Toby has Grade 3/4 in his left rear leg and ever since he's been on Cosequin (and lost 1.1 lbs) he is back to running, playing, jumping, etc. He does use the doggy stairs up and down the bed but he still jumps up in my recliner and has no issues. It took about 4-6 weeks to notice a difference from the Cosequin but it is great. Ladymom sent me to
www.entirelypets.com for the Cosequin. They have a pretty decent price for 90 capsules. I give Toby a tsp. of plain yogurt every day and empty the powder from the Cosequin capsule into the yogurt. He thinks he's getting a special treat every day around 5 p.m. They do sell Cosequin at Petsmart but it is about $10 more than the website I mentioned.
I agree on surgery being the last resort but if it would affect Toby's quality of life, I would do it in a heartbeat.