Labels are meant to be read. Remember, those of you who are old enough, when we went shopping and just reached for a package on the grocery store shelf and put it in the cart. We knew, or thought we knew, from the title and picture what was inside. We didn't bother looking at the label. I'm not even sure if there were nutrition labels at one time.
Things have certainly changed. Now grocery shopping takes twice as long because we have to read labels on everything. Even products we've used before can make changes that we need to be aware of before buying. For instance, Rob likes peanut butter. I like it occasionally but he likes it more than I do. The dogs also like it and he often shares with them. But recently I've been reading about some peanut butter manufacturers using Xylitol in their products. Xylitol is deadly for dogs, so Rob has been instructed to check the label every time he buys peanut butter.
At the beginning of the month Chewy sent me a list of review choices and I was going thru it early in the morning as I sipped my coffee. One jumped out at me. It was Cosequin Minis. They were described as small treats made with glucosamine chondroitin for dogs with arthritic joints. Of course I immediately thought about Morgan.
Several of us take glucosamine chondroitin daily. I started taking it for Freiberg disease, a painful joint disease in my feet. It helped enough that I was able to stop taking pain pills. It had helped Lucy and Bentley with their arthritis so now Morgan, Bailey and Tess all take it. I'm thinking of starting Fudge. It doesn't work for everyone. Rob tried it for shoulder pain from an auto accident and it didn't give him any relief, but for the rest of us, it's great.
I ordered the Minis without reading thru the entire list of ingredients. Bad Mom! When the Chewy box arrived, I was very happy. I thought this was something that Morgan would not only enjoy, but benefit from. Fortunately, I did read the back of the bag before handing them out. One of the ingredients is MSM.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: FCHG49 Glucosamine Hydrochloride
(trademarked ingredient) 260mg TRH122 Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate
(trademarked ingredient) 130mg Methylsulfonlymethane (MSM) 175 mg
Others: glycerin, starch, natural flavor, vegetable oil, silicon
dioxide, mixed tocopherols, green tea and rosemary extract
Recently I've seen MSM appearing on the glucosamine bottles in the stores and I've avoided them, buying only those without MSM. Somewhere in my memory I thought there was a problem for people with sulfa allergies taking MSM, but I wasn't sure. The next time I saw Dr B, I asked if MSM was safe for people and dogs with sulfa allergies. He told me that no testing has been done but he recommended staying away from it. I'm glad I asked.
The Cosequin Minis would not go to waste. Morgan and Noah and I are all allergic to sulfa, but Tess and Bailey are not. This afternoon I opened the bag and passed them out for the girls to try. They all found them very tasty and maybe they'll relieve some of the soreness in their legs.
We probably won't be ordering these again. I'd rather stick to things that are safe for everyone. I will also remember to read the labels more carefully in the future.
8 comments:
Hi Sue, you didn't actually make a "boo-boo". You had the good sense to read the package before they were given out and thereby avoid giving those treats to those who were allergic to that ingredient. We don't read the ingredients but probably should - or at least have a broader understanding or knowledge of what this ingredient is and why it's in a given product. We're lasering Sam every 2 weeks to help him with a bit of arthritis and soreness. He's also getting some Hyaflex for sore joints and arthritis as well.
It's so hard to know exactly what to buy. It seems companies always want to IMPROVE products and start adding all sorts of things.
Mom takes the glucosamine stuff, and we think hers has MSM too. No sulfa allergies here luckily, but thanks for telling us about that.
We are very late with our Chewy review. If Mom doesn't hurry up and get it done, it will be all gone - it is THAT good:)
Woos - Ciara and Lightning
Our mom is guilty of not reading all of the fine print on the labels at times too. Enjoy all of those yummy treats, Tess and Bailey! An entire bag just for the two of you!
Love ya lots♥
Mitch and Molly
Howdy mates. Your mum DID check the ingredients so that was a good thing! When our mum is at the shop, if she forgets her glasses she cannot read the tiny labels!! No worries and love Stella and Rory
An important lesson learned to read labels. A tip of the tail to your Mom for doing so.
Those would be great for Ruby - and for me...do they come in wine-flavor??
I was a bit angry to learn about some peanut butter manufacturers now using Xylitol -- esp with it being such a popular food for dogs! So far my labels are all good -- but if the regular brand I buy (for both the humans and dogs) switches, I will not buy that brand at all...ever again!
I didn't know that about MSM... but of course my dogs were all on a Chondroitin / MSM combo supplement.
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