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Dog Health › Mobility
I'm a veterinarian. I said glucosamine doesn't work, and a lawyer's letter arrived.
Here are the 85 studies that got me into trouble and what parents saw when they switched
By Christine Colamonico, veterinarian and co-founder of Jope
4 min read.
They say a joint chew is all your dog needs.
They say it on the bag.
They say it in the ads.
Glucosamine.
It started with my dog, Pepsi
Pepsi had joint problems.
So I did what most people would do. I gave him glucosamine. For months. I saw no results.
I tried other things too. Some didn't work. Some made him feel bad.
And the strange part is, I shouldn't have been surprised.
Back in vet school, even my professors said glucosamine didn't really work.
Here are the studies
I reviewed more than 85 studies in dogs. A lot of them said the same thing. Glucosamine didn't work for a lot of dogs.
You don't have to take my word for it. Here's what a recent, independent review of nutraceuticals concluded.
"Chondroitin-glucosamine nutraceuticals showed strong evidence of non-effect (…) the results of the present meta-analysis led to the conclusion that chondroitin-glucosamine nutraceuticals should not be prescribed in canine or feline arthritis."
Barbeau-Grégoire et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022. OA: osteoarthritis.
“
"Although glucosamine and chondroitin have benign adverse effect profiles, the clinical benefit of using these agents remains questionable."
Bhathal et al., Open Veterinary Journal, 2017.
This next part happened years later.
But it belongs here.
A major glucosamine joint supplement maker agreed to an $11.5 million class action settlement over advertising claims about its dog joint supplements.
What worked for Pepsi
Back to Pepsi.
In those same 85 studies, I found something else.
A molecule called UC-II® collagen.
It has more than 10 studies in dogs.
And when it was tested head to head against glucosamine plus chondroitin, it was 59% more effective.
59%
It also works in a different way.
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is meant to be a building block for the joint.
UC-II®
UC-II® goes through the gut instead.
It is recognized there.
And it teaches the body to recognize its own cartilage as its own, and not attack it.
I combined it with 2 other proven ingredients.
Omega 3
High dose Omega 3, the EPA and DHA from anchovy oil.
curcumin
And concentrated curcumin from turmeric.
I gave them to Pepsi.
And I finally had something that worked for him.
So Jeremy and I made Jope
That's when I realized this couldn't only be for my dog.
A lot of pup parents were struggling like I was.
So my co-founder Jeremy and I created Jope.
We're both veterinarians.
We formulated it ourselves. No marketing team.
There's no glucosamine in it.
We left it out on purpose.
It’s made in the Midwest, USA.
SQF certified, GMP, NASC.
And every single batch is third-party tested.
SQF · GMP
THIRD-PARTY TESTED EVERY BATCH
LIMITED-INGREDIENT, MOSTLY ORGANIC
I started sharing what I'd found.
Blog articles with my cofounder.
Podcasts. Articles for other veterinarians.
I've been critical of glucosamine. But I always backed it up with independent studies. Was I wrong to do that?
If you want to try what worked for Pepsi
Here's what I can tell you.
And it comes with a 90-day money back guarantee.
If you give it to your dog and see no change, you get your money back.
No glucosamine, by design
90-day money back guarantee
Hi jope!
Perhaps you’re wondering why, with Kika gone, I still stay signed up to the jope newsletter?
We, here’s the thing - jope contributed so much to her quality of life and health that I WANT to be reminded of how great this product is. I gave away dozens of bags left from our jope stash when she passed. I recommend it to everyone I know or meet with a senior dog. I tell the story of how I forgot to order it one week and the difference was instantly see-able. How I never missed an order again. I will always be greatful for discovering jope. And when I finally heal enough to think about a new dog - jope will be on my list. So yeh, don’t unsubscribe me please. Sharing this. As always.
Noticed a difference in our elderly dogs agility within a week.
So far so good my lab has improved in walking up the stairs
Helps my dog like I never woulda believed
Franklin is a very active 6-1/2 year old dog. He spends most of his day running. About a year ago, he started limping and stopped jumping on the couch. We gave him glucosamine supplements. They helped his limping, but he still didn't jump on the couch. After switching to Jope, he's back on the couch.
That may not be a good thing for our sofa, but it's good to get our couch cuddling time back.
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