What supplements do I give my pets?!
There are sooooo many supplements out there it will make everyone’s head spin. Every brand seems to be coming out with their own lines and each does either exactly the same thing with different ingredients or no difference at all but a HUGE difference in price! So how do we know what to give our pets? Where do we start? My first answer will always be talk to your vet! See what they recommend but then do your own research if you don’t like the brands they are recommending!
Second. Price does not always mean quality unfortunately. So really look at where they are sourcing ingredients and look up reviews online, not just the site. Also go to your local boutique type pet store. Not the big brand name stores that are everywhere. The smaller stores tend to heave better trained and more invested workers who know the brands to recommend.
Now here are some supplements I have given to my pets or recommended when working at pet stores for different ages and issues. These are supplements I myself or people I know have tried and had great luck with. I am not a veterinarian and these are my personal opinions.
For our puppy we have had a problem with dandruff since we got him. So he gets Ultra Oil. And he get the max recommended on the bottle for his weight. On top of this we added Primal’s edible elixir mussels mix. Both of these have helped almost clear his dandruff completely after a few weeks. This is along with brushing and a couple soothing massages to stimulate the hair follicles.
For my sweet girl with allergies she gets CBD daily to keep the inflammation at bay. My favorite brand is Peaceful Pets. Made by a local company by where I live. I know the owners and they are wonderful and doing great work in the space! She is also on a medicine from her naturopath vet called. . And a joint supplement since she turns 9 this year and I want to keep her joints healthy as she ages. The one I have been giving I am not completely loving at the moment. I really want one that has more green mussels in it. There have been a lot of studies coming out recently on the benefits of this ingredient for joints so I am on the hunt and will check out some other ones till I find the best fit. But I do not feel comfortable recommending the one I am using currently until I find out more. Below I recommend one that I will use once I run out of the current one as I continue my search.
Our cats all get the same supplements right now but for slightly different reasons in a couple cases. They get CBD for our oldest it is to help with her joints, inflammations, and mood. She is a munchkin cat so she has short stubby legs and we worry about that beginning to affect her as she ages and continues to jump around like the crazy parkour cat that she is. It also helps with her mood when she starts to get grumpy with our two younger cats when they want to play with her and she is not having any of it. For the boys this supplement helps to calm them a bit. They were getting rather rowdy before we put them on it even with the catio and all their toys and this has helped to take that edge off and make them better cat citizens of the house!
Supplements that all of our animals get include the Ultra Oil, kelp, and goats milk. The Ultra oil is what we do for omega’s. Ayrie is sensitive to salmon so we wanted something for her that had great omega’s without the salmon. Ultra oil uses, anchovy, sardine, and hemp seed in the place of salmon and we are having great results on it! Everyone’s coats are super soft and healthy and we believe this has helped contribute to that. We give kelp to help keep their teeth clean. Kelp helps to break down plaque and keep it away so they have healthy beautiful teeth! Lastly they get raw goats milk. Goats milk has great natural probiotics and we like to add this into their food to make sure they have a healthy gut micro biome!
Some other brands I have recommended or used myself in the past and still like are things like no more wiggles by Austin and Kat. I recommended this to a friend for her high energy pittie. With all the crazy weather that California has been having recently they have found that their pittie hates the rain and refuses to go out in it as long as possible. This includes potty breaks… Yikes… So as she got more frustrated being stuck inside and the brain games and chews got less interesting they needed help and I recommended this one.
For a joint supplement I like the connectin brand. They make treats and powders so you have different ways of sneaking it into their diet! There is also Austin and Kat’s joint support supplement. I have seen several dogs start doing much better after going on this supplement.
Tripe is awesome for the tummy. It is the stomach lining of usually either cow or lamb. It can help to calm sensitive tummies, and very very few animals will turn down the opportunity to eat this stinky delicacy. I recommend the raw over the canned can because there are more nutrients in it when it is not cooked. But if you can’t find the raw canned will still help!
I am currently torn about multi vitamins for my personal pets. Because we feed raw diets and rotate proteins often I do not feel like they are completely necessary at this moment. But I know a lot of people like to make sure all the bases are covered with them. If I had to pick one I would do Austin and Kat’s cat multivitamin. I do not have one for dog’s currently.
I hope this guide has given you some idea where to start. I am grateful you took the time to read this for your pet’s health and your own knowledge! Have a great day everyone!
