You’ve likely heard of glucosamine as a joint supplement for people and animals alike. After all, it’s one of the most well-known joint supplement ingredients out there. But what is glucosamine exactly, and how does it work?
What is Glucosamine?
Glucosamine is a naturally occurring compound found in animal cartilage—the rubbery substance found between joints. It is a crucial building block for larger molecules known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are vital components of cartilage, joint fluid, vertebral discs and other soft tissues found in the body.
More specifically, glucosamine is a type of sugar (glucose) found in joint cartilage.
Commercial forms of glucosamine include glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Of these, glucosamine hydrochloride is believed to be best absorbed by the body.
Though glucosamine is naturally found in the body, it can also be administered as a supplement. For this purpose, it is harvested from marine shellfish or produced in a lab. Glucosamine supplements are most often used to treat symptoms of osteoarthritis, both in people and animals.
What is Equine Osteoarthritis?
Equine osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease, is a leading cause of lameness in horses. OA often affects synovial joints including the hock, fetlock, pastern, coffin, stifle, and knee. However, OA can also affect the horse’s neck or back.
OA is a chronic, degenerative disease that leads to inflammation of the connective tissue (cartilage) between the joints. Because cartilage doesn’t have its own blood or nerve supply, damage that occurs can be permanent.
Symptoms of equine OA include:
- Stiffness
- Heat and/or swelling in joints
- Lameness
- Bony changes in joints
- Crepitus: popping, grinding, and crackling sounds in affected joint
Benefits of Supplementing Glucosamine
As noted above, glucosamine is often used to treat inflammation and cartilage loss that occurs with equine osteoarthritis. However, it can also be used to prevent cartilage degradation and promote cartilage regeneration. Therefore, many horse owners use it before signs of osteoarthritis even show up. This may be especially beneficial for hardworking or performance horses.
Reported benefits of glucosamine include:
- Reducing cartilage degradation
- Helping to heal damaged connective tissue
- Relieving joint pain
- Promoting synthesis of GAGs to support connective tissues
- Reducing inflammation
- Stimulating synthesis of synovial fluid
Glucosamine Supplements
There are a number of different equine glucosamine supplements available on the market. They can come as a powder, a liquid, or possibly even a tablet. Most can be easily added to your horse’s feed ration.
The Holistic Horse’s Su-Per® Glucosamine powder for Horses is made with glucosamine hydrochloride, the most absorbable form of glucosamine. Ten grams per day is the recommended dose for a 500 kg (1100 lb) horse.
You may see glucosamine paired with other ingredients in some supplements, but if more relief is needed, we recommend combining Su-Per® Glucosamine powder with Su-Per® MSM Blend powder for Horses. This product also contains anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties and works extremely well in conjunction with glucosamine.
The Holistic Horse also carries glucosamine products for many other animals, as you will find here.