Threat Letter

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.

But what none of them will ever say is what's in most of those chews.

Glucosamine.

And what independent studies found about it.

I said it.
That's how I ended up holding this letter.

If your dog takes a joint chew, you should see those studies too.

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.

There was just nothing better at the time.
So it kept getting recommended anyway.

So I dove into the science.

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.

“

And here's a review from before that.

"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.

“

And it went beyond studies

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.

Plaintiffs alleged those claims were not supported by clinical evidence.

The company denied wrongdoing, and settled.

As part of the agreement, it agreed to remove specific joint and mobility claims from its packaging.

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.

MADE IN USA

SQF · GMP

THIRD-PARTY TESTED EVERY BATCH

LIMITED-INGREDIENT, MOSTLY ORGANIC

Then the letter came

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?

One day, the letter came.
My heart sank.
I thought it was the end.

A big company was threatening to sue us for defamation.

To shut us down.
Why?

We were growing. We were making noise.
Pup parents were finally seeing what the studies say.
And that was bad for their business.

But everything we shared came from studies.
You just read two of them.

So we didn't back down.
We're still sharing them.

If you want to try what worked for Pepsi

Here's what I can tell you.

Jope has UC-II®, high dose Omega 3 and concentrated curcumin.
It has no glucosamine.

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.

You know your dog better than anyone.
If nothing has changed on what you're giving now, this is the one I made.

Jope Hip & Joint Dog Chews

✓

No glucosamine, by design

✓

UC-II®, high dose Omega 3, concentrated curcumin

✓

Veterinarian founded and veterinarian formulated

✓

Made in the USA, third party tested every batch

✓

90-day money back guarantee

Get Jope Hip & Joint

We even have a special offer to get you started.

I bought these thinking they would help my dog. they did not, he got really bad and we had to put him down. he went to the rainbow in the sky.

My yellow lab Bella is about to turn 11

My yellow lab Bella is about to turn 11. As with most dogs of this breed, their ability to get up from laying down and walking become difficult. And while she is slow and deliberate with her gait, there has been improvement since we began giving her Jope several months ago. She’s still able to jump up onto the bed and even able to jump into the car, even after walking. That’s why I’ll continue giving her the chewable as directed.

Unfortunately my dog refuses to eat them.

always arrives on time, good for my dog Milo.

Joint protection after surgery

Our lab was diagnosed with severe bilateral hip dysplasia and underwent two FHO surgeries before the age of 2. We are using Jope to assist with his joint health going forward. His new gait after surgery puts added pressure on his other healthy joints. Since starting Jope, we have eliminated all pain relief prescriptions and as you can see, he LOVES his sniff walks three times a day with no pain! Prior to Jope, he would show signs of soreness after a long walk. He is now easily tolerating three walks a day and building his strength and stamina!

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