Hannah Zulueta Does Your Dog Need a Multivitamin?
Nearly 90 million dogs. Every one of them is a customer to somebody.
A dog parent joins a Facebook group, sees a supplement everyone swears by, and asks me if her dog needs it. The question lands in my inbox every week. Here is my answer, and here is how to test it for yourself if your curiosity wants more.
No. The recipes are complete and balanced.
That is the whole point of formulating them. A multivitamin on top of a balanced recipe is not insurance. It is a second dose. But I never tell anyone not to be curious. Curiosity is how most of you ended up in my world in the first place. So if you want to try one, here is how I’d have you do it.
How to trial a supplement honestly
Most people add a supplement, keep buying it, and never learn whether it did anything. Four steps turn a guess into an observation.
Four ingredients I will not support
Turn the bottle around and read the label. If you see any of these, put it back.
Small dogs carry the highest risk. The margin between enough and too much shrinks with body weight. This caution applies especially to dogs under 20 lb, and even more so to dogs under 10 lb. I have watched thyroid panels go off the charts in small dogs for no reason other than a well-meaning scoop of kelp.
This is not a caution against these nutrients. Your dog needs iodine and vitamin D. A balanced recipe already delivers them at the right level, which is exactly why a second source on top is the problem.
Spend the $30 at the meat counter
If you have $30 a month you want to spend on your dog’s health, I’d rather you spend it on the food itself. In my experience, better food produces a better outcome every single time, and the supplement rarely does.
The marketing people are very loud on social media. Nobody is loud for real food. There is no affiliate code for a better cut of meat.
I do love TCM herbal formulas
Everything above is about western supplements. TCM herbal formulas are not the same thing. A western supplement is something you have to keep feeding. The day you stop, whatever it was doing stops with it. A TCM formula is written to restore function in the body. You feed it while the work is being done, and when the work is done, you stop.
My older dog showed me the shape of it. Her back legs were losing their spring, so I put her on one bottle of Kan’s Spine Lithe. Her mobility improved. When the bottle was done, I stopped, and she has not needed a second one. The formula did its job and left.
The rule is the same one I gave you for the trial above. Feed a TCM formula only when you can see your dog needs it. I do not give joint herbs to any of my own dogs. You can if you’d like to, and now you know how I’d have you watch for the answer.
Most formulas are only accessed through a practitioner, which is part of why I trust them. A few brands are within reach:
Ninety million dogs. You are feeding one of them.
That is a big market for somebody. But you are not feeding a market. You are feeding the one dog in front of you, and he or she would take the grass fed beef.
If you want a recipe built for your dog, complete and balanced from the start, that is the work I do every day.
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Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.
