10 Best Dog Foods With Glucosamine 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Did you know that one in five dogs have (or will have) arthritis, and 65% of older dogs suffer from this painful disease? As your pup enters their golden years, they can become less active and energetic. Although many older dogs prefer a nice snooze instead of a run, their lack of mobility could be due to pain.

Glucosamine is a natural ingredient that can help your pup’s joint health and mobility. Dog food that’s high in glucosamine may help relieve arthritis pain and prevent the breakdown of joint tissue.

Below, we have reviews of the ten best dog chows with glucosamine. We will share all the important info, such as the ingredients, flavor, and many other factors. We have also provided helpful information in the buyer’s guide to give you all the necessary details.

Disclaimer: The foods reviewed here were chosen because they have certain characteristics that might help with some of the causes or consequences of this medical condition. However, they are not a medical treatment or a substitute for medical treatment. Keep in mind that each medical case is different and what works for some pets may not work for others. Your veterinarian is the right person to advise you on the best diet for your pet’s individual case.

A Quick Look at Our Favorite Picks of 2024

The 10 Best Dog Foods With Glucosamine

1. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dog Food – Best Overall

Starting with our favorite pick, we have the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Dog Food. This formula is all-natural and holistic. It contains healthy levels of protein, carbohydrates, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Your pup will also benefit from the life-source bits throughout the chow that have been cold-formed and concentrated with essential nutrients.

Life Protection is available with brown rice in fish, chicken, and lamb formulas. You can also choose from a 6, 15, or 30-pound bag. This is a tasty meal for all breeds and sizes with an easy-to-chew kibble that’s easy to digest.

Blue Buffalo uses real meat as its first ingredient, followed by whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, along with joint pain-relieving glucosamine. What you will not find in this formula is corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives.

Life Protection is designed to support your pup’s immune system, care for a healthy coat, and keep muscles, bones, teeth, and joints strong. It is high in protein and manufactured in the USA. Overall, this is the best dog food with glucosamine you can get.

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2. Diamond Naturals Glucosamine Dog Food – Best Value

If you are looking for an affordable meal that will help your pooch with their joint pain, this is the option for you. The Diamond Naturals Dry Dog Food comes in a chicken, egg, and oatmeal flavor that pups love. It’s available in 6, 18, or 35-pound bags and contains vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants.

Diamond Naturals is made with cage-free chicken in the USA, and it is processed without corn, wheat, fillers, and artificial colors or preservatives.  Moreover, the probiotics make it an easy-to-digest choice, and it is great for all sizes and breeds.

To relieve arthritis pain and creaky joints, the formula is packed with glucosamine and chondroitin. The Diamond Naturals dog food lists chicken meal as the second ingredient, but the protein level points toward a higher quality ingredient.

Beyond that, as dogs can become just as dissatisfied with eating the same thing every day as we do, you should note this is the only flavor the senior diet is available. Otherwise, it is the best dog food with glucosamine for the money.

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3. Instinct Raw Boost Glucosamine Dog Food – Premium Choice

Instinct Raw Boost Dry Dog Food is our next option that also features cage-free chicken. As a grain-free meal, the formula comprises easy-to-chew kibble bits with freeze-dried chunks of chicken meat.

This natural dog food packs a punch with protein, probiotics, omegas, and antioxidants. It also has calcium, phosphorous, plus natural DHA for brain and eye health. What’s more, it has glucosamine and chondroitin to help your pup’s mobility.

The Instinct formula does not contain grain, corn, soy, wheat, potatoes, or by-product meal, and it uses non-GMO fruits and veggies. You can choose from a 4-pound or 24-pound bag. It’s made in the USA and does not include artificial ingredients such as flavoring or preservatives.

This minimally processed formula is suitable for all breeds and dog sizes. However, Instinct Raw Boost only comes in one flavor.

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4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Glucosamine Dog Food

The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Dry Dog Food finds its way to our number four spot. This tasty dish comes in salmon, duck, and chicken. As another grain-free meal, you will not find corn, wheat, or soy in this formula. There is also no artificial flavors or preservatives.

Your dog will benefit from the natural ingredients that are full of protein and carbohydrates for energy. You will also find omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals. It is important to note that this formula also uses chicken meal as its source of those supplements.

Beyond that, Blue Buffalo is an easy-to-digest recipe that is great for all breeds. It is made in the USA and contains the life source bits customary to this brand. Be aware, it contains a high amount of peas and pea-based ingredients.

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5. Purina ONE SmartBlend Dry Dog Food

Our next brand is the Purina ONE SmartBlend Adult Dry Dog Food. The natural formula is high in protein, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. It features two textured bites: a standard kibble bit and a softer, meaty morsel that dogs seem to enjoy.

You can choose from a 15 or 27.5-pound resealable bag, or you can pick up a 3.8-pound bag that comes in a four-pack that is convenient for traveling. It’s available in only one beef and salmon flavor and lists beef as the first ingredient. There are no poultry by-product meals, artificial flavors, or preservatives.

However, Purina One contains corn, soy, and wheat. It is also another option that uses chicken meal as its source of glucosamine. Other than that, the dual-bite formula is easy on the teeth and great for all pups. It is lower in omegas than other dog foods and can be harder to digest for pets with food sensitivities.

 

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6. NUTRO Wholesome Dry Dog Food

Next, we have a chicken and brown rice or lamb and brown rice formula containing glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health. The NUTRO Wholesome Essentials Dry Dog Food contains vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. You can purchase it in a 15 or 30-pound bag, and it is produced in the USA.

NUTRO uses farm-raised chicken and contains no corn, soy, wheat, or chicken (poultry) by-product meal. As we have pointed out with other options, this formula uses chicken meal to provide your pup with glucosamine and chondroitin.

Although there are no artificial preservatives or colors, the hard cheerio-like bits can be hard to digest for some pets.  NURTO is marketed as a non-GMO formula, but the company claims “Trace Amounts Of Genetically Modified Material May Be Present Due To Potential Cross Contact During Manufacturing.”

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7. Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food

The Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food is available in a chicken meal, brown rice, and barley flavor, and it comes in a 4, 15.5, or 30-pound bag. Recommended for smaller dogs, the formula claims to improve your pup’s joint health within 30 days.

We want to point out that Hill’s does not contain glucosamine or chondroitin in its formula. The brand uses EPA from fish oil instead to relieve pain. Although this is a great ingredient, it is not as effective without the supplements (more on this later).

However, it contains its fair share of minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins C and E. It is a natural formula made in the USA, plus there are no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.

On the other hand, you will find grain, soy, and corn in the ingredients. Not to mention, chicken meal is the first listed item. Lastly, this dog food is higher in carbohydrates and fat than other brands.

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8. Nulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food

If your pup is partial to trout, the Nulo Senior Grain Free Dog Food with sweet potato may be right for you. This grain-free formula does not contain corn, wheat, soy, white potato, tapioca, egg, or chicken protein.

Nulo has a higher concentration of meat protein and lower carbs. However, yeast and chicken fat are listed on the ingredients panel, and the kibble is harder to chew and digest for some dogs.

Nulo comes in a 4.5, 11, or 24-pound bag and does not have artificial ingredients. It is made in the USA with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and vitamins C and E. You will also find glucosamine and chondroitin in the mix.

The Nulo recipe is better for smaller breeds and is lower in antioxidants than other similar options. Also, the flavor is not always a favorite of picky dogs.

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9. Victor Performance Dry Dog Food

The Victor Performance Dry Dog Food is made with beef, chicken, and pork, creating a medley of flavors.  It’s not recommended for smaller breeds and contains glucosamine and chondroitin to help support healthy bone and joint movement. However, it is not necessarily a meal meant for older dogs.

The feeding guidelines are designed for high-performance pups living in frigid outdoor environments. The reason for this is that in extremely cold temperatures, dogs will use fat stores instead of sugar for energy.

Naturally, Victor dog food is higher in fat and lower in protein. Although it has probiotics, prebiotics, and minerals, it does not have the correct blend that older pups benefit from the most. On the other hand, it is a gluten-free formula without corn, wheat, soy, and by-products.

Another drawback is that it contains yeast, vegetable oil, FOS, and tetrasodium. Perhaps due to these issues, it is harder to digest. It’s produced in the USA but is not a natural formula.

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10. Dogswell Happy Dog Food With Glucosamine

In our last spot, we have the Dogswell Happy Hips Wet Dog Food With Glucosamine. It’s available in chicken, lamb, or duck flavors, and you can only purchase a 13-ounce 12-pack. As the only one of its kind on our list, Happy Hips is a wet food.

It’s made with real meat with fruits and veggies, and there is no corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. As a grain-free option, there is no rice, gluten, BHA/BHT, or ethoxyquin. However, the formula is lower in protein and higher in sodium.

The first ingredient is water, which is “sufficient for processing.” Unfortunately, that leaves the nutritional value of this meal on the low side. Furthermore, glucosamine is the last ingredient on the list, indicating it will have very little effect on your pup’s joints.

Some other concerns you should be aware of are the debate on where the food is made, which is unclear. Also, Dogswell dog food is known to cause gas and diarrhea. It is not easy to digest, and some dogs just don’t like it. Overall, Happy Hips is our least favorite option for dog food with glucosamine.

Buyer’s Guide

Important Things To Know About Dog Food With Glucosamine

If you are on the hunt for healthy dog food for an older pet, glucosamine is a great ingredient you should consider. This supplement has been proven to help lubricate their joints and stimulate the growth of the missing tissue.

If looking for glucosamine was the only thing you had to worry about, you could take this list and run with it to the nearest dog food aisle. Unfortunately, there are several aspects of your pup’s diet you should be familiar with if you want to ensure they are consuming the most healthy and nutritious meals.

Nowadays, research has come to the point where we could write a book on “terms” you should know about pet food. Luckily, people have already done that, so we are only going to share the most important ones with you:

Meal vs. By-Product: What It Has To Do With Joint Health

Many consumers don’t know the difference between “meal” and “by-products.” Many people become disgruntled on their pet’s behalf if a pet food indicates there is no chicken by-product meal, yet chicken meal is the first ingredient.

The Essential Difference

As stated above, there is a difference between meal, by-product, and by-product meal. In general, by-products and by-product meals from unspecified sources are not good for your pet. Meals, on the other hand, are a topic of debate. Just keep in mind the meal is everything from the animal that is not approved for human consumption minus a few “parts.” It can still include bones, feet, organs, etc.

Depending on the manufacturer or even the batch, meals can have different nutritional values. For example, It could be mostly bone. Also, rendering is essentially over-boiling, which can kill a lot of vitamins. Finally, even if the label says “no by-product meals,” it does not mean there are no “meals” or “by-products.”

How Glucosamine Fits In

So, what does this have to do with joint health? As we pointed out in the reviews above, glucosamine is an essential supplement that helps with joint pain and promotes the growth of the tissue between your pup’s bones.

So, here’s the kicker. Glucosamine is not naturally found in food. It is a chemical found in the body, shellfish, and chicken bones and feet.

If a brand lists chicken meal as the source of the glucosamine, the “meal” is going to be primarily bones to get the glucosamine at a good nutritional value.

Tips When Shopping

Now that you have the terms down, there are a few other ingredients you should be aware of to keep your four-legged friend healthy.

 

Conclusion

If you have reached the bottom of this article, you are now a master of glucosamine pet food, and your aging furball will thank you for it! Finding the right food can be tricky with so many options, but having solid knowledge behind you will keep your pet mobile for longer.

Need a grain-free food for your pup? Not to worry, we have you covered here, as well. Check out our guide to the best dog foods in the grain-free arena.

You are busy and eager to play with your pup, so we like to make things as simple as possible. Considering that, we recommended the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Dog Food. This healthy meal is packed with all the goodness your pal needs.

If you need a cost-efficient option, try out the Diamond Naturals Dry Dog Food that will satisfy your need for healthy food, as well as satisfy your dog’s palette.

• See also: Best Dog Food  for Labradoodles – Our top picks!

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Featured Image Credit By: sanjagrujic, shutterstock