The Truth About Pet Supplements

What Are the Risks of Giving Your Pet Supplements?

As with anything, there are always risks involved. The most common risk associated with giving your pet supplements is an allergic reaction. Just like people, pets can be allergic to certain ingredients in supplements. If you notice your pet scratching more than usual, vomiting, or having trouble breathing after starting a supplement, stop giving them the supplement immediately and call your veterinarian.

Another risk to consider is the quality of the supplement itself. Unfortunately, the supplement industry is not regulated as closely as the food and drug industries, so it's important to do your research before giving your pet any supplement. Make sure you buy from a reputable source and look for reviews from other pet owners. Also, always follow the dosage recommendations on the bottle—giving your pet too much of a good thing can be just as bad as giving them nothing at all!

Not all supplements are created equally

You want to be sure any supplements you use are NASC certified. Pet supplements are not regulated like human supplements are. There are no guarantees that what's listed on the bottle will even be inside the supplement or that the supplement is safe for your pet.

Look for NASC certified supplements to ensure you are buying from responsible suppliers that have successfully passed a comprehensive third-party audit and maintain ongoing compliance with rigorous NASC quality requirements.

To earn the seal, companies must successfully pass a third party audit every two years. The audit includes:

• Have a quality control manual in place that provides written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for production process control, which helps ensure the company is providing a consistent and quality product.

• Have an adverse event reporting/complaint system in place to monitor and evaluate products in real time.

• Comply with stringent labeling guidelines for all products and all forms of labeling.

• Include on product labels any specific warnings and caution statements for particular ingredients that are recommended by the Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) and the NASC Scientific Advisory Committee.

• Submit to random product testing by an independent lab to ensure ingredients meet label claim.

Look for products at my favorite NASC preferred company here.

The Bottom Line on Pet Supplements

Make sure you do your research first and buy from a reputable source. And always follow the dosage recommendations!