Questions and concerns abound surrounding the use of oral joint health supplements for horses with osteoarthritis, and so researchers continue their quest to determine if and how glucosamine works to decrease pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.

"Osteoarthritis is one of the most important and widespread performance-limiting problems facing horses and horse owners," said researcher Christopher Byron, DVM, MS, Dipl. AVCS, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. "Although we have access to many effective treatment options, there is still a need for economical treatments which preserve or improve the joint environment. Glucosamine is an attractive option since it is readily available, easy to administer, and safe. Unfortunately, our understanding of how it may benefit the osteoarthritic joint is incomplete."

Byron and colleagues reported the results of two studies in the September 2008 edition of the American Journal of Veterinary Research. One of the key features that sets this research apart from prior studies is that physiologically relevant doses of glucosamine were studied. That is, amounts of glucosamine that can be achieved via oral administration in live animals