1,400 mg
Green Lipped Mussel
Supports cartilage, connective tissue and healthy movement.
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Welcome to the post-glucosamine era
If Your Dog Is Slowing Down, Read This Before You Buy Any Glucosamine Supplement
This is the story of the study that upended 20 years of conventional wisdom about dog joint support.
It forever changed how we think about glucosamine...
150 daysStudy duration
Double-blindResearch design
Real family dogsClient-owned
PublishedPeer-reviewed research
By 2010, glucosamine and chondroitin had been the go-to ingredients in dog joint supplements for nearly 20 years.
But some vets and researchers had become skeptical.
Evidence was piling up that glucosamine and chondroitin might not be doing nearly as much as people thought.
At the same time, a very different ingredient was starting to get attention:
UC-II® undenatured type II collagen.
Earlier studies in dogs had already produced promising results.
So researchers decided to put the old standard (glucosamine & chondroitin) head-to-head with upstart UC-II® in a 150-day, double-blind study.
And on paper, the matchup looked almost ridiculous:
40 mg
vs.
3,600 mg
Glucosamine & chondroitin
(2,000 mg + 1,600 mg)
A tiny bit of one ingredient up against a massive amount of another? It's almost as if they were setting UC-II® up to fail.
But then the results started coming in.
By Day 150, here’s what researchers observed:
Improvement from each group’s starting scores on three observational measures.
| What researchers observed | UC-II® | Glucosamine + Chondroitin |
|---|---|---|
| Overall discomfort | 81%improvement | 51%improvement |
| Discomfort during limb movement | 87%improvement | 48%improvement |
| Discomfort after exercise | 90%improvement | 43%improvement |
Source: Gupta RC et al. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 96 (2012), 770–777. Day-150 observational results. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2011.01166.x
The harder test
But there was still a problem.
Personally observing improved mobility is one thing (and the observed results were extremely positive), but measuring that improvement with a scientific instrument is another thing entirely.
Dog owners are hopeful, and bias can creep in. Scientists are human, and they can see what they expect to see.
So the researchers built a tougher test into the study.
They found a way to measure scientifically how the dogs actually used their limbs.
They took bias out of the picture.
Every month, the dogs walked across a ground force plate connected to sensors and a computer.
This instrument measured exactly how much force each dog actually put through its legs while moving.
The sensors told a much sharper story:
| Objective measurement | UC-II® | Glucosamine + Chondroitin |
|---|---|---|
| Peak vertical force | +120% | No significant change |
| Total force through the limb during each stepMeasured as impulse area on a ground force plate. | +142% | No significant change |
Source: Gupta RC et al. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 96 (2012), 770–777. Ground-force-plate results at Day 150. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2011.01166.x
The dogs didn’t just look like they were moving better. The equipment measured a real change in how they were using their limbs.
And only the UC-II® group showed significant improvement on both objective measurements.
Now the obvious question
How can 40 mg of UC-II® dramatically outperform 3,600 mg of glucosamine and chondroitin?
The answer: They are not the same thing at all. They function completely differently in the body.
UC-II® is a patented form of undenatured type II collagen.
Its mechanism begins not in the joints, but in the small intestine, where it interacts with immune tissue through a process called oral tolerance.
This helps the immune system learn to enhance the dog's natural ability to restore joint function.
The full biology gets complicated. The useful part is simple:
UC-II® works through the gut and immune system.
It helps support a healthy response to the type II collagen found in joint cartilage.
So 40 mg is not trying to do 3,600 mg worth of the same job. It's a completely different approach.
This part matters if you try it
The changes built over time.
Day 60
Significant observational improvement appeared in the UC-II® group.
Day 90
Significant objective force-plate improvement appeared in the UC-II® group.
Day 150
The largest changes in the study were measured.
So we are not going to tell you to expect an overnight change.
Joint support takes time. Look for gradual changes in normal dog stuff: getting up, walking, playing, jumping and wanting to do more.
That is also one reason we give you 90 days to try LUVAPUP risk free.
The dogs behind the data
These weren’t laboratory dogs (thank goodness).
Nope, these were real family dogs.
They were privately owned dogs already having trouble getting up, walking and moving the way they used to.
They lived at home with the people who loved them throughout the study, coming back month after month for evaluations.
We all owe these dog parents a lot. I know how I'd feel putting Cody and Coco through a 5-month scientific study. These folks had courage.
LUVAPUP founder Graham with his dogs Cody and Coconut
These dog families didn’t have the benefit of knowing how the study would turn out. Thanks to them, we do.
Graham, with his 4-legged advisor Coconut.
Why we built LUVAPUP
This is the study that got my attention.
Hi, I’m Graham, founder of LUVAPUP.
My family's had a lot of dogs over the years. Mostly rescues. And like a lot of dog people, we’ve bought a lot of hip & joint supplements.
We were never especially excited about any of them.
I’m the kind of person who spends hours researching something before I buy it. And I’m even worse when it comes to my dogs.
So when we started looking for something better for the dogs we have now, I went down the rabbit hole.
That’s when I found this study.
The 40 mg vs. 3,600 mg comparison stopped me cold.
So I kept digging...
The more I learned about how UC-II® works, and how different it is from the glucosamine formulas we’d been buying for years, the more I wanted to build a formula around it for our own dogs.
That became LUVAPUP Hip & Joint.
- Graham
Co-founder, LUVAPUP
And yes, you can email me at graham@luvapuphealth.com. LUVAPUP is a small family business, not a faceless supplement company.
SEE WHAT WE BUILT FOR OUR DOGS →
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And in case you're wondering:
Yes, the UC-II® we use in LUVAPUP™ Hip & Joint is exactly the same patented UC-II® used in the canine study.
The manufacturer makes genuine UC-II® available to supplement companies under license. We hold a license...
Not everyone does. If you see a brand advertising "UC-II" and you don't see the Trademark Registration symbol (®), it's cause for concern. And this matters.
UC-II® (the real thing) is made using a proprietary low-temperature process that preserves its undenatured form and biological activity.
And LUVAPUP uses 40 mg — the same amount used in the study, and now required under the license we hold.
Same UC-II®Patented studied ingredient
Same 40 mgAmount used in the canine study
UndenaturedMade to preserve the molecular structure that matters
The full formula
UC-II® is where we started. It’s not where we stopped.
Once we found UC-II®, we wanted to build a more complete formula around it — without stuffing the jar with ingredients just to make the label look impressive.
450 mg
Eggshell Membrane
Supports healthy joint mobility and connective tissue.
150 mg
Boswellia serrata
Supports a normal inflammatory response and comfortable movement.
Why combine all four?
Because we didn’t want four ingredients doing the same job.
UC-II® gives the formula its gut-based immune pathway. The other three actives support cartilage, connective tissue, a normal inflammatory response and comfortable movement from other angles.
That gives LUVAPUP two complementary systems of joint support:
System 1
One fundamentally different active
UC-II®40 mg
Gut-based immune pathway. Supports healthy joint movement through a mechanism that works differently from traditional joint actives.
+
System 2
Three complementary actives
Green Lipped Mussel1,400 mg
Eggshell Membrane450 mg
Boswellia serrata150 mg
Joint structure + comfort support. Together, they support cartilage, connective tissue, a normal inflammatory response and comfortable movement.
The old playbook
So why do so many dog joint supplements still look almost the same?
Glucosamine became the standard.
People know the name. Brands know people know the name.
Glucosamine is cheap to make.
So the market filled up with different versions of the same basic idea.
Different jar. Different chew. Same general playbook.
That does not mean glucosamine is bad.
It means buying another brand does not always mean you're trying a different approach.
If you already have a graveyard of half-used joint supplements, that is worth thinking about before you buy the next one.
Nothing to hide
If you’re paying for an ingredient, you should know how much you’re getting.
So with LUVAPUP™, every active amount is right there on the label.
UC-II®40 mg
Green Lipped Mussel1,400 mg
Eggshell Membrane450 mg
Boswellia serrata150 mg
No proprietary blends hiding the active amounts.
LUVAPUP Hip & Joint
The same patented UC-II® used in the canine study. The same 40 mg amount.
Plus three targeted joint-support actives.
40 mg genuine UC-II®
1,400 mg Green Lipped Mussel
450 mg Eggshell Membrane
150 mg Boswellia serrata
Powder — not another chew
Made in the USA with U.S. and globally sourced ingredients
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If You’re Skeptical of Dog Supplements, Good. You Should Be.
You clicked on a Facebook ad for a dog supplement.
So being skeptical is reasonable.
There are a lot of products in this category making huge promises, hiding behind proprietary blends, or giving you no real way to know if you’re getting meaningful amounts of the ingredients on the label.
We’re not asking you to turn that skepticism off.
And we’re not going to tell you LUVAPUP is magic, that every dog responds the same way, or that you should expect an overnight change.
We’d rather show you why we think this formula deserves a closer look.
Same UC-II®Patented ingredient used in the canine study
Same 40 mgAmount used in the canine study
3 more activesMeaningful amounts, fully disclosed
We added 1,400 mg Green Lipped Mussel, 450 mg Eggshell Membrane, and 150 mg Boswellia serrata to support healthy joints and comfortable movement from other angles too.
We disclose the amount of every active ingredient in the jar.
We built the formula for our own dogs first.
And we give you 90 days to decide if it earns a place in your dog’s routine.
That’s how we’d rather earn your trust.
A different approach
Glucosamine is not the only approach anymore.
If your dog still wants to go, help support the movement that lets them.
The slower start after a nap.
The pause before a jump.
The walk that turns toward home a little sooner.
Those are the moments that make dog parents start looking for a way to help.
And if you are already looking, UC-II® is worth knowing about.
Cody and Coconut, our family dogs
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We built this for our dogs first. Now we make it for yours.
Individual dogs vary. Joint-support supplements take time. This page discusses published research on UC-II® and is not a promise that every dog will have the same result.