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It’s not very often when a product has consistent rave reviews, but Adequan Canine is one of those times. I personally give it to my 12 (now 15) year old senior dog and find it to be a remarkable product.
Basis for My Review of Adequan Canine
My 12 year old dog is 90 pounds and a German Shepard, Husky, Borzoi, Boxer mix. He’s a very “leggy” dog and has arthritis in his spine and hips.
As a fellow dog owner, you probably know that arthritis is a progressively degenerative condition and requires a multi-pronged approach.
Products work for some symptoms, but as arthritis progress, new products are required to alleviate the new symptoms. For those of you interested, I’ve documented our journey with arthritis products here: Arthritis Pain Relief: Products That Work for Us
My Positive Results and Why I’m Happy to Review Adequan Canine
You can read even more about our experience with Canine Adequan on the article I mentioned above to, but here is why (in a nutshell), I love Adequan.
Bottom line: I love it because my arthritic dog showed incredible improvement shortly after his third Adequan injection. The reason we were looking for a new product was because his back paw was beginning to twist inward and sometimes it would even drag behind during our walks which happens as spine and hip arthritis progresses.
Canine Adequan reversed that symptom and improved my dogs mobility in a short period of time. On top of that, my 12 year old dog seems far more spry and willing to keep walking now since completing the treatment.
My One Concern with Using Adequan Canine
Here’s what concerns me with canine adequan:
My veterinarian instructed us to give our dog adequan as directed, which is 2 injections/week over 4 weeks, but then she said he should be given an injection every month thereafter. I didn’t question this…that is until I actually read the dosing regimen as per the manufacturers instructions.
According to the maker of Adequan, they do not recommend any other dosing other than the 2x/week for 4 weeks (max 8) and they explicitly say so on their website when looking at FAQ’s for Vet’s. Here is a snippet:
Q: What is the treatment protocol after the first eight injections?
Answer: the approved label dose of Adequan Canine is .02 ml per pound of body weight by intramuscular injection only, twice weekly for up to four weeks (maximum of eight injections). We have no further studies or technical data supporting a use protocol beyond of the approved label dosing
Adequancanine.com Vet FAQ’s
So, of course, I called the Adequan hotline number and asked about the monthly injections as prescribed by the veterinarian. The makers confirmed that they have no FDA approval for monthly dosing and that they cannot recommend this.
I called my dog’s 2nd vet and asked her what she knew about Adequan and she ALSO said she would recommend it monthly after the series. So, my dilemma remains, but we are leaning toward NOT doing it monthly and just doing the series 2x per year.
In any case, my conflicting information should NOT stop you from trying Canine Adequan as directed (2x week for 4 weeks). It really made a huge difference in my dog’s arthritis.
Things to Remember When Giving Canine Adequan Shots at Home
You’ll need a prescription from your veterinarian in order to do this at home. I’m skilled at giving shots and my vet walked me through approved injection sites, then I did it in front of them. In any case, here are some current guidelines, but always follow directions on the actual package in your hand.
- The vial stopper may be punctured a maximum of 10 times
- Do not put canine adequan in the refrigerator. Store the product between 68-77
- Use within 28 days of 1st puncture (which supports the manufacturers recommendation NOT to use this product monthly or other than the twice a week for 4 weeks).
- Use a clean needle every time
- Sterilize the vial top before each use.
Adequan Canine Where to Buy
Your veterinarian might sell Adequan Canine, mine did at twice the price of chewy. Which I find infuriating since I was giving home injections. Anyway, my vet sold each vial for $119 while chewy sells a TWO pack of vials for nearly the same price.
So if you want to save over $100, on your Adequan prescription, head to Chewy and order it here: Adequan Canine 2 Pack (link) . You’ll have to fill out your vet’s name and phone number but then they do all the work for verifying the prescription.
If you only need one vial and are looking to save money, Entirely Pets Pharmacy sells Adequan Canine in the 2 pack, but they also offer it in a single. This will ultimately save you money if you have a small dog and only need one bottle.
Here is the link to Entirely Pets Pharmacy: – Free Shipping on orders over $39 at Entirely Pets Pharmacy
It’s important to know that if you order online, the Canine Adequan will not come with syringes so you’ll need those if you decide on home therapy shots. Your vet can supply them or remember to order them with your Adequan.
If you take your dog into the vet for the shots, you’re probably at the mercy of their pricing.
Final Thoughts on My Review of Adequan Canine
Aside from the dosing dilemma, this product worked wonders on my dog’s arthritis. Adequan Canine Reviews are plentiful on chewy and I encourage you to read what other dog owners are saying as well.
People give Adequan overwhelmingly positive feedback and I also recommend the product based on personal experience and results from my dog with bad arthritis.
If you feel like your dog’s arthritis has progressed and needs something a little more potent, I encourage you to try a series of Adequan Canine injections. Here’s the link again to chew’s online pricing: Adequan Canine .
Thanks for visiting SeniorDogDays!
Adequan Injection UPDATE: JUNE 2019
For those of you following our journey with Adequan, or if you’re just reading this article for the first time, we decided to stop giving our 12 yr old monthly injections.
This was based only on the fact that monthly injections are not approved by the manufacturer (even though both our vets recommend to continue monthly shots after the initial series).
It is now 2022, Frodo is now nearly 15 and we give the Adequan injections in series as directed by the manufacturer. We are doing it 3x per year.
He is noticeably more flexible after his series shot….and it wanes as time goes on. So we still like and use Adequan!
Thanks for visiting!