A Guide to Pet Supplements

The health and well-being of our pets is always our top priority, but with so many products claiming to offer total care for your pet, it can be easy to get overwhelmed which may lead to you feeling you’re not doing all you can for your pet.

Luckily, we’re here to help! We’re going to delve into the realm of pet supplements to help you better understand what they are, what they do, and most importantly if your pet needs them. 

By feeding your pet a high-quality complete food, your pet will generally be able to get all the essential nutrients it needs to stay in peak condition. 

That said, all pets are unique, and we don’t just mean by their breed or species, but as individuals. This means the nutritional needs of one pet won't precisely line up with the needs of another pet, making it difficult to find food that covers all their needs, especially if you have more than one pet of the same species in your home. This is where pet supplements come in. 

Put simply, pet supplements are added to your pet's everyday diet to give them added vitamins and nutrients that they may otherwise be lacking and help them stay in top healthy condition. 

What supplements may or may not benefit your dog will depend on their needs. For example, while many pet foods include some essential fatty acids like Omega-3, longer-haired breeds may need a higher level of these fatty acids to maintain optimal skin and coat health. You must be aware of what these vitamins and nutrients are and how much your pet needs, as an excess of some nutrients can be just as damaging to your pet’s health as a deficiency. 

If you walk into a pet shop and take a look in the health section, you may find that there seems to be a supplement for every aspect of your pet’s life, from their physical health to their mental development and so on. To try and keep things simple, we’re going to stay focused on the key supplements you may find your pet needs and what impact they can make on your pet's health. 

A common issue that many pet owners have with their pets is digestive upset, which can occur for various reasons, some more serious than others. If your pet is suffering from digestive upset and you aren’t sure why, getting a vet’s opinion before introducing any new foods or supplements to their diet is essential. 

Prebiotics and probiotics for dogs and cats work similarly to how they do for humans:

• Probiotics are the millions of living organisms naturally found in the body (often called “Good Bacteria”), and they work to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. 
• Prebiotics are things such as fibre that fuel the probiotics and allow them to do their job. 

If your pet has an unhealthy balance of harmful bacteria in their gut, it can lead to digestive issues that can be unpleasant for you and your pet. By introducing a daily probiotic or prebiotic supplement, you can give your pet’s digestive tract some added support to promote the growth of these good bacteria and help to regulate their immune systems. 

You can learn more about probiotics for pets here. 

Another essential part of pet ownership is making sure they stay as active as possible to help them maintain a healthy weight and mobility while also trying to expel some of their seemingly endless energy! Whether that’s taking your dog for a run in the park or letting your cat scale the shelves, their movement is an integral part of their well-being, and it’s important that all their muscles and joints can support them doing so. However, as your pet ages, it’s natural for their joints to stiffen, which can sometimes cause them pain or even chronic arthritis. This is where joint supplements come into play. 

There is a lot that goes into creating a joint supplement for pets that can soothe painful joints and stiffness, but the most common ingredients in joint supplements are: 

• Glucosamine
• Chondroitin

These two compounds are naturally found in your pet’s body and are the major players in building and repairing cartilage, the connective tissue that supports and cushions your pet’s joints so they can move freely. Adding a joint supplement to your pet’s daily diet containing these two ingredients can help prevent and even treat conditions that affect your pet’s joints, such as arthritis, to keep your pet running, jumping or climbing to their heart's content. 

While joint supplements aren’t necessarily essential to your pet’s health, they are invaluable for prolonging their mobility and joint health for as long as possible. Large dogs, in particular, may benefit from dog joint supplements added to their diet, as large breed dogs (such as labradors and German shepherds) are more prone to joint and mobility issues, such as arthritis in dogs and hip dysplasia. 

Other pets that can benefit from joint supplements include overweight pets or breeds prone to obesity (like Beagles and Domestic Shorthair cats), as the additional kilos put more strain on their joints. Breeds with naturally weak cartilage due to their breeding could also use joint supplements, such as Scottish Fold Cats.

Some pets have long been honoured for their beautiful coats, and many are bred specifically for this reason, such as Ragdoll cats and Afghan Hounds. Many of these breeds require additional grooming (sometimes daily) to keep their coats in optimum condition and avoid matting. 

An animal’s coat and skin are made up almost entirely of protein and fats, so if their diet doesn’t contain enough quality protein, it can greatly impact their skin and coat health, resulting in flaky skin, a dull coat, and even hair loss. Many people add a quality skin and coat supplement to their pet’s meals to keep their skin and coat moisturised and luscious. 

Skin and coat supplements are usually a combination of essential amino acids, fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6), and vitamins and minerals (Vitamin A and E in particular) that help promote skin and hair growth, protect skill cells, and sometimes even aid in moulting for pets with more than one coat that is more prone to shedding (such as Siberian Huskies and Siberian cats).

While every pet can benefit from extra skin and coat care, it’s particularly important for pets with long coats and sensitive skin to receive that little extra help. 

Changes in circumstances and routine can be stressful for anyone, including our pets. Many pets can suffer from anxiety for a variety of different reasons, and some are more susceptible to change than others. If this stress isn’t addressed, it can lead to several behavioural issues.

Some pets can even develop anxiety disorders much like humans do, and as an owner, it can be distressing to know your pet isn’t feeling their best. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help support your pet if they’re feeling stressed and anxious, and one of these options is providing calming supplements to their diet to help them feel safe and secure.

 The main ingredients found in calming supplements for pets include: 

• L-Tryptophan
• L-Arginine
• L Theanine
• Fish protein hydrolysate
• Melatonin
• Thiamine 
• Herbal ingredients (Lemon Balm, Passiflora Incarnata and Valerian)

While there are contradictory accounts on whether these supplements are as effective for pets as some prescription pet medications, many of our customers have found calming supplements for dogs or cats to be very effective at easing their pets' anxiety. 

As we’ve mentioned already, what your dog does or does not need nutritionally depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, their age, breed, health and temperament. Many pets can get all the nutritional support they need from their food, especially when fed a complete diet or breed-specific food that considers their dietary needs. That said, making pet supplements a part of their every diet can drastically impact your pet's health and well-being, and once you see the change, you may never look back! 

If you would like to know more about what supplements are available and whether they would suit your pet, please get in touch with us. You can also view our full range of supplements for cats and supplements for dogs in our store. 

This post is an opinion and should only be used as a guide. You should discuss any change to your pet’s care or lifestyle thoroughly with your vet before starting any program or treatment.