Is glucosamine also suitable for puppies?

Question:
I’ve ordered glucosamine from you for our dog, is it a good idea to give it to pups as well?
If not, at what age can they have it. Is it at all wise to give glucosamine to a pup? [glucosamine-links]

Answer:
Quite a few people give glucosamine to their pups. This is mainly done in puppies of breeds that cope with a lot of hip and elbow dysplasia. Whether or not it’s harmful to start that early with glucosamine is not yet known. Due to the lack of this information we don’t recommend to give glucosamine to children for instance. That’s also the reason why we can’t give the go-ahead for pups. It remains a guessing game. Glucosamine is often seen as 100% safe because it is ‘only’ a supplement. That is incorrect however, side effects are definitely possible.

In adult dogs with joint problems we see that glucosamine works very well. I guess there is not much time lost in the fight against cartilage wear when you give a dog glucosamine at reproductive age.