM

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  1. Funny you should post bout Cosequin. Mom’s got a question fur you.
    Hi, Leigh-Ann! I owe you a post and pictures from the package arrival… soon!!! But first, a cat food question (no, I haven’t tried cooking for them yet). Bonnie is taking Cosequin for stiffness. They free feed on dry food (Wellness & Core) so to get Cosequin into Bonnie more than Victor, I’m sprinkling it on canned food. The first bowl down goes to Victor and the second bowl will be evaluated by Bonnie, so I put the Cosequin on the second bowl of food.

    One problem: I can’t find a canned food Bonnie will eat! We had a bulk box of Iams with a Catfish flavor she was crazy about, but they’ve discontinued it (that’s probably why it was on sale). I’ve tried Iams, Wellness cans, Wellness pouches, Natural Choice, Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys, and even Meow Mix, and she turns up her nose at all of them. Turkey, chicken, tuna, lobster, shrimp, crab… all these flavors! She liked the Meow Mix beef, but barfed soon after. Yes, she’s picking AND delicate. Oh, for treats, she always prefers crunchy to soft, so that may be part of the problem! Any suggestions??? If Victor keeps eating Bonnie’s food (and Cosequin) he’ll get fat, but have great joints. Oddly enough, Bonnie’s doing extremely well lately, with good coat and interest in toys, and no stiffness. Go figure!

    Posted by Victor Tabbycat  on  11/03  at  08:16 AM

  2. Lots of cats have trouble eating beef (and sometimes even fish) if they’re not used to it.  Beef is very rich, and unless your cat eats it on a regular basis, it can cause problems “at one end or the other”.  I’m sure Bonnie could adjust to the beef food eventually—try giving her very tiny portions, just a bite or two at a time.  The Cosequin is flavoured, so it shouldn’t taste bad, even if mixed into just a teaspoon of cat food.

    If you’ve already tried the small portions thing with the beef, then try to figure out if there’s a specific texture that Bonnie likes. Cats are more particular about texture than they even are about flavour. 

    I did a bit of research into the Iams catfish food, and it still seems to be available in Canada.  Why, I do not know.  I know Merrick makes a food with catfish, if you think Bonnie really likes catfish.

    Will Bonnie eat people food?  If she will, that would be another reason to give something like Merrick a try.  It’s all human-grade and looks like people food, too.

    One last thing… if nothing else, just sprinkle the Cosequin on the dry food.  That will work fairly well, and I’ve had vets tell me to do that.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  11/03  at  10:33 PM

  3. Rocky is on Dasuquin for his knees. (Unfortunately he is more than likely a puppy mill dog--Matt’s grandparents bought him from a puppy store. At best he is just a badly bred Papillon. But he’s got pretty much every condition the breed is prone to, including bad knees.) I don’t think he was experiencing a lot of pain from them, so I can’t speak to that, but he does seem to be able to move more easily and also his knees don’t lock up on him as much.

    As a bonus, Rocky likes the taste, so he takes it as a treat rather than having to pill him like I would Salem. smile

    I hope it works well for Eli!

    Posted by Helena  on  11/04  at  01:21 PM

  4. I sure hope Eli gets better relief from this new stuff; it’ll be good to hear of his experience with it. We just adopted a 7 y/o 75 lb (hoping to become a 65 lb!) dog from the local animal shelter, and while she’s showing no symptoms our vet suggested she begin on supplements right away.  I ordered some Synovi G3 granules, which is what we gave our golden retrievers. 

    He said an extensive study was released which demonstrated that there was a substantial difference in dogs who began supplements at age 1 in the breeds which were prone to joint and bone problems when compared to those who began as seniors once symptoms appeared.  Our 7 y/o is showing no signs, so we’re hoping to stave off problems by getting in front of it. 

    Do you know if the Dosuquin product is one to use as a prevetative in place of the Synovi granules in Sammy’s case, or is it something that we would move to should symptoms occur?

    Best of luck to Eli, and to you too.  I think you ache as much as he does when you see him struggling!

    Posted by Print  on  11/04  at  09:33 PM

  5. Bonnie likes crunch and hates people food! Slices in gravy - bad. Mushy - bad. But! Mom founded a catfish flavor from Advantage and Bonnie likes it!
    Mom nefur knows which of us will eat which bowl of dry, so that’s not as good as finding an acceptable canned food.
    Bonnie lives to be difficultgrin

    Posted by Victor Tabbycat  on  11/05  at  12:05 PM
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