Msm And Other Supplements Labeled For Horses

[Xan]

I get catalogs from valleyvet.com (as I assume others here do! ), and was struck by the pages of buckets full of anti-inflammatory supplements like MSM and chondroitin. WAY cheaper than dosages labeled for dogs! Does anyone use them here? Why would or would you not?

[TheFullHouse]

Yep, I use Ivomec also instead of Heartguard because that's what all our dogs get in the racing kennel, they've had it for years. Some will tell you that you can overdose your hounds, which you probably could but if you know what your dogs weigh and give them the correct dosage, no problem. A bottle of Ivomec will last me 6 months and I pay $49.00 for it. Way cheaper than Heartguard! That's for 10 hounds btw. I don't give it to Jilly Bean though, she gets Heartguard. My vet said not to put small dogs on it.

[tbhounds]

Just an FYI-- I do know of a dog that went blind because of Ivomec--I'm sure the dosage was incorrect but, it just goes to show how careful you need to be when using products off label.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I use Omega Alpha 'Sinew X' for both my horses + my greyhound and my GSD.

 

http://www.omegaalphaequine.com/products-sinew-x.php

 

It was my canine vet who recommended it, and I confirmed the dosage with the Omega Alpha people. They get 3 ml daily.

 

As well, I know people who give MSM to their dogs.

 

Anyone who has horses and dogs will agree that small animal vets/products are WAY more expensive than the comparable stuff from the large animal vets/products.

 

My dogs/cats get all their annual shots from the horse vet.

[gazehund]

Yep. Acti - Flex 4000. There is a canine version out now, but I have had great success with this formula.

 

http://www.coxvetlab.com/products/acti-flex4000.htm

[GreyTzu]

I've used an equine formula for the dogs and had no issues.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

We use several products that are labeled for horses.

For Joint issues we have used This

 

Also for kennel supplements Red Cell for Horses, wormers and other stuff.

It's just best to really work on the dosage to make sure you're correct. Some of the things you want to be careful not to give too much.

For Joint supplements I don't think you really can go too wrong if over dosing by a little.

[Guest tammara]

We have used Cosequin with glucosamine and chondrotin for a long time. The vet recommended it and said it was the same formula for dogs just more economical (though still around $100 for 700 grams for us- but 700 grams lasts forever with two dogs on it).

Cosequin

[FountainLady]

We get our MSM and our heartworm meds from Valley Vet. I now take the MSM along with the hounds.

 

When we had our horse farm I saw wonderful results with aging horses and arthritis using the MSM on my Arabians. Years ago it wasn't a legal substance to buy in Canada & I used to actually smuggle 5# buckets of it over to a dear friend in Ontario. His wife had MS - and this supplement helped her have so many "better" days in her life.

[JAJ2010]

We have used Cosequin with glucosamine and chondrotin for a long time. The vet recommended it and said it was the same formula for dogs just more economical (though still around $100 for 700 grams for us- but 700 grams lasts forever with two dogs on it).

Cosequin

 

what's the dosage for dogs on the cosequin MSM? I need to buy more joint stuff since we are running out of glucosamine...

[PatricksMom]

Hmm, I'll have to check out the horse cosequine next time I order cosequine. I have found with the dog version, it gets dramatically cheaper if you're willing to order 1000 at a time (lasts me 500 days.)

[Xan]

Taking notes ... *jot jot jot* Following links *click click click*

 

See, GT is great! Now maybe some other folks will see this and be able to get some help for less $ too!

[Xan]

Yep. Acti - Flex 4000. There is a canine version out now, but I have had great success with this formula.

 

http://www.coxvetlab.com/products/acti-flex4000.htm

How do you work out the dosage for this? Little Wabi is about 43 lbs, give or take. The boys ... I'd rather them not feel any better than they do! They're hard enough to keep up with as it is!

[TheFullHouse]

Yep. Acti - Flex 4000. There is a canine version out now, but I have had great success with this formula.

 

http://www.coxvetlab...ti-flex4000.htm

How do you work out the dosage for this? Little Wabi is about 43 lbs, give or take. The boys ... I'd rather them not feel any better than they do! They're hard enough to keep up with as it is!

 

 

Okay, you made me laugh out loud with that last statement!

[Finnsliz]

Hyalun I used the horse version of Hyalun for my Finn who was diagnosed with arthritis at 3.5 years. I tried the glucosamine and other supplements but this was the only product that showed any results. Using the horse version (which cost the same as the dog at the time) was about a third of the price as one bottle lasted me 3x longer. Edited May 28, 2010 by Finnsliz

[Guest 2greygirls]

I used to use Gran-Flex for this old mix breed I had..she did great. On the jugs for horses there is actually guidelines for dog dosage..You pay for the packaging for the dog versions, same stuff if you read the ingredients. Way cheaper to buy in bulk, One giant horse sized tub lasts a long long long time for dogs.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Yep. Acti - Flex 4000. There is a canine version out now, but I have had great success with this formula.

 

http://www.coxvetlab.com/products/acti-flex4000.htm

 

 

We use several products that are labeled for horses.

For Joint issues we have used This

 

Also for kennel supplements Red Cell for Horses, wormers and other stuff.

It's just best to really work on the dosage to make sure you're correct. Some of the things you want to be careful not to give too much.

For Joint supplements I don't think you really can go too wrong if over dosing by a little.

 

I got my start in horses, so for me it was second nature to buy the more economical horse products and adjust the dosage. I need to place another supplement order. Has anyone tried both the Actiflex and the one Heather posted about? Just trying to decide what to order in the next go round.

 

I'm giving a fair amount of supplements, especially to the seniors. The SAMe someone suggested has really been a boost for my two old men. At 12.5 Comet is really starting to feel his age, and I'm always on the lookout for anything that will give him quality of life. The SAMe seems to really make a difference for him. Trojan had a rough winter and lost a bit of weight (but not for lack of eating), and seems to be even more "Trojan" with the addition of SAMe.

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

My old guy needs his glucosamine and MSM; and we have recently started Chelsa on it, too. I will be looking for a more economical source. I feel fine with trying a horse product so long as I am able to calculate the dose (and thanks to my vet tech program that I just completed, I am good there!)

 

We have also been using Ivomec off label for our dogs for quite a few years. I don't like to recommend it to people just because of the chance of miscommunication or reading the dose wrong; but it is what we do and it works well for us. One of my vets did raise an eyebrow when I informed him that we were using it but he did not advise me against it.

 

So now you guys have me intrigued to go down to our Coastal Farm Supply with calculator in hand and see what we can find!

[kronckew]

i found horsey 'glucosamine plus MSM' at our local country store (it's a chain, not a real down home country store), it was £16 for a 900 gram tub, ($23 for 2 lb.)from 'equine america-UK'. worked out the ratio for two dogs at about a gram a day each, so the tub lasts me almost a year. i did ask my vet if it was OK,and he said it was. it does not have any other additives, which i may have been leery about. i use it myself got some large gel capsules & filled them. i have not noted any side effects other than the occasional desire to get my hooves trimed and re-shod. blue and millie are also fine, tho they do eat more grass in the pasture than before, which is OK as long as they leave my patch alone.

[tamborine]

Little Wabi is about 43 lbs, give or take.

 

This is totally off-topic , but I never knew Wabi was so teeny-tiny! I always pictured her to be the same size as Stephanie, ~70 lbs!

[Guest Swifthounds]

We have also been using Ivomec off label for our dogs for quite a few years. I don't like to recommend it to people just because of the chance of miscommunication or reading the dose wrong; but it is what we do and it works well for us. One of my vets did raise an eyebrow when I informed him that we were using it but he did not advise me against it.

 

I have as well. I've been using the .27% injectable for feeder/grower pigs. Sadly, Merial discontinued its manufacturing. The 1% is much harder to dose and needs to be diluted.

Edited May 29, 2010 by Swifthounds

[Xan]

i found horsey 'glucosamine plus MSM' at our local country store (it's a chain, not a real down home country store), it was £16 for a 900 gram tub, ($23 for 2 lb.)from 'equine america-UK'. worked out the ratio for two dogs at about a gram a day each, so the tub lasts me almost a year. i did ask my vet if it was OK,and he said it was. it does not have any other additives, which i may have been leery about. i use it myself got some large gel capsules & filled them. i have not noted any side effects other than the occasional desire to get my hooves trimed and re-shod. blue and millie are also fine, tho they do eat more grass in the pasture than before, which is OK as long as they leave my patch alone.

*snort!*

 

Little Wabi is about 43 lbs, give or take.

 

This is totally off-topic , but I never knew Wabi was so teeny-tiny! I always pictured her to be the same size as Stephanie, ~70 lbs!

Yup. She's a little one! Funny to watch her going after her big brothers like a terrier!

 

I'm really glad I started this topic! This is good info, and it's good to get it out to our GT family!

 

Have to go look up SAMe, too.

[gazehund]

Xan, Linda Jensen gave me the dosgaes on the Acti - Flex a long time ago. It works out to be about a teaspoon full for Pooter ( 57 lbs) and 2 teaspoons for Dodger (72 lbs). I don't give it to Pearl since she will not eat it. With her kidney disease, getting food into her is more important so she get to eat ( and reject) anything she will eat.

 

I don't think you can over dose with Acti - Flex though. I give it my guys just for maintenance. It really helps Pooter with her ouchy wrist. She runs a lot.

Edited May 29, 2010 by gazehund

[Brindles]

Xan, I haven't read through all the replies so forgive me if this was mentioned. My vet said you could have a dog on glucosamine/chondroitin with no ill effects, but NOT if it has MSM in it. MSM is metabolized by the liver and can potentially have harmful effects if given for an extended period of time (several months or more).

 

I bought my glucosamine at Costco for relatively cheap. Most of their choices have MSM so you have to read the label and make sure you're getting the brand without it.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Brindles

[kronckew]

i just did a google search on 'dog glucosamine MSM' and read thru 7 pages of hits on recommendations to use MSM as a dietary supplement for dogs, especially in conjunction with glucosamine. many by vets recommending it for arthritic dogs as an alternate to other analgesics that can have side effects, and a couple of vets saying it does not cause liver damage. only found one where a vet was slightly concerned it might affect an already sick dogs liver function. my vet did not seem to be concerned when i asked him about it. a number of articles mentioned studies have shown msm to have about the same toxicity as water in animals, and dogs and cats treated with it actually had lower instances of liver damage than the control group.

 

as even water can be fatal if taken to excess, i must assume that it is all related to the dosage, other medication, and the overall health (or lack of) the dog and suspect that any normal dosage would be OK.

Edited May 30, 2010 by kronckew