stlgrey Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 It doesn't happen all the time, but I thought I would post this for you to read. It has been known in some cases that Glucosamine/Chondroitin can cause diabetic symptoms and incontinence in dogs. My Ali was just one of those cases. She developed symptoms right after I started her on 1,000 mg. one tablet per day. She started to drink more water and pee more. I didn't put the symptoms and the Glucosamine together to think they were the cause of her issue. Approximately 4 weeks after starting her on this, I noticed water mark type pee stains on my covers and her bed was wet. I took her to the vet on Monday and they did a complete blood panel and urinalysis to determine the cause. I discussed my thoughts on the Glucosamine with the vet. I stopped the tablets at once. Her urinalysis came back positive for an infection. The vet concluded that the Glucosamine was the cause for her bladder infection which caused her to have incontinence. She will be on antibiotics for a period of time and continue to take Proin for the course of the treatment. Just wanted to inform everyone that if your dog suddenly starts to have excessive thurst, needs to pee more or having leakage and your using Glucosamine with them, you might want to consult with your vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytbookert Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I have never heard of this... interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Thank you for letting me know! We were considering glucosamine for our 13 yr old, but he already has difficulty holding his bladder. I'll look into alternatives instead. Are you looking into alternatives to glucosamine? If you are, can you let me know what you find out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Thank you...thank you...thank you...I just started my female(10) on it and I've noticed she has to pee more than she ever did. And this girl is prone to UTI's. I would have never associated it with the glucosamine. Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lotsagreys4me Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Good information, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinsMum Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Wow, I didn't know... thanks so much for sharing this information! Hope Ali gets all better soon. Quote Kerry with Lupin in beautiful coastal Maine. Missing Pippin, my best friend and sweet little heart-healer 2013-2023 Also missing the best wizard in the world, Merlin, and my sweet 80lb limpet, Sagan, every single day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Do you have any links to info on this? I'm a bit confused. It sounds like in your case the glucosamine caused a UTI. Can it also cause symptoms like you are describing without the UTI, or is the UTI somehow related to the symptoms (ie. glucosamine caused increased water consumption, dog has to hold it more, develops UTI). Just trying to figure out which comes first. We upped Neyla's gluc/chondr a little while ago and there have been a few accidents lately, but I'm not sure if it's her or Zuri (I think her though). Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundgang Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 This is very interesting, as I've had hundreds of hounds on Get Up & Go pure glucosamine, and pure chondroitin etc, and NEVER had this kind of problem...ever. I've got a call into my vet on this, as I don't understand the link between the glucosamine and UTI that your vet does. There can be so many other factors that could have been in play: 1. What else was in the product being given? - glucosamine - sulfate or HCL - Chondrotin - shark or bovine - other products that were in those tablets also. Tablets, capsules always have other products to create them, and often in them that can cause issues too. 2. The quality of the product also might have something to do with it. Grocery Store, Warehouse purchases can be suspect for the quality. 3. Would the hound have gotten a UTI if she hadn't been on the glucosamine, as other factors (unknown) might have been in play. 4. When she was off that particular product, did the symptoms go away? are just a few thoughts that come to mind. I'll post when I have more info. In the meantime, please remember that glucosamine should not be labeled as bad. Perhaps in a few dogs it might not help. However, it has helped many dogs live longer, healthier lives. Testimonials are unsolicited received daily about the good it can do. Quote Claudia & Greyhound Gang100% Helps Hounds GIG Bound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlgrey Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 (edited) It doesn't happen all the time, but I thought I would post this for you to read. It has been known in some cases that Glucosamine/Chondroitin can cause diabetic symptoms and incontinence in dogs. I am not saying that all Glucosamine/Chondroitin is bad. Just like some dog foods don't agree with certain dogs (diarhea, gas, allergies). This post wasn't set up to alarm anyone to stop giving their dog this supplement, it was to inform that if your dogs starts to exhibit these type of symptoms (polyuria, excessive thirst, excessive peeing, incontinance ) and your giving this supplement, you might want to consult with your vet. This is why I took Ali to the vet. The vet needed to do a complete work up on her to diagnose her problem (it could have been diabetes or some other issue). Sometimes drugs or supplements can have side effects. I have seen several posts on GT regarding Proin, which my dog is currently taking for her leaking. I found that information informative about Proin and would like to consider the pros and cons of the medication. My dog was not on the Get Up and Go brand it was a brand that I bought off of the internet from a pet supplier. Ali was in perfect health until she was given this supplement. It could have been the brand of the supplement. I agree fully that this supplement does wonders for our aging hounds. That is why I started my dog on it. I just got educated here about the quality of the supplement available out there is very important. So that should also be taken into consideration when giving your dog this supplement. Edited March 26, 2008 by stlgrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlgrey Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 (edited) Do you have any links to info on this? I'm a bit confused. It sounds like in your case the glucosamine caused a UTI. Can it also cause symptoms like you are describing without the UTI, or is the UTI somehow related to the symptoms (ie. glucosamine caused increased water consumption, dog has to hold it more, develops UTI). Just trying to figure out which comes first. We upped Neyla's gluc/chondr a little while ago and there have been a few accidents lately, but I'm not sure if it's her or Zuri (I think her though). Yes, the supplement caused Ali's excessive drinking, peeing, incontinence and also caused a bladder infection. As for the symptoms that you have in question regarding your dog, I think its best to direct those to your vet. Edited March 26, 2008 by stlgrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 (edited) I just spoke with my vet about it because we started Misty on Glucosamine a few weeks ago and now she is peeing all the time. My vet has never heard of this problem being associated with Glucosamine, unless the dog is diabetic. His advice is to stop the Glucosamine and see if there's a difference in the amount of times she's going to pee. If it stops, he wants to start the Glucosamine again and see if it starts up again. If it starts up again, he'll feel more comfortable in thinking it's Glucosamine related. I'm grateful that the OP posted on this subject, so thank you Edited March 26, 2008 by cbudshome Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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