Glucosamine upset my senior dog's sensitive stomach. Lower dose?

In my experience, it would be fairly unusual for a glucosamine supplement to cause loose stools and gas - but I have had a few patients over the years who experienced similar problems after starting glucosamine, so it's certainly possible. If you want to find out for sure, you could simply stop giving the glucosamine for the next several days to see if the problem resolves. If not, or if the problem gets worse in the meantime, it would be best to see your vet for an exam to find out what else might be causing her GI issues.

Diarrhea and throwing up can have many causes. It is basically a problem with the stomach and intestines caused by a food over sensitivity, eating something that does not agree with the dog, intestinal parasites, bacterial infection, viral infection, the weather, food change, stress, etc.  I would fast Max for 12 hours and then put him on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to his regular food slowly over a few days. If this does not clear up the diarrhea or if the vomiting increases, or if he gets lethargic, he needs to see a veterinarian for an exam as there may be something more serious such as an infection going on.

Poor Diesel! The Metacam would be the more likely culprit for the upset stomach, as this is a common side effect with NSAIDs - but the omega-3 supplement could certainly be a possibility. I would suggest calling your veterinarian to let them know that Diesel has been having stomach issues on his meds. They may suggest trying him on a different NSAID such as Rimadyl or Galliprant, to see if he tolerates this better.

Hello! From your description I'm interpreting that Kobe is most likely receiving Adequan injections, although it would be helpful to know for sure what these arthritis injections are. If Kobe is receiving Adequan, these injections are quite effective for helping arthritis and are usually well tolerated. However, any medication can have side effects, and while issues with Adequan are not common, transient diarrhea is listed among the reported adverse reactions. When it happens, the diarrhea is typically mild and self limiting. If you're seeing a pattern and believe the GI issues are consistently related to the Adequan, I recommend talking to your vet about other treatment options for the arthritis, such as NSAID therapy and joint protective supplements such as fish oil and glucosamine. Hope this helps.

I would recommend calling your vet. They should be able to prescribe a different pain medication that may not upset her GI tract so much or they can give you medication to help treat the diarrhea and that will help her tolerate the meds better. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I don't think that your pup will stop making glucosamine naturally if she were on a supplement. However, I do not typically start such young dogs on this type of supplementation unless they have been diagnosed with a cartilage disorder. An appropriately balanced commercial dog food for large breed dogs will have a great balance of minerals, nutrients, and protein to support her musculoskeletal system. I also agree that the efficacy of glucosamine supplements is a bit iffy. I have seen much better results in dogs with arthritis or other joint issues with Adequan injections.

If Ace is unable to move because his back legs are paralyzed, you need to take him to an emergency clinic. This may not be related to the overdose of the glucosamine pills, and he needs a full neurologic exam and spinal/hip radiographs. If he is still nauseated from the overdose, he may need to be on anti-nausea meds and hospitalized with IV fluid support.