Just kidding.

Although, that is how Aceytl-D Glucosamine was originally presented to me. “It’s generic Adequan, works just as good, exactly the same formula, but generic!”

Not exactly.

Aceytl-D Glucosamine is NOT a generic Adequan nor is it exactly the same formula. It is a completely different compound and it cannot be compaired to Adequan or Legend.

Aceytl-D Glucosumine (100mg/ml) is an injectable form of Glucosamine. It is an IM (intra-muscular) injection, that is generally prescribed the same as both Adequan or Legend:

1-5ml injection every 4 days 7 times then once a month thereafter.

While I did research BEFORE I decided to give this particular product a try, in my research I found that, well, there isn’t much research or data out there on Acetyl-D Glucosamine. There was ONE study done, and funded by Luitpold (the manufacturer of Adequan) that showed Acetyl-D Glucosamine was NOT as effective as Adequan. Depending on where you read the information from the study determines if you find out if Acetyl-D Glucosamine was effective at all. Some say there was no improvement in the horses of the study, others claim the study only went on to show if the results were comparable, which they were not.

The other, questionable fact regarding Aceytl-D Glucosamine is that the drug is NOT FDA approved. This basically means that the drug did not undergo a testing process to ensure “claimed” results and safety.

Was I nervous about injecting my horse with something that wasn’t FDA approved? Well, since I wasn’t looking into a new sedative or another drug that can possibly have side effects EVEN when being FDA approved, nor was I treating something that required a result such as colic, founder, infection, etc, I felt pretty secure (in other words, NO).

I also talked to several other people who had used the product along with several vets who recommended it or claimed “it couldn’t hurt”. No one reported any side effects (other than one related ONLY to the injection site, but her mare ALWAYS reacted to injections of any kind).

The horse I’ve tried Aceytl-D Glucosamine with is a 10 year old Holsteiner gelding. He is an upper level jumper who has shown some stiffness and weakness behind. Mostly, he had been having trouble getting to the base of a jump and rocking back on his hocks. He did have X-rays done which showed minimal changes in the joint. I hate to inject joints, but did end up injecting his joints with a cortisone/hyaluronic acid (HA) injection.

Although I was very happy with the results of the hock injection, I still felt this guy needed a little continued help for his joints. I had, in the past, tried several different oral joint supplements noting only one I found made a difference. I have also used the injectible therapy of Legend IV and actually did not notice an improvement in his movement and comfort.

The oral joint supplement I was using was great, but very expensive. Costing about $65 a month, I was about to put him on Adequan since the price is comparable (outside of the initial dosage requirements). I had used Adequan in the past on many horses; this horse, however had only seen Adequan once before a show.

I wasn’t sure how effective Aceytl-D Glucosamine would be. Since Legend was less effective than the oral joint supplement, I was apprehensive to invest $350 for the loading doses of one injection every 4 days for 28 days.

Then I heard about the “generic Adequan”, Aceytl-D Glucosamine, and thought even with the loading dose routine being similar, $50 was a lot less to try than $350.

So, I tried Aceytl-D Glucosamine. You know what? It worked; I think it worked quite well.

I took my guy off the oral supplement shortly before starting the Aceytl-D Glucosamine. I noticed a difference in his push from behind about 4 days after discontinuing the oral joint supplement. It seemed to take the full 28 days, or 7 injections before I noticed the Aceytl-D Glucosamine working. But, it worked, and it worked great. I would say it was equivalent to the oral joint supplement, if not a little better. Overall, he was moving very fluid, very comfortable, but most importantly, he was happier jumping. He always loved jumping, but when off the oral joint supplement and often times even on the oral joint supplement, he would have days that jumping was more work than fun.

He has been on Aceytl-D Glucosamine now for 3 month,s and I would say he acts like when he was a 5 yr old and just starting to jump! Although I’m sure Acetyl-D Glucosamine isn’t for every horse, neither is Legend, Adequan, or oral joint supplements. I have seen Legend work wonders for some horses while having no effect on others. I have seen Adequan more consistently effective, but if not dealing with major arthritis, trying the Aceytl-D Glucosamine is a very economical choice. Plus, it can’t hurt.

Aceytl-D Glucosamine is by prescription only, so talk to your vet. It seems like a great product to try, especially if on a tight budget. Talking with others, I have heard people starting younger horses on this as a preventative. Of course, there is no research to prove Aceytl-D Glucosamine could effectively prevent arthritis to occur, but it could be a cheap, non-invasive therapy to try.

I’ve found Aceytl-D Glucosamine is not a miracle cure, is not the same as Adequan or Legend, but is an economic alternative to finding comfort in an aging and performance equine.

Citizen Horse Says Thumbs Up to Aceytle-D Glucosamine.