Glucasamine/Chondroitin Use/contaminated treats

In a nutshell. I hope. Took cat to vet (controlled diabetic) for check up. Showed vet Happy Hips treats made in China. Vet said not to use. There was an inquiry in the summer from a regulating agency about dried chicken treats from China. May be contaminated. Agency did not give name or further info. No product banned or pulled to his knowledge. Anyone have info on this????

Cat was doing better walking etc. with Happy Hips but I will not take the chance on giving it to him. He now has a bacterial urinary tract infection with crystals. On anti biotics for 10 days. Then a recheck a week after that. I know urinary tract infections are common in sugarcats so it might be a coincidence.

Went to local health food store found glucosamine/chondroitin for cats in pill form made by Halo. Says to check with vet before giving to a diabetic cat or a cat with urinary tract problems. Apparently it affects the blood sugar. Have not purchased or called vet yet. Anyone have info, results (positive and/or negative) etc. from giving cat G and C???

As always,THANKS
Gail

 

I give to dogs and take it myself regularly- works wonders all around.

Have given Cosequin to cats but find it difficult to sort out how to give to certain and not others as is powder to mix in food. One of mine does not care for it, so not givng regularly right now.

You can find cheap on Amazon.com- but over $25 and get free shipping.

Have given happy hips but they molded within 3 days of opening, so did not buy again. Did not know about recall.

Good luck and let us know if you find out any more about this. ( Ia m cautios of China products as a rule- sorry to have to write that, wish they were better regulated...bummer)

 

I purchased a supply of happy hips only to open one pack and find it moldy. I called the company and they told me that they had a production problem, where not all the bags sealed correctly.

She sent me a replacement pack and a mailer to return the bad pack to them.

When I found a second bag with the same problem, I again contacted them and they just sent a replacement bag, no questions asked.

So, rather than throwing it away, either return it to place of purchase or contact the company and they will correct the problem.

I stopped using it, because I found that Sydney really needs the MSM component that this doesn't have. So, I recently started using Pet Naturals of Vermont, since I want to give a treat and not pill her. While it has the G,C and MSM, it also has some ingredients that may be questionable for diabetics.

However, if you want to give it a try, the least expensive place I found to buy it is:

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/52773

 

Hilary and Mauii,

Thanks for the info. Would rather a treat than a pill too. Ordered what you suggested and will give it a try. Thanks for the info.

Gail

 

Just watch the BG's. I give this to my civvie and it's not an issue. I don't know how it may affect FD BG's however.

I do know Sydney and Buster love them!

Oh and while the pieces are smallish, Sydney would tend to choke on them, so I've now taken to cutting them in half or thirds. It's easy to cut with a regular knife, if you need to.