Dr. Shawn’s Blog

Supplements to Keep Your Pet Healthy

November 7, 2011 on 6:32 am | In General Posts | No Comments

This is a topic I deal with on a daily basis as pet owners come to my practice to learn how to use natural therapies to help their pets avoid disease and live longer healthier lives. As is true with people, using nutritional supplements can enhance the health benefits of a properly prepared natural diet (while supplements are still important if your pet is eating a less than ideal diet, no supplement to make a poor diet better. Therefore it’s important to make sure your pet is eating a great diet in addition to using nutritional supplements.)

There are many different supplements I prescribe depending upon the pet’s condition. For the sake of your question, I will assume your pet is normal and healthy and does not have any particular medical problems.
I like to start with a basic all-around health-maintenance formula. While there are several of these on the market, the one I most consistently prescribe for my patients is called Vim & Vigor by Pet Togethers (note-I am a consultant for this company because I absolutely LOVE their product and seen wonderful benefits for my patients take it.) The basic health-maintenance formula should contain vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and nutrients such as glucosamine and enzymes to support the various systems in the body (gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, urinary, etc.)

For pets five years of age and older, I also prescribe Cholodin (made by MVP Labs) in addition to Vim & Vigor. Research I have done the product shows it is an effective treatment for cognitive disorder (doggie and kitty Alzheimer’s) and reduces the chance your pet will ever develop cognitive disorder as it ages (cognitive disorder is the most common chronic degenerative nerve condition of older pets.) For older pets that have developed arthritis or are likely to develop arthritis I prefer another product made by MVP Labs called Cholodin Flex, which is essentially their Cholodin supplement plus hyaluronic acid to relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritic joints.

I also think that pets can benefit from fatty acids (I like the balanced fatty acid liquid made by RX Vitamins for Pets called Ultra EFA,) antioxidants (I like Proanthozone made by Animal Health Options and Super Ox made by Nutriwest) and enzymes (I like a product called RX Zyme, also made by RX Vitamins)

To make administration of supplements easy, I try to prescribe products that are specifically formulated for pets and are made in flavored vehicles (flavored chewable treats or flavored liquids.) I encourage you to work with your veterinarian to find the best products to help keep your pet healthy!