Here is a comparison of 3 effective bone supplements from reputable manufacturers. Many dog owners are familiar with the standard bone and joint supplements recommended and carried by the majority of vets. My favorites are the NuJoint® products. I used to give them the standard vet product which is a great product, but when I discovered NuVet® products, I switched to NuJoint DS® and haven’t looked back since. Although the amount of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM are very different. All the products in this article are double strength in concentration. All three products are excellent, but one stands out from them all! My favorite is NuJoint® and NuJoint DS® (they also make multivitamins and three formulations of the NuJoint® products). I wrote about my favorite supplements in my article The Best Supplements. Check out and compare the products. Read about the ingredients. I would love to hear your opinions. If you would like to purchase my favorite one you may click onto the link by the bottom of this article.
I am sorry, but the manufacturer that makes the two products that I don’t prefer contacted me and requested me to remove references to them. This came from their legal department. An attorney assured me that I did nothing “actionable” because their claims are unfounded. To make things simpler for myself, I decided to simply omit the names of the products and their manufacturer. I have also removed images of the products. Hopefully you will be able to make your own comparisons and make the best choice possible for your dog.
Glucosamine:
Glucosamine provides the joints with the building blocks needed to repair the damage caused by osteoarthritis. Acting as a catalyst, Glucosamine helps animals synthesize new cartilage needed to replace damaged cartilage caused by wear and tear.
NuJoint® and NuJointDS® It is much better than the usual bone supplements most vets recommend. The reason why I did not add images or mention the names of the two related supplements is because that manufacturer threatened to sue me to get me to remove the names and images. They actually troll the internet looking for websites that don’t rave about them.
Image | Name | Form of Gluosamine | Amount of Gluosamine | Source for Glucosamine |
Nujoint DS® | Glucosamine Sulfate | 500 mg | Shellfish | |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – Chewable MSM | Glucosamine Hydrochloride | 900 mg | Shellfish |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – DS Plus MSM | Glucosamine Hydrochloride | 600 mg | Shellfish |
Chondroitin:
Chondroitin attracts and holds fluid within cartilage tissue helping to lubricate joints, increase mobility and reduce discomfort caused by hip dysplasia. Chondroitin neutralizes the destructive enzymes that are known to damage and destroy cartilage. Chondroitin aids the entry of Glucosamine into inflamed joints.
Image | Name | Form of Chondroitin | Amount of Chondroitin | Source of Chondroitin |
Nujoint DS® | Chondroitin Sulfate | 250 mg | Bovine Cartilage | |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – Chewable with MSM | Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate | 350 mg | Bovine Cartilage |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – DS with MSM | Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate | 300 mg | Bovine Cartilage |
MSM:
MSM supplies biologically active sulfur to animals’ joints. Use of MSM has been shown to reduce the rigidity of cells in the soft tissues of the body. By reducing this rigidity, fluids are able to pass more freely from the cell and this helps to reduce cell pressure, thereby reducing inflammation and pain.
Image | Name | Amount of MSM | Source of MSM |
Nujoint DS® | 250 mg | Natural Plankton | |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – Chewable with MSM | 800 mg | Synthetic |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – DS with MSM | 250 mg | Synthetic |
Other Ingredients:
Image | Name | Flavoring | Other Active Ingredients | Additives |
Nujoint DS® | Real Chicken Liver | 50 mg Vitamin C (Ester-C®) | NONE | |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – Chewable with MSM | Hydrolyzed chicken flavor. The artificial flavor is proprietary which means that it is a “secret formula” that Nutrimax refuses to disclose to the public. | 90 mg Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables* (ASU) Powder |
Starch, glycerin, natural flavor, vegetable oil, silicon dioxide, gum resin, soy protein isolate, soy lecithin, tea, mixed tocopherols (preservative), and rosemary extract |
NO PIC | A best selling vet recommended product – DS with MSM |
Hydrolyzed chicken flavor. The artificial flavor is proprietary which means that it is a “secret formula” that Nutrimax refuses to disclose to the public. | 3 mg Manganese Ascorbate |
Microcrystalline cellulose, dextrose, natural flavor, dried brewers yeast, magnesium stearate, natural & artificial flavor, and silicon dioxide. |
I Don’t Like Unnecessary Additives!
Being that glucosamine is not particularly tasty for dogs, NuVet’s®joint products contain lower levels of glucosamine so that additives are unnecessary. To maintain the ratios amongst the glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM, all three ingredients are lower in concentration. I prefer to give more than one chewable to avoid all those additives. I prefer to use ingredients that are more natural and pure as opposed to making the product stronger and having my dog ingest additional additives (many are unhealthy) in order to improve the taste.
I Don’t Like Secrets!
I don’t like all the additives that standard product found at most vets contain. I especially have issues with “proprietary” ingredients which means that manufacturers can add ingredients to a product for scent or flavor and are legally allowed to hide those ingredients from the public. Hey, I did an article on the toxicity of air fresheners. In that article I shared with you how manufacturers use phthalates (VERY toxic chemicals) in their products and they are protected from sharing that with the public. I also named some of the manufacturers that use phthalates in their formulas. I asked the representative what ingredients are in the flavoring. I was told what flavor the products were, but NOT the ingredients that were in the formula to create that flavor. After fishing around for around 20 minutes, she told me that the those ingredients were proprietary. As consumers we have a right to know.
NuVet’s® Products are manufactured in a FDA Registered lab which meets human pharmaceutical grade standards. NuJoint meets the highest of standards.
To read more Click Here
Guarantee:
NuVet® gives a 60-day guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with the product, you may return it for a refund within 60 days.
NuVet® products are not available in stores; they are distributed through educated and dedicated pet industry specialists. The manufacturer does not sell directly to the public. To place a phone order with the manufacturer you may reach them at 1-800-474-7044. You will need to provide the following industry specialist number: 46353.
Click HERE if you would like to order online. You must use the order code 46353 when placing your order. Orders cannot be completed without using the code.
For international customers (including U.S territories) please call 800-474-7044 to order
Use Order Code: 46353
I personally use NuVet® products. I don’t recommend any products that I haven’t tried or that don’t meet my high standards. To read about their multivitamin NuVet Plus® Multivitamin read The BEST Supplements – NuVet Labs.
2 thoughts on “3 Bone Supplements Compared”
i would like to know the price of cosequin
Hi Dorann-
Thank you for checking out my website. Sorry, but I do not know the price so you might want to use a Google search. I am an authorized affiliate for NuJoint which I prefer over any other brand (that’s why I decided to become affiliated).