TotalPet GlucosaGuard 100G

GlucosaGuard® is a proven joint health supplement. It contains glucosamine hydrochloride, a highly stable salt of glucosamine. Glucosamine is an amino sugar (a sugar molecule with an amino group attached) and is found naturally in the bodies of all animals.

GlucosaGuard® is made of the highest quality glucosamine hydrochloride (United States Pharmacopial specifications). The hydrochloride salt provides considerably more glucosamine per unit weight of salt than the sulfate salt as it comprises 83% glucosamine compared to 59% glucosamine for the sulfate salt.

GlucosaGuard® is a convenient and easy to use powder that you add to your pet's food.

What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory disease characterised by progressive and permanent break down of cartilage in joints. Animals with arthritis suffer pain which is manifest as lameness, reduced mobility and, in companion animals, as a reluctance to rise.

Like all tissues in the body, cartilage undergoes constant repair. Cartilage has a huge capacity to synthesise its major components (proteoglycans and collagen). In a normal healthy joint, the amount of cartilage matrix that breaks down during normal daily activity and the amount of new cartilage that is produced to replace the degraded cartilage are the same, but in osteoarthritis cartilage breakdown exceeds cartilage synthesis.

Beneficial effect of glucosamine in osteoarthritis

In studies in animals (dogs and horses) and humans with osteoarthritis, oral administration of glucosamine has been found to have beneficial effects which include relieving the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and reducing the narrowing of the joint space that occurs in osteoarthritis, with a resultant improvement in mobility.

How glucosamine works in osteoarthritis
Glucosamine is a fundamental building block of cartilage, providing important raw materials for the synthesis of cartilage proteoglycans. However, the action of glucosamine appears to extend beyond simply the provision of raw materials. Thus, there are also other mechanisms, mostly at the molecular level (such as effects on genes and chemicals within the body) by which glucosamine stimulates cartilage synthesis and more importantly, inhibits its breakdown, as well as inhibits the inflammatory process.

In in vitro studies, glucosamine has also been shown to inhibit the synthesis and activity of enzymes that degrade cartilage (most notably, the matrix metalloproteinases and aggrecanases), inhibit chemicals that mediate inflammation (most notably, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide) and inhibit the activity of other molecules such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF?B) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) that play a key role in the inflammatory process. The overall effect is to increase the synthesis and reduce the degradation of proteoglycans, and to reduce inflammation.

How safe is glucosamine?
Glucosamine is safe and non-toxic, giving you peace of mind when using GlucosaGuard®. Results of clinical trials indicate a good safety profile for glucosamine in all species tested (humans, horses and dogs).

GlucosaGuard® is a natural, effective alternative to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and is not associated with the side effects of these drugs.

When is treatment with glucosamine most effective?
GlucosaGuard® is best as a:

(i) prophylactic management strategy to protect joint cartilage in animals at risk of developing joint problems including highly active dogs and ageing dogs – prevention is better than cure!
and
(ii) therapeutic for dogs with existing mild, low-grade osteoarthritis. Using GlucosaGuard® early on in disease is likely to have the greatest effect.

GlucosaGuard® is designed for regular, longer-term, cost-effective, low dose administration. GlucosaGuard® assists in keeping your dog healthy, flexible, mobile and pain free for a more comfortable life.