Yes, Adequan can work quickly. My senior girl has hip and spinal arthritis, she takes Hylasport, fish oil and 1000 mgs of vitamin c daily and we do cold laser therapy. The laser therapy made the biggest difference for her, I highly recommend it! We have Tramadol on hand for pain as needed, I will not give NSAID's like Rimadyl or Deramaxx after a really bad experience. She has been very comfortable on this combo for over 2 years but Adequan will be our next step, if/when it becomes necessary. I don't know how big your dog is but keeping them lean and as active as they can tolerate will also help immensely. I also do not feed any kibble with grains.
Best of luck keeping your baby comfortable!