What to Expect When You Start Giving Your Pet Supplements

nutritional supplements

Health supplements for your pet are easy to access and provide these days. With many people understanding the need to be healthy, supplements have become a part of daily care. There are prebiotics, probiotics, multi-vitamins, and specific vitamins to help with varying degrees of need are in most places you shop for groceries or your local pharmacy.

Pet nutritional supplements are also rising in popularity. Is it advantageous for us to allow our pets to take supplements? There are a range of supplements for pets, from joint support to heart health, skin and coat care, and digestive assistance.

Providing your pets with these supplements can give them many benefits.

What can you expect when you start giving your pet supplements? There are some important factors to consider, such as keeping a holistic approach and only supplying your pet with natural, holistic, and organic supplements for its health.

Here is what you may see once you start giving your pet a daily, weekly, or monthly supplement to improve its overall health and longevity.

Education On Supplements

If your pet is generally healthy, you may not need to look into supplements immediately. However, many pets experience signs of joint stiffness or digestive problems as they age, so be mindful of the benefits adding supplements can provide your pet as it gets older.

So while it may not need a supplement now, that could change a few years down the road. 

Many commercial pet foods are created to meet the nutrition requirements that your pet needs. However, choosing the right pet food should entail researching your pet and understanding the benefits of natural, organic foods to support a healthy lifestyle. 

Again, as your pet ages, there are different requirements to meet its nutritional needs, so this is where adding a supplement can be of great help. Again, depending on your pet’s health needs should help you identify the proper supplement to address the problem. 

It would be most helpful to take your concerns to your veterinarian to discuss the supplements you are considering and whether or not they will benefit your pet’s health.

When choosing the right supplement, factors like age, activity, prior medical conditions, and your pet’s diet will all come into play.

Supplements and Their Benefits

For example, the added joint supplement of glucosamine and chondroitin are typically given in one supplement together as a way to protect your pet’s joints from stiffness and the progression of arthritis.

The vitamins provide more lubrication to the joints and help to repair cartilage. While it is not a cure for arthritis, it is a way to support easier joint function and ensure that your pet is not suffering from aches and pains.

Another supplement commonly used for pets is omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. It is an anti-inflammatory for the skin and joints and supports organ function such as the liver and kidneys.

Senior pets sometimes also require supplements to help with their cognitive faculties, formulated with high antioxidants that help protect the brain during aging.

Watch Your Pet For Any Side Effects

When you start to give your pet a supplement, watch it closely over the first few days or weeks of use. Ensure that your pet isn’t displaying any signs of intolerance, such as an upset stomach with vomiting or diarrhea, itchy skin due to an allergy, or some other sort of response to taking a new supplement. 

In some cases, the treatment for diarrhea or the allergy could entail changing the supplement you are giving your pet. Unfortunately, your pet just may not deal well with certain supplements, so there may be a period of trial and error before finding the right one.

While many supplements claim to be natural and organic, it is up to you to ensure that this is the case, as this could be false advertising. In addition, supplements are not required for review by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), so safety needs to be at the forefront for you. 

If you have any concerns about your pet reacting to a supplement or with any of the ingredients found within the supplements you choose for your pet, talk to your veterinarian before continuing use.

The vets at Bond Vet clinic in Williamsburg, Brooklyn add to the importance of connecting the professionals for the recommendation of safe and organic supplements to help your pet. 

Be Proactive 

Prevention is better than treating after the fact. For example, you don’t want just to sit around and wait for your pet to start limping and showing signs of joint pain before you start providing it with supplements.

Your pet can begin benefiting from supplements as soon as you become aware that they may be heading towards joint pain or are a breed that is more commonly susceptible to joint problems.

When your pet is younger, the supplements can benefit by producing enough proteins to help prevent more severe conditions from happening.

Our pet’s body (and our own) can build and strengthen muscles, but this decreases when there is not enough protein, leading to many joint issues. Some symptoms of a pet that needs joint supplements include:

  • Having difficulty in sitting down or standing up
  • Joint swelling
  • Favoring one leg

While things like breed, age, and other things factor into when a supplement may become necessary for your pet, you should stay alert and watchful if your pet displays any signs of pain or inflammation. 

Expectations For Overall Health

Once your pet has adjusted to its supplements, you should expect to see a much happier, healthier, and more active pet.

When it comes to the quality of your pet’s life supplements can play a huge role in helping them to achieve less pain and more years with you.

Do not worry if your pet is in its senior years and you have yet to start providing it with supplements.

Speak with your veterinarian as soon as possible about any health concerns, and be sure to have your pet evaluated so that you can find what supplements will best support its health from here on out. Being a responsible pet owner helps to ensure the longevity and happiness of your pet!