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Old April 20th, 2008, 01:31 AM
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Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
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I believe that glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, etc... work. There is still data that needs to be made but what has become available supports its efficacy. Some points to remember - 1) as previously stated, a lot of available sources have only 15% of the active ingredients present. So many people and pets try this with no real effect. Is it any wonder? If I took 15% of an Excedrin - is my headache going to improve? 2) Not every osteoarthritic patient will improve clinically with this. Each patient can respond differently from another. Bottom line - these supplements are safe and may help relieve pain and inflammation so are worth at least a trial.

As far as aspirin, I cannot disagree more with its use for pain. It is great to help reduce clot formation by inhibiting platelets to work. This state of increased bleeding risk is found at 1/10th of the dose needed for pain. A study that was done a few years back took normal dogs on 'normal' pain doses of aspirin. None of the dogs had clinical side effects but when evaluated endoscopically, all dogs showed some level of stomach hemorrhage. Also if aspirin was so great, there would not be such a demand for new and better canine NSAIDs - like previcox, zubrin, metacam, etc... Aspirin is not sufficient in its Cox-1 sparing ability and as such places higher risk of stomach ulceration, reduced kidney blood flow and platelet inhibition. Furthermore if an inexpensive pain medication is sought for, then tramadol is very safe and fairly inexpensive.

As I have stated before, multimodality is the key. By combining glucosamine/chondroitin, with omega 3 fatty acids like EPA, and NSAIDs (like previcox, metacam, zubrin, rimadyl etc..) and tramadol - we enhance the ability to reduce inflammation, slow the degenerative process and provide better pain relief. Also recommended is proper weight management, physical exercise, and physical therapy. Additional holistic and non traditional measures like acupuncture, magnet therapy and K Lasers should also be considered.

I hope this helps.
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Christopher A. Lee, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
Preventive Medicine Specialist With a Focus on Immunology and Infectious Disease
myvetzone.com
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