The label says, word for word:
Adequan® Canine is recommended for intramuscular injection for the control of signs associated with non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic arthritis of canine synovial joints.
Do not use in dogs showing hypersensitivity to PSGAG.
PSGAG is a synthetic heparinoid; do not use in dogs with known or suspected bleeding disorders.
Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of reach of children.
The safe use of Adequan® Canine used in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs has not been evaluated.
Use with caution in dogs with renal or hepatic impairment.
Every approved medicine has a field study behind it, and the label prints what happened:
Clinical efficacy trial (24 dogs): "Possible adverse reactions were reported after 2.1% of the injections. These included transient pain at the injection site (1 incident), transient diarrhea (1 incident each in 2 dogs), and abnormal bleeding (1 incident). These effects were mild and self-limiting and did not require interruption of therapy."
Not an NSAID: "The active ingredient in Adequan® Canine is polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG)." It is given by intramuscular injection. Label caution: "Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian." Approval: FDA FOI summary for NADA 141-038 gives Approval Date July 15, 1997 (original sponsor Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc.); the current label is American Regent's (NADA 141-038). Label revision: Rev. 9/2021. The label has no Client Information Sheet or owner section, and no Overdosage section.
The emergency page sorts the signs by how long you have, and the symptom checker asks what you are seeing. Reactions to a medicine can also be reported to the FDA yourself: how to report a problem.
These answers come from the approved label on DailyMed, read on 2 October 2026. Where the label does not say, the answer says so, and the vet or the pharmacist is the one to ask.
The approved use is quoted at the top of this page. It is an injection given to dogs to control the signs of arthritis in a joint, when the arthritis comes from wear or from an injury and not from an infection.
The label gives no time. Its field study scored the dogs at the end of four weeks of injections. By then the dogs given Adequan Canine had improved more than the dogs given salt water, both in how far their joints could move and in their total orthopedic score. Ask the vet what to expect and by when.
It is an injection into the muscle. The label's course is two injections a week for up to four weeks, eight injections at most, and it says not to go beyond that. The label does not say who gives the injection. Ask the vet whether it is given at the clinic or sent home with you.
The label does not say what to do about a missed injection. Call the clinic before the next one is given.
The studies and the warnings are quoted above. The label has no line telling owners when to call the vet. Ask the vet which signs after an injection should bring you back.
The label says to store it at room temperature, 68° to 77°F, with short spells between 59° and 86°F allowed, and to avoid long exposure to 104°F or more. Once a needle has gone into the vial for the first time, the vial must be used within 28 days, and the stopper may be pierced no more than 10 times. Keep it out of reach of children.
If the injections are given at the clinic, there are no leftovers at home. If a vial and needles were sent home with you, the label says used needles must be disposed of in line with federal, state and local rules, so ask the clinic where to hand them in. A vial that was first used more than 28 days ago counts as a leftover. The FDA says the best way to get rid of most unused or expired medicines is a take-back option: a drug take-back location, which can be at a pharmacy or a police station, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you cannot use one and the medicine is not on the FDA's flush list, the FDA says to mix it with something unappealing such as dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds and to seal the mixture in a plastic bag before throwing it away. Flushing is only for medicines on that list, such as opioids. Do not give leftovers to another pet.
Write the dose, the times and the stop date here, then print this page for the fridge.
Dose and times: _____________________________________________
Stop date: _____________________________________________