Evaluating Supplements for Dogs & Cats

We spend a fortune on supplements for dogs & cats, but not all supplements are beneficial, or even safe.

Evaluating Supplements for Dogs & Cats Is Like Eating In a Restaurant

In a way, trusting a supplement company is like trusting a restaurant. When eating out, we trust the ingredients, the food storage, the cleanliness without having to go back and inspect the kitchen. When clients ask about supplements, I’m going to do my best to ensure they have all the information they need to decide whether or not to give the product to their pet. There are about 50,000 supplements for dogs & cats, so how do we know what’s good to give pets? It’s not easy. It requires research. That’s right, research.

I evaluate the following:

1. What problem does the dog or cat have, and would the supplement help with that problem?
2. What are the supplement’s active ingredients? The inactive ingredients?
3. What amount or percentage of the total is each ingredient?
4. Are all ingredients declared or does the manufacturer buy some ingredients from other companies who are not required to list everything the materials they are supplying contain?
5. From what countries do the ingredients originate?
6. How long has the product been used and how many pets have used it?
7. What is the company’s reputation?
8. Are there clinical trials demonstrating this exact product with its particular combination of ingredients is helpful?
9. Is there an independent third-party laboratory that has tested the supplement?
10. Is the supplement priced appropriately for the benefit?
11. Is the supplement stored by a distributor so that it doesn’t get over-heated?
12. Will this particular dog or cat accept the supplement in its current form?  

Supplement Ingredients

Supplements list ingredients, but that is not the end of the story. Government regulations allow hundreds supplement labels to contain ingredients that are not listed. For example, a label can say hydrolyzed yeast extract and not say the extract contains MSG. A label can say “spices” and not say which spices. Many products that oxidize, like fish, are mixed with antioxidants like ethoxiquin but the supplement label  does not need to include ethoxiquin if the supplement company did not add it themselves. . If you think food & supplement labels tell the whole story, think of melamine.

What amount or percentage of the total is each ingredient?

Percentages and ratios of ingredients to each other are significant. Think of how much milk or sugar you want in your tea. There is a point where it is just right. For many supplements, there is a range of ratios that will work, and the best supplements get the ratios of ingredients just right.

 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas are examples of getting ingredients just right. They’ve spent hundreds of hundreds of years perfecting the ratios of herbs in the formulas. Compare a herbal formula that has been used for hundreds of hundreds of years to a supplement that has been on line for 20 years. Choose herbs and supplements with a history.

 Where are the ingredients sourced?

Do the ingredients come, like melamine, from China? From the US? From Canada? While I like Chinese herbal formulas, I don’t recommend supplements made in China to my clients unless the supplement is manufactured in the US or Canada. For herbal formulas, I trust Kan Herbs from the US and Natural Path from Canada.

 Is the supplement priced appropriately for the benefit?

Some supplements are expensive but dogs and cats really do well taking them: Nordic Natural’s Omega 3 Pet and Missing Link are great examples of products that are worth their weight in gold. Unfortunately, there are also supplements that are expensive but don’t provide significant benefit.

Supplement Storage

Many supplements oxidize during storage, including fish oils, flax, & antioxidant vitamins. I expect that supplements warehoused in Florida have more oxidation during storage than do supplements warehoused in northern states. Thus, I don’t recommend supplements from 1800 Pet Meds who warehouses & distributes out of Florida.

 Choose wisely

Use supplements, just chose great products and make sure they’ll work for your dog and cat.