OK, maybe we don't know everything there is to know about supplements—but we know a whole lot more now than we did a few weeks ago when we began researching them.
The purpose of this blog post is not to endorse or criticize any particular brand. Every pet owner has different priorities, and there are many reputable companies offering quality supplements. Instead, our goal is to share the research we conducted and provide you with the knowledge and tools to evaluate supplement manufacturers for yourself. By understanding what to look for—such as manufacturing standards, certifications, quality control practices, ingredient transparency, and independent testing—you can make a more informed decision about which products are the best fit for your dog's individual needs.
Every pet is unique, and no supplement works the same for every animal. Factors such as age, breed, overall health, diet, and individual biology can all influence how your pet responds. We strongly recommend consulting your veterinarian before introducing a new supplement to your pet's routine, especially if your pet has an existing medical condition, is pregnant or nursing, or is currently taking medications.
We wanted to find the best, safest, and most well-respected pet supplement brands on the market to offer in our store. We selected a group of supplement brands, which we will not reveal, to serve as test cases. First of all, the brands that we rated highly had websites where you could find good information about their manufacturing and ingredients. Some brands had no web presence at all. We are not saying that brands without a website are bad, but we found the lack of transparency to be concerning. We feel that if a company has strong manufacturing practices and quality certifications, we would expect them to make that information easy for consumers to find. Brands without a website, usually also did not contain any contact information on their packaging, so good luck reaching out for questions or concerns. We actually came across one supplement that did not even have a brand name anywhere on their packaging.
We prefer to feed our pets supplements that are produced in the United States at a minimum. Not for patriotic reasons alone, but because manufacturing standards, regulatory oversight, and quality-control practices can vary from country to country. We were happy to see that the majority of the brands in our sample were in fact produced in the United States. Many of the brands that did not state they were produced in the US, had statements that said "manufactured for", and several had (what we consider to be misleading) graphics that include the American Flag, but the text read something about being "Designed in the USA" or "Vet formulated in the Unites States". So don't be misled simply by a picture of the Stars and Stripes.
Speaking of manufacturing, the supplement brands we rated the highest had a few things related to manufacturing in common. Manufactured in FDA-registered facilities, manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) certified, third party testing, are just a few of the things that stand out. And probably the highest of all certifications is NASC. Products with the yellow NASC Quality Seal come from supplement companies that pass a thorough independent quality audit every two years. In addition, they must perform adverse even tracking, random sampling, and adhere to strict labeling guidelines. We became much more comfortable with companies that openly discussed recognized quality standards and ingredients.
That is an excellent segue to ingredient transparency. We found a wide variety of marketing terms, including Non-GMO, natural ingredients, no fillers, no artificial preservatives, high-quality botanical ingredients, herbal extracts, organic ingredients, and no added sugars. The most important advice we offer is simple: pay attention to the ingredient list. The container should list all the ingredients. If it doesn't. think about what it DOESN'T say. If it does, and you are not comfortable with one or more of the ingredients, you can avoid that brand. A few brands only listed a few ingredients or none at all. We think it is smart to try to avoid unnecessary fillers such as corn, wheat, soy, etc. if possible.
So, we discussed transparency, websites, manufacturing processes (including what country they are produced in), certifications, and ingredients. While no supplement is right for every dog, these are the kinds of quality indicators we believe pet owners should look for when comparing brands.
The more transparent a company is about how its products are made and tested, the easier it is for you, as a pet owner, to make an informed decision. Our hope is that this information helps you ask better questions and feel more confident the next time you are selecting a supplement for your loving pet.
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