it is no more effective than glucosamine is for people.... some people claim it works miracles while others (like me) say it's a placebo...
I apologize for the vague answers, but this is one of those "quality of life" drugs that is very very difficult to give recommendations on without knowing the owner, the dog, and the owners expectations. I can post a bunch, but you might find out tha teverything I've said doesn't occur with your dog or the opposite, it all occurs with your dog.
The problem is when you specifically start the drug..... If there is radiographic evidence of joint changes, then its technically too late. Unfortunately most cases of arthritis/dysplasia arent' diagnosed until there is radiographic evidence.
Second it depends highly on individual factors such as diet of the dog, the owners expectations (ie is the dog a dog that runs 5 miles a day with the owner), the overall condition of the dog--ie a fat dog with early stage arthritis is very different than a lean/athletic one. Remember you cannot turn back the hands of time. Once there is boney changes, those changes are permenant and it becomes a fight to decrease abnormal bone proliferation.
You can safely use the human versions of this drug--ie glucosamine/chondroitin, but don't just go get any old cheap brand. My understanding is dogs molecularly need a smaller particle to successfully absorb it across the GI tract. Many of the human products out there are crap--they won't work in humans much less dogs. So you may see an effect with one product that you don't see with the other because of digestability. Cosequin has been on the market for a long time and more or less proven itself as much as a product like this can prove itself.
