The Best Dog Food with Glucosamine | 2022 Top 8 Picks

Impressive Quality For The Price 

Although Diamond Naturals chose to use meat meal instead of real meat in this dog food, the list of what’s in it is loaded with good grains and superfoods, making it a great healthy choice.

Brown rice, barley, oatmeal, and sorghum are all healthy, easily digestible, gluten-free grains that are generally very good for dogs and up the fiber content, which also keeps your pet’s metabolism running smoothly. 

Things like kale, chia seeds, blueberries, kelp, spinach, and papaya add a variety of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals to the mix, and are ingredients often found in the real top-of-the-range Diamond Naturals’ products.

The high quality protein is a little on the low side, but you really can’t fault the ingredients that go into this one. 

Great Glucosamine & Chondroitin Levels  

The glucosamine and chondroitin levels are very decent in this Diamond Naturals dog food, higher than some of the best foods on this list.

They’ll be great for dogs of any activity level, and paired with the L-carnitine to promote healthy weight, your pooch should enjoy the benefits of strong, solid joints that are flexible and comfortable. 

Easy To Digest 

Beef meal is first up on the list, which serves the dual purpose of being high in protein and easy on the digestive system. There are a few other meat meals lower down the list (chicken, pork).

There are a few good, healthy grains in there, including brown rice, millet, and sorghum. These are generally no problem to digest – there are no low-quality grains containing gluten in this dog food. 

Healthy Weight Formula  

This is a healthy weight formula for senior dogs, which doesn’t necessarily mean that you should only feed it to your pet if they’re already overweight.

Remember, as a pup starts slowing down when they get older, they burn fewer calories and can pack on the pounds if they don’t keep getting enough exercise.

Being a healthy weight formula and containing L-carnitine for regulating metabolism and energy expenditure makes this dog food a great choice for senior dogs. There is a nice splash of glucosamine in there, so your senior’s joints will be well looked after.

Aimed At Puppies 

Puppies need certain things that adults don’t, including DHA (for the development of little puppy eyes and brain tissue). The protein and fat levels are also great for bouncy little pups, and a perfect calcium/phosphorus ratio helps their bones to grow strong but not too fast so as to become brittle and weak. 

Glucosamine for Puppies 

Some may wonder about the safety or risks of feeding young puppies dog food with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in it, but there are no indications that it shouldn’t be done.

Especially for large breed puppies like Catahoulas, it’s a good idea to start supplementing with joint-strengthening stuff from a young age, to give them the greatest chance of avoiding joint health problems later in life. 

The levels of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in this food (600mg/kg) are pretty much in the middle of the range, which is a great number to begin with for puppies.

Healthy Nutrient Levels For Most Dogs 

With 32% protein and 14% fat, this pet food would work very well for dogs who are moderate to highly active. It’s also great for dogs of all ages – it has a dose of DHA in there which would be super for puppies and senior dogs, and the glucosamine and chondroitin levels would be helpful no matter how old your pooch is. 

The fantastic Omega 3 fatty acids content comes from a mix of deboned salmon, salmon oil, and flaxseed, and is higher than many other dog foods with glucosamine.

This is super as glucosamine and Omega-3s work really well together to improve joint health. 

Joint-Strengthening Properties 

With Omega 3 fatty acids, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, this kibble contains DHA (which is, technically, another Omega 3 fatty acids), and has a great calcium/phosphorus ratio.

Menhaden fish meal is a great source of glucosamine. The protein levels also keep muscles strong which will help improve joint health. 

With 600mg/kg of glucosamine and 500mg/kg chondroitin, this food will be helpful for pups of all ages, sizes, and activity levels to keep joints tough and shock-absorbent.

High Glucosamine and Chondroitin Levels In All Flavours 

This number varies quite a bit depending on the flavour, but whatever you choose, your pup will be getting a leading amount of glucosamine in their system with this kibble.

Some contain up to 1400mg/kg of glucosamine, while other contain around 400mg/kg but a higher level of chondroitin. Either way, this dog food is fantastic for pups with sensitive stomachs who need a good dose of glucosamine and chondroitin too. 

High Omega 3 fatty acids Levels 

The same is true for the Omega 3 fatty acids levels – they differ vastly depending on the flavour. No matter which flavour, though, the levels are good and will work really well in conjunction with the high glucosamine and chondroitin numbers. 

Premium Quality Ingredients 

Regardless of which Blue Buffalo flavour you choose, you’ll find an ingredient list packed with only the best quality stuff. Real meat comes first, and is followed up by some real veggies.

A couple of fruits make an appearance too, making this a well-rounded food with glucosamine that contains all of the important things your pooch needs in their diet. 

Blue Buffalo Freedom Dry Dog Food’s grain-free and has nothing artificial in it, which is also super helpful when your pup needs a low-protein diet.

The less hard work your pup’s system has to do to digest the dog food, the better, and both the liver and kidneys play an important role in digestion. The quality of ingredients here makes it easy on your dog’s body. 

Great Joint-Strengthening Additions  

Blue Buffalo Freedom Dry Dog Food not only contains great levels of glucosamine and chondroitin (700mg/kg and 550mg/kg respectively), but you’ll also find a lovely Omega-3 fatty acids number (0,75%). The addition of EPA (0,1%) ups that just a little.

Omega 3 fatty acids is usually quite a bit less than Omega-6 on a guaranteed analysis list, but it’s the one that really works well with glucosamine and chondroitin to keep your pet’s joint health at its best. 

Another great thing to see is L-carnitine. It helps regulate metabolism and promote healthy energy levels, which in turn helps keep weight at a healthy level. This is essential for dogs who may suffer from joint health issues – the less extra pressure put on their joints, the better.

Different Flavours, Different Nutrients 

The Original flavour contains the most glucosamine and chondroitin of the three (600mg/kg), with the Regional Red containing 400 and the Six Fish, 300.

When it comes to Omega-3 fatty acids, though, Six Fish tops the rest with a lovely 1,8% – very close to the 2,1% Omega-6. It also contains EPA and DHA, which ups that Omega-3 number even more, making this top of the pops in the Omega fatty acids department. 

The other flavours contain decent Omega-3s (0,8% for Original, 1% for Regional Red), and in conjunction with the higher glucosamine levels in these two, still perform the same function as the higher level Omega-3 food. 

Biologically Appropriate Nutrition 

The best food with glucosamine is geared towards providing natural nutrition – like your pet would have eaten in the wild before dogs became domesticated.

This means that there’s a host of healthy, all-natural stuff in it, and nothing that you wouldn’t find in nature. This means that your pup will be getting only good stuff packed into each bite of this dog food with glucosamine – nothing artificial, and everything natural and well-rounded. 

Aimed At Small Breeds 

The nutritional value of this dog food is right in the zone for small breeds, with 28% high quality protein and a great fat level of 16%.

These little dogs usually need a higher than average amount of fat, as its quickly expended as easy-to-metabolise energy. The calcium/phosphorus level is perfect, and will also help keep the chances of joint dysplasia to a minimum. 

It’s all-natural and has smaller sized kibbled than usual, to cater for little mouths. If you have a small breed like dachshund, maltese, or pug that is susceptible to joint health problems, this dog food with glucosamine will not only be tasty and healthy for your pooch, but will help keep their bones and joints stable and flexible. 

Higher Than Average Omega-3  

While Omega-6 is always the higher of the two, the Omega-3 can be significantly lower. In this case, though, while the Omega-3 level is still lower than the Omega-6, it’s much less so than usual, at 2% (with the Omega-6 level being 3%). 

The glucosamine and chondroitin levels are lower than some others, at 250 and 200mg/kg. This isn’t a problem for little fluffs, though. Their joints are smaller than the large breed!