It is so easy to find a supplement for whatever ails your pet. Then the question becomes, is this something that is really going to help or have I just wasted $$?? The amount of supplements sold to pet owners is astounding in volume and dollars. As a pet owner, you're left wondering does my pet NEED any of these, do any of them really work and HOW do I choose from the millions of options?
Let's tackle these one by one.
- Does your pet even need a supplement? This all depends on what your concerns are. Most owners with older pets are interested in a supplementation that can help with chronic health problems. Joint pain, digestion are just a couple of chronic problems pets can have.
- Do any of these even really do what they say they are supposed to do? YES! There are many proven supplements to help with early stages of joint pain in pets. These are usually flavored treats and are given daily. Pro and pre-biotics are helpful for different digestive problems. Omega 3 fatty acids can help dry skin and some dental problems. Vitamin and mineral supplementation is necessary for growing puppies and kittens, even with a high quality food.
- Okay, we've established that there can be a need for a supplement and there are many that work. How do you choose? Do a Google search for a supplement for pet arthritis and you will never get through all the choices. Also, there are no FDA standards for supplements. How do you know you're getting what you even paid for? And don't get me started on the testimonials that appear for these products.
We can help with this! We have professional experience with many of the supplements available and have many in stock. When we choose a supplement to add to our shelves we want to make sure it is going to do what it says it does. We tend to stick with what is working for most of our patients.
We really like Standard Process products. These are derived from food to add real nutrients back into the food you feed your pet. There are Whole Body support products similar to a multi-vitamin and more targeted ones for chronic diseases. These are used with medication to make sure your pet is able to use all the nutrition available in the food.
We also like Phycox and Pala-tech products. These are usually easy to give pets. YAY! They are for joint comfort, bladder health and skin problems mostly.
There are also supplements that help to stabilize the liver function. I don't like to say "detox" the liver because that's what the liver does! Liver disease in pets can be acute or chronic. When a pet is vomiting due to elevated liver enzymes, we will send home a supplement that helps improve the liver function so it can filter these enzymes out of the blood again.
If you have questions about your pet's current supplements or would like to try a supplement for your pet, call us or stop in and we'll discuss your options.