Our Top 7 Dog Supplement Recommendations

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If I am being completely honest, I am not the greatest about taking my supplements.  My dogs however have been religiously taking their supplements for years.  Over the years the supplements have changed and been added to their diets based on their life stage, medical conditions and my research.  If you are reading this you most likely also just want to give your dog’s the longest, happiest and healthiest life you possibly can. 

Not all these supplements will be applicable to every dog, they aren’t even all applicable to both my dogs.  And this should not this be considered medical advice.  I am not medically trained, and you should always consult your vet before adding additional supplementation to your dog’s diet.   

First and foremost a nutritionally complete and balanced diet is the best place to start.  I highly recommend a fresh diet if you can afford it.  We feed Nom Nom which is a fresh diet made with restaurant quality ingredients, proportioned specifically for your dog and delivered to your door.  After switching to Nom Nom my husband and I noticed everyone had softer fur, more energy, significantly less gas. 

If you are in the USA and would like to try it, click here for 50% off your first order! 

Joints 

When people think about joint supplementation, they often don’t think of it until there is already a problem or their dog is a senior.  However, the best kind supplementation for joints is preventative.  As someone with a senior pet and a pet with hip dysplasia and arthritis I can attest to the importance.  I don’t think Zoe would have made it so long without showing symptoms of her hip dysplasia and arthritis if it wasn’t for the supplements. 

So if you have a puppy it might be a step that you think you can skip, but puppies grow so fast and if you supplement them during that stage of their life you can 

Ok so I am semi cheating the top 7 title here.  But it is my blog and I can do what I want.  I actually have two recommendations for this category.  We have used both and they both work equally as well, but they come in at pretty different price points so I wanted to mention them both.   

The first is by Nom Nom and is the one that we currently use the most often.  It uses a combination of Eggshell Membrane, Vitamin E and Undenatured Type II Collagen.   

If you would like to try it out just click here! 

The second one is from Natural Dog Company.  We have used this one quite a bit as well, but sometimes their supplements go out of stock for a length of time so if we don’t get stocked up prior to stock backups we run out which makes it our second but equally as good recommendation if you can get your paws on it.  It uses a combination of Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane, Chondroitin Sulfate, Salmon Oil, Green Lipped Mussels, Tumeric and Vitamin C.   

If you want to try it out, you can get it here!  Use code SNORTANDSNARFLE10 to save!

Probiotics 

Probiotics are good bacteria that occur naturally in your dog’s (and your) body.  Classically people think of probiotics when it comes to digestive issues but taking a probiotic can have several good benefits for your dog beyond just helping with gas and diarrhea.  For instance, if your dog has had a course of antibiotics, which often kills the good bacteria along with the bad, probiotics can help their system recover.  How so?  Because they contain live good bacteria, it restores the positive gut bacteria so they can do their job and help avoid any unpleasant side effects of the medication. 

When should you give your dog probiotics?  In short it depends on your dog.  Some dogs naturally have very little tummy troubles but every once in get an icky poo or extra gassy.  This could be caused by things like stress or training sessions with lots of treats.  If this is the case for you, you can give your dog a probiotic before these situations occur since they are planned events.  I can personally attest that giving a probiotic before going to a training class stopped the tummy troubles that they would usually get after.  If you are switching your dog to a new food probiotics can also make the transition go more smoothly. 

There are also dogs that naturally have lots of tummy troubles or are more prone to them.  For instance, brachycephalic dogs (flat faced breeds) for instance are more prone to tummy troubles because they breath through their mouths more than long-nosed breeds.  This causes them to swallow more air and thus have more gas.  Dogs that eat especially fast also face the same air swallowing issue.   

Since Vincent and Zoe started eating fresh the amount of gas they have was already reduced.  But once they started taking a probiotic daily the gas is almost non-existent and when they do have gas there is almost never a smell.  I don’t know about you, but as a frenchie mom that was like the equivalent to one of those heaven’s gates opening ahhhhh moments in the movies.   

While we have tried a couple different probiotics the one that I have stuck with for the last couple years is from Nom Nom.  It is a powder that you mix in with their food and comes with an easy to measure scoop.   

If you want to try this option, click here! 

Oral Health 

Over 80% dogs and cats over the age of 3 have dental disease.  Just like humans, our pets need daily dental care too.  It can be easy to forget their dental care since you aren’t tasting their mouth like you are your own.  But bad breath and yellow teeth doesn’t have to be the norm.  And with a little work you will hopefully never need to put your dog under anesthesia for a teeth cleaning.  I have never needed to put Vincent or Zoe under for teeth cleanings and the vet always says that their teeth look great. 

TEEF! made it super simple for me to give them a daily dose of oral healthcare.  It is made out of four simple, human grade ingredients.  All I do is add a scoop of the powder to their water and it turns their water into a molecular toothbrush.  It also can get under the gumline which is where dental disease commonly starts.  Since they don’t drink quite as much water as they should, I do add about 1/3 cup of the TEEF! water I mix every morning to their breakfasts and dinners to make sure they are getting enough coming in contact with their teeth to do its job. 

To check it out just click here! 

Skin and Coat 

About 1 in 3 dogs will experience some sort of skin problem in their life.  This can range from dry itchy skin and excessive shedding to rashes or bumps.  It is important to discuss these with your doctor to get to the root cause of the problem.  However, as a dog parent with a dog with allergies it can be hard to deal with even after it is well controlled.  As pets age their coat can also become less vibrant, dull and coarse.  A skin supplement can provide relief from allergies, healthy skin, a shiny coat and help with overall skin irritation.   

The Natural Dog Company makes a fantastic Skin and Coat supplement that we have been using since it launched a couple years ago.  It uses a combination of Salmon Oil, Omega-3, DHA Gold and Biotin to promote a healthy skin and coat and even stronger nails.  Vincent seems to have less allergy itchiness, and while it might be completely unrelated, Zoe hasn’t had a bacterial skin infection since we have started using this. 

If you want to try it click here!  Use code SNORTANDSNARFLE10 to save!

Bladder and Urinary Tract 

Over the summer Zoe developed incontinence.  2020 am I right?  It was a rough road and if you would like to learn more you can check out our blog post all about it here.  But through it all I have found a great kidney, bladder and urinary tract support supplement the Cranberry Bladder Bites from Zesty Paws. 

It uses a combination of Cranberry, Marshmallow Root, D-Mannose, Astragalus and Licorice.  The cranberry just like in humans helps support bladder and urinary tract function.  The marshmallow root helps flush out kidney and bladder buildups.  The D-Mannose (an ingredient my vet particularly said should be in a bladder supplement) helps to defend the lining of the urinary tract from bad bacteria.  And lastly the astragaius and licorice help support the kidneys and immune system. 

While a bladder supplement isn’t a fix if your dog has become incontinent it can help lessen the symptoms to a certain degree.  However, if your dog say has frequent bladder or urinary tract infections this can help to prevent them. 

You can find it on Amazon here! 

Anxiety 

Zoe doesn’t have severe anxiety.  But she worries about things, and I literally mean things.  She will get concerned about the remote being in her path to the other end of the couch or her Daddy tossing over the remote.  She also has what I call bork attacks if she sees the neighbor dogs out, someone walking on the street or hears loud unexpected noises.  She is also very sassy, and fakes being “scared” when she is playing with us to get us to attack her belly. 

When I was looking for an anxiety supplement, I didn’t want her to lose that quirky, sassy side that likes to play.  And I didn’t want something that would make her tired, she already sleeps a good 20 hours a day haha.  The first supplement we tried did nothing and almost seemed to make things worse.  So because of the bad first experience I was apprehensive when The Anxious Pet reached out to us.  But because I wanted to help her, we decided to give it a try. 

They have a variety of different options with and without CBD oil.  Since we have personally chosen not to use CBD oil, we chose to try the Non-CBD oil Relax and Roll chews.  I tried to watch closely for any behavioral differences to see if it was really working.  And I am pleased to say I have seen improvements.  This is not a cure all and you should work with your pet to help desensitize them to the things that cause them anxiety.  However, this does help Zoe stay calmer and be less reactive.   

She doesn’t react to things going on outside every time now.  I have witnessed her calmly watching the neighbors or their dogs outside from time to time.  If she does have a reactive bork attack though, I can now calm her down easier and quicker.  There is always more training work to do but this helps us keep the peace a little bit easier. 

They also have CBD chews, oil and bars if you prefer CBD products or have found that to work better for your dog.  You can see all their available products here! 

Salmon Oil 

According to our vet most supplements in the joint category don’t have a therapeutic dose of fish oil in them.  That is not to say that they aren’t effective.  However, if your dog, like my Zoe have joint problems and arthritis a higher dose is needed to provide relief.   

Zoe has hip dysplasia and arthritis in both of her hips.  She had and FHO (femoral head ostectomy) procedure on her right hip in February because that was the worse of the two hips and supplementation was no longer providing enough relief.  She will most likely need to have the left one done in the future as well but for now the joint supplements in combination with the fish oil have her showing no symptoms of the hip dysplasia or arthritis. 

Fish oil is also great for skin issues.  Vincent has allergies to, well it seems like everything, and this has caused several skin issues over the years.  For instance, when he was maybe around a year old or so he developed a callus on his butt about the size of a penny.  He hated if you touched his butt, especially the callus.  We added salmon oil to his diet and it like magic, disappeared.  He was on no other supplements at the time.  It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. 

We have tried a few different salmon oils over the years, but our favorite is from Zesty Paws.  It is my favorite for both the value and the quality.   

You can find it on Amazon here! 

Today’s outfits!

Unfortunately today’s sweaters are from a company that sadly went out of business.  However, that beautiful head bow is from Frenchiestore!  Use code SNORTANDSNARFLE10 to save!

Suggestions! 

We want to know what you want to see!  Do you have a human treat that you want to see puppified?  Please comment below or direct message us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter!  We are @snortandsnarfle everywhere!  You never know, your suggestion could be our next recipe! 

Don’t need a recipe?  We are always trying new products to find the best!  The pups help one snort and snarfle at a time to make sure that each treat, supplement, toy or fashion item is up the Snort and Snarfle standard!  Tell us what you want to see us review or a topic you want to hear about, and we will do our best to find you the best!