Ever since Abbye’s near fatal encounter with Rimadyl, an oft-prescribed canine anti-inflammatory and pain medication, we’ve been giving her a daily “serving” of something called “Hip Action,” manufactured and sold by a Colorado company named Zuke’s. This is essentially a dose of glucosamine and chondroitin, similar to what you may be taking for arthritis or other kinds of joint pain. (In fact, both I and MLB have been taking glucosamine on a daily basis for years.)
And I have to admit that Abbye has responded remarkably well to it.
Even though we knew we would never again be able to give her Rimadyl on a regular basis, the vet said it would be fine to treat her with it if she experienced an acute flare-up of pain. She’s been on Hip Action for about six months, and we have not had to resort to Rimadyl…or any other kind of pain meds, for that matter. In fact, she seems to have more energy now than she’s had in years, and others have commented on that fact.
The last time we ordered a new supply, the company sent some additional samples in a different flavor, and my wife gave them to a co-worker who has two large dogs, both of which have chronic joint pain and/or hip problems. The co-worker is also reporting good results.
I have to admit that while I’m usually skeptical about the claims of nutritional supplements, my daily glucosamine would be the last one I’d be willing to part with. I don’t know how it works, or why, but I can tell you that I’m able to run pain-free for as many days in a row as I want, and I never thought I’d be able to do that again, due to knee problems. I’m sure there’s quite a bit of similar anecdotal evidence floating around, even as I’m sure that just as many people have tried it without seeing any benefit whatsoever.
The point is that if you have a dog with hip or joint pain, I recommend trying Hip Action to see if it makes a difference. It’s the least you can do for your best friend, right?
And I probably should mention that Abbye really, really likes the taste. She certainly doesn’t realize that it’s medicine!
Glad Abbye’s doing well with that. We may try it with our Fig if arthritis develops in that leg of hers.
I think, based on that pitch you wrote, that you and Ab Fab should do an infomercial.
It really works, huh? So that’s another supplement I will be taking.
Someone could make a billion dollars grinding this crap up and making custom pills for dipsticks like me who take a bunch of them.
Or, better yet, shape and flavor ’em to resemble brisket.
Jim, I’ve tried that once and I’ve gotten nowhere with her agent.
It’s fantastic to hear Abbye’s doing well annnnd giving her medications is a breeze.
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to give a pet medication you know it needs and they just won’t eat it.
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to give a pet medication you know it needs and they just won’t eat it.
Abbye’s actually the worst about this — she can detect a fraction of a tiny pill in an entire scrambled egg and delicately eat everything around it — so it speaks well to the skill of the Zuke’s folks in figuring out how to make the supplement taste good.
Of course, you don’t want real medicine to taste too good, in case the pet ever manages to get into the whole supply. I’m not sure it’s possible to OD on glucosamine, however.