Ideally, you and your dog or cat should be getting most of your essential nutrients from the food you eat—fresh foods are, after all, the best way to boost your health. But we get it—sometimes you need more than what your food can offer you, or maybe you or your pet have sensitivities to foods that contain the adequate amounts of specific vitamins and nutrients you need. If that or something similar is the case for you, then you may be looking into supplementing your diet.
But unfortunately, quality supplements aren’t always cheap. Whether you’re tight on space or just tightening up your monthly spending, having a product that works for you AND your pet can seem like the holy grail of convenience. So without further ado, let’s look into some of the best supplements you can share with your pet, the benefits they provide, and the precautions to keep in mind when boosting your furry friend’s diet.
TLDR?
Essential Fatty Acids:
Omega-3 Pet Liquid by Nordic Natural
Flax Unleashed by Olie Naturals
Sardines canned in water
Probiotics:
New Beginnings by Olie Naturals
Prebiotics:
Solid Ground by Olie Naturals
Essential Fatty Acids
You and your dog or cat can equally benefit from boosting your omega-3 oil content. This fish-derived oil has an insane number of health perks—just a small dose a day can improve:
Joint health and inflammation (great if you or your pets are starting to feel some extra creaking in your joints with age)
Reduce blood pressure and support cardiovascular health
Promote healthy skin and hair (for matching luscious locks with your pet)
Support the brain and cognitive functions (let it never be said your old dog can’t learn new tricks!)
Supports immune functions and reduces the risk of certain diseases and infections
Now, normally there’s a good reason you shouldn’t share all your own supplements with your pets: some human supplements have additives and sweeteners like xylitol or essential oils that can be toxic to pets. Additionally, the supplements you take are generally proportioned to your weight—the amount of omega-3 you would normally take will be way too much for your dog or cat!
Instead, choose a high-quality omega-3 supplement designed for pets and look for liquid formats over capsules whenever possible; this will make dosing more convenient for a variety of pet (and human) sizes. We like Nordic Natural’s Omega-3 Pet Liquid, which is made with anchovy and sardine oils, as well as d-alpha tocopherol, a natural form of vitamin E used to prevent oxidation. If you don’t mind a fishy little appetizer, you can also just use canned sardines from the grocery store! (Ensure they’re packed in water, not oil.)
Nordic Natural’s Omega-3 also comes with valuable dosing instructions for dogs and cats of every size, along with precise EPA and DHA levels for each dose, the two types of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils. Alternatively, if you or your pet don’t eat fish or fish products, look for a high-quality flax oil for similar benefits!
Probiotics
As anyone familiar with RDBK content may know, we’re kind of big fans of probiotics over here. In fact, we think they’re one of the biggest underrated and under-used supplements for people and pets!
Probiotics deal with gut health. Think of your digestive system like a concert stadium: the stage is the food and all its nutrients being digested, and every stadium seat should be filled with fans—beneficial bacteria that promote proper digestive health. However, if there aren’t enough good bacteria to fill the seats, then harmful bacteria move in. Probiotics are concentrated doses of beneficial bacteria that can move in and “crowd out” the bad bacteria—and keep more from trying to come in and take a seat.
There are lots of whole foods that are full of probiotics that both people and pets can eat—kefir, yogurt, or fermented foods, to name a few. However, some of these foods can have a strong taste that you or your pets can’t tolerate or contain some elements—like dairy—that don’t sit well with either of you. If that’s the case, then a probiotic supplement may be better for you.
New Beginnings by Olie Naturals is, in our opinion, the gold standard for organic probiotic supplements. Its liquid format makes it convenient to dose for any weight, and it’s free of dairy, gluten, preservatives, additives, artificial flavours, sugar, or colouring. It’s organic and as easy to mix into your pet’s food as taking a sip for yourself—and just as effective for both of you!
Prebiotics
Probiotics, as we’ve mentioned, are a necessary component of your digestive system. However, because they’re living things, they need to eat! That’s where indigestible fibres come in; they’re called that because we (or our pets) can’t digest them—but the bacteria in our guts can! Using prebiotic fibres means you’re not just continually filling those stadium seats as they empty but supporting the helpful bacteria that has already taken up residence.
While New Beginnings does have some prebiotics in it already, we recommend taking it a bit further with a prebiotic supplement, which is where Solid Ground (also by Olie Naturals) comes in! Just like New Beginnings, Solid Ground is made with 100% natural ingredients, carefully selected and combined for a wide spectrum of naturally-occurring synergistic elements found in prebiotic superfoods. In addition to supporting healthy gut bacteria, this super-food combo contributes to:
Supporting eye health (to keep ball-catching and feather-hunting a life-long passion)
A generous dose of antioxidants (to help keep their cells in tip-top shape)
Supports healthy anal gland function (keeps everything, er, shall we say, moving smoothly)
Encourages normal antibody, enzyme and hormone production
Because of its natural ingredients, this is another supplement you can share with your pet—just remember to dose correctly for you, your dog, and your cat!
Sharing is Caring
Sometimes health for you and your pet can feel like a pay-to-play kind of situation. There are hundreds of supplements to choose from—and they don’t always come cheap—and that’s before you even start budgeting for your own health! As frustrating as balancing your budget with healthy decisions can sometimes be, remember that starting with fresh foods is never a bad place to start, and sharing what you can with your pet isn’t just a way for you to cut costs but a way to bring you closer with your pet. After all, nothing brings you closer than sharing healthy priorities for a long and happy life, together.
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