Glucosamine Tables - Administration

Question
Hello there.  I have a 7 year old Male Lab that is beginning to get the typical cartilage clicks in his legs and stiffness.  I have been giving him Glucosamine now for four months.  It does help but I became concerned that by having him take the large tablets (typically given as treat in a small piece of cheese) that the fast-action digestive processing system found in dogs (stuff goes in whole and often comes out whole ;-) that he may not be absorbing anything even close to the useful amount not to mention wasting a lot of money.

Question:  Is it best to crush large tablets of any medication for dogs for proper absorption vs. just having them ingest them whole?  I have checked many labels for MSM and they all say give them them tablets OR you can crush them for picky pets.  Of course I can just start crushing them and lose the worry, however, I thought it might be a good question for your followers here as to save others from the same concern and maybe a bunch of money.

Cheers.

Answer
An interesting question I haven't seen before.  I had an older Lab I was giving glucosamine to.  I would think if the tablets weren't disolving, I would have seen them when I was cleaning up her stools.  Since no one person can ever have enough experience to give reliable advice, I try to confirm things elsewhere.  Since those with far more experience have never cautioned me about tablets not dissolving, I doubt it is a problem.  No vet ever told me to crush pills and tablets.  

It is good to think about these things and seek answers.