Nutritional supplements are becoming more widely used both by us and our pets, and they can be a good way to support your cat’s or your dog’s overall health. Dog joint supplements like Joint Aid for Dogs are amongst the most sought after, with many pet owners finding that glucosamine for dogs can be a beneficial addition to the daily diet. Nutritional supplements use nutraceuticals to work with the animal’s natural biological processes and can supplement your dog’s diet and/or any treatment from your vet. These nutrients occur naturally in food substances and can be used to support our pets’ health in a variety of ways. There are so many nutritional supplements for dogs available it’s important to be aware of what you are buying and spend some time looking at the ingredients that go into a product. It’s also worth doing a bit of research to see what other people are saying about a particular supplement.
Joint Supplements for Dogs
Stiff joints are surprisingly common, particularly in older dogs and can be as a result of arthritis, injury or hormonal issues amongst other things. Supplements with glucosamine for dogs are becoming much more widely used as a beneficial way to help support healthy joints, along with hyaluronic acid, Omega 3 fatty acids, turmeric and MSM. Joint supplements are commonly used for hip or elbow displasia in dogs. Some joint supplements for dogs also contain green lipped mussels as an alternative source of some of these ingredients, although the full benefits of these are still relatively unknown*.
Cod liver oil for dogs is also a popular supplement but it’s vital to make sure you buy a supplement intended for dogs, not for humans – these contain very different levels of fish oil and vitamins A and D and giving your dog too much can be extremely dangerous.
Muscle Support Supplements for Dogs
If they are competing in agility, flyball or another performance sport you will need to make sure your dog’s diet has the right nutrition for providing plenty of energy during training and for supporting muscle recovery afterwards.
Supplementing a good quality, balanced diet can be beneficial - look out for supplements that contain high quality protein, with the right profile of amino acids, plus a high level of antioxidants like Joint Aid for Dogs which now includes Muscle Maintenance as standard. Muscle weakness or muscle atrophy can also often go along with conditions like arthritis that restrict your dog’s movement and activity levels – this means that the muscles are not being worked as normal and begin to weaken. A muscle support supplement like Joint Aid for Dogs can help to maintain muscle mass and minimise muscle loss in these circumstances. Digestive Supplements for Dogs
Food allergies and other digestive problems can result in diarrhea and vomiting in dogs and helping to restore beneficial gut bacteria is one way to approach helping with these conditions. Probiotics for dogs have been proven to support the digestive health and restore the good bacteria needed to fight off environmental antagonists. Digestive Aid for Dogs contains probiotics, prebiotics as well as antioxidants and Verm-X, a botanical mixture for addressing gut hygiene.
Other alternatives for helping your dog’s digestive health include a tablespoon of natural yoghurt, pumpkin, sweet potatoes or banana added to your dog’s usual food. If your dog continues to suffer with an upset stomach, if you see blood being passed or in vomit, or if you suspect your dog may have eaten something poisonous you should seek medical advice from your vet.
Immune Support Supplements with Turmeric for Dogs
Maintaining an active immune system in any dog can be a great way to help prevent allergies and to support your dog’s general health. Turmeric is one of nature’s superfoods and supplements containing curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) are now widely sought after. Turmeric is understood to have many health benefits, primarily because of its antioxidant properties that support anti-inflammatory processes and optimise microbial populationis.
However, research has shown that the amount of the active ingredient curcumin found in turmeric can vary greatly depending on where it was sourced and usually only contains up to around 2% curcuminoids. Because of this we only use the extracted curcumin in our products to give as much as 95% curcuminoids and a reliable nutrient level.
Immune Aid for Dogs contains curcumin from turmeric, piperine (from black pepper) and Omega 3 fatty acids to help support your dog’s immune system and general health.
Skin and Coat Supplements for Dogs
You can usually see the health of an animal through the shine on their coat and the brightness of their eyes. There should be plenty of good quality protein in your dog’s diet, and essential fatty acids are also key for a healthy coat. If your dog is itchy or their coat is dull you may find that an oil-based skin and coat supplement like Omega 3 Aid for Cats & Dogs is helpful. It is made from a blend of British sourced cold-pressed linseed & hemp oils and provides the perfect balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
Vitamin Supplements for Dogs
Multivitamin supplements for dogs are becoming more and more popular, particularly with the rise of alternative diets such as raw feeding, vegetarianism and even veganism amongst pets in the UK. It can be confusing to know what is the best diet and which brands or ingredients to use. Whilst your dog should be getting most of her nutrients from a healthy, balanced diet, using a comprehensive, high quality vitamin and mineral supplement like Raw Aid for Cats & Dogs can help to give you peace of mind that she is getting all the daily essentials she needs.
Supplements Without Shellfish
If your dog can't eat fish or shellfish, finding items like a joint care supplement or a skin & coat oil can be difficult. Our entire range of feeds & supplements is 100% vegetable based, however, which means that you can use all of our products with complete confidence. Instead of chondroitin from shellfish we use a vegetable based hyaluronic acid, which provides the building blocks of chondroitin and so benefits your animal in just the same way. Equally, the glucosamine you see listed in some of our supplements is completely vegetable derived.
Making Vital Nutrients Bio-Available
Not all supplements are made equal. There are hundreds of alternatives out there when it comes to choosing nutritional supplements for your dog, and finding the right one that includes all the right actives is only half the story. Unfortunately many of the nutrients commonly found in nutritional supplements like glucosamine, for example, are poorly absorbed and in fact much is simply passed through the body. However, we have formulated our supplements to provide a higher uptake of these crucial actives.
Our nutritional supplements for dogs are all formulated using our trademarked delivery system Oatinol™. Using a unique blend of oils, including hemp oil and oat oil, Oatinol produces a very fine emulsion which easily crosses the gut wall in the digestive tract, helping to maintain a high rate of absorption. This pioneering approach for aiding the uptake of actives can make the difference between getting beneficial support or not!
This article is not intended to provide medical advice. Always check with your vet before giving supplements or if you feel that your pet is unwell.
