There are few areas to consider when deciding whether to feed a supplement. The individual pet, the supplement, and their food. Three is the magic number after all.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Are you feeding a home prepared food? A vitamin and mineral boost can be beneficial to help to avoid any deficiencies. This is because home prepared foods do not have these vitamins and minerals added already.

When feeding a complete and balanced food for your pet’s lifestage, they will already be receiving the vitamins and minerals they need. Feeding a vitamin and mineral supplement too could mean that these elements are then oversupplied. Oversupply can tip into toxicity, so best to seek advice before adding extra vitamins and minerals to your pet’s diet.

The Other Supplements

Next we’re thinking about other kinds of supplements, these tend to target a particular function or part of the body. Think about joint health, digestive support, and many more. These can be provided alongside a complete and balanced food, or a home prepared diet, to give extra support to an area of the body. They won’t cause any oversupply issues. These supplements can be a great option to give our pets a boost in the area they need.

There are many types of supplements targeting many areas from sensitive tummies, to stiff joints to anxiety. Support in these areas is always positive to keep our pets comfortable, but as everything that enters the body can affect the whole body, adding supplements can provide some powerful positives. An example is probiotics and digestive supports. As we learn more about the direct link between the gut and the brain, we can understand how keeping their tummies happy has knock on beneficial effects to their sleep and mental health, as well as immunity, absorption of nutrients, and so much more.

It’s always important to remember that our pets are all individuals. Tailoring our choices for our specific pet is best, as what works wonderfully for one isn’t always the solution for another.

If you’d like any advice regarding supplement choices for your pet, please do get in touch.

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