Nutritional supplements are products added to a normal diet to promote specific health and wellbeing benefits. Supplements are not medication, so can be freely purchased without a prescription. Generally speaking, a supplement aims to offer the consuming human or animal benefits which cannot be derived from their normal diet. For example, while red meat naturally contains some creatine, this is in such low amounts that it will not offer any performance benefits. Therefore, for creatine to be consumed in a meaningful dose without eating excessive amounts of red meat, it must be taken as a specially designed and concentrated supplement.

Nutritional supplements combine convenience with health benefits. While useful and potentially very beneficial, they should not be viewed as a replacement for health and wellbeing basics done well. We only recommend supplement use after we know that a dog is on a healthy diet, exercised regularly, and has a good overall quality of life. For a nutritional supplement to work, its baseline must be an overall healthy lifestyle. Having said that, the benefits they can bring are remarkable.

Supplements can come in a range of formats including pills, powders, and oils. There is no single right or wrong way to give a dog a supplement. Individual dogs have their own preferences, so trial and error is often the best way to encourage consumption. In our experience, strong scents can make a foodstuff or supplement more appealing to a dog, so a little fish oil can go a long way when incentivising consumption!

Supplements are made from inherently healthy and often naturally occurring ingredients. Dogs they are given to often enjoy a range of benefits including stronger joints, improved digestion, and better coat condition. If you would like to find out more about how our supplements could benefit your dog, please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected].