Supplements

[Luana]

Hi all,

recently I started to give Nupro supplements to my dog. he is on a base mix+protein (cooked) diet so I thought it was good idea to add supplements. at first he did not tolerate it much, now he is adjusting.

I was wondering if you have other recommendations.

the herding trainer also suggested to use turmeric golden paste, I'm not familiar with it. Is anyone feeding it to their dog?

[mum24dog]

Why do you think your dog needs supplements?

[Root Beer]

I would not give turmeric paste unless there were a particular healthy reason to do so. I have read that it can cause stomach upset in some dogs.

 

I used to supplement much more, but these days I pretty much give a joint supplement, and that's it. Sometimes digestive enzymes, but not daily.

 

If I were going to supplement a homecooked diet, I would look for a general daily supplement. Something like Dogzymes Ultimate, or something like that.

[kingfisher7151]

I feed golden paste. My BC has a sensitive gut, and it hasn't bugged him at all. Like any new food, be sure to start it slowly. I can't really speak to the efficacy of it, and my experiences would be anecdotal anyway. A fair bit of research seems to show it being quite good at reducing inflammation, so I feed it.

 

I do a fair bit of supplementing, more than most people. Not because I don't think their food is sufficient, but because I have found noticeable positive changes upon feeding certain supplements.

 

By far, my favorite thing I've ever added was kefir, a fermented milk product similar to yogurt. Some people disagree with feeding dairy to dogs, but this supplement has been amazing. My parents' Spoo mix had nuclear, paint-peeling farts for all of his 10 year old life. It took about a month of feeding kefir, but one day they just stopped. His gut bacteria was SO out of whack.

 

I add a variety of sources of fats and omega 3s and 6s. Coconut oil, fish oil (high doses, so I add vitamin E every 3 or 4 days), and chia seeds are my favorite here.

 

Diatomaceous earth for both a fiber-like effect as well as parasite control. My mom's BC kept having repeated issues with roundworms, and they FINALLY went away when she started him on DE. Anecdotal, but still.

 

I'm trying something new with Keeper, it may be total BS, but I'm trying. Some people have reported improvemets in a dog's allergies when fed honey, especially locally harvested honey. The thought is that teeny amounts of pollen are found in the honey, and that repeated exposure works similarly to allergy shots. If it doesn't work, whatever, I like playing with my dog's food.

 

I know some people disagree with supplementing, or think it superfluous. It may be, but I believe I've seen improvements in hair coat, gut health, and joint function. It's fun for me and the dogs, anyway.

[chrisandgabe]

 

 

I'm trying something new with Keeper, it may be total BS, but I'm trying. Some people have reported improvemets in a dog's allergies when fed honey, especially locally harvested honey. The thought is that teeny amounts of pollen are found in the honey, and that repeated exposure works similarly to allergy shots. If it doesn't work, whatever, I like playing with my dog's food.

 

 

This is supposed to work in humans too. My husband's allergist recommended it. It might not be total BS

 

Gabe gets a probiotic in the AM (probitioc miracle I think). When he had what I think was kennel cough, he got coconut oil and honey daily, as well as a dog allergy reducer supplement I found. It cleared up, which may or may not have been related to the supplements, but I thought it seemed to help. I started the probiotic when he was diagnosed with Lyme and on a long course of antibiotics. It seems to have worked well for him.

[Luana]

so, why do I think my dog needs supplements? well, I do take supplements myself, kind of a supplement junkie , but on a more serious note, for me working dogs need to be considered as athletes, so supplements can help to speed recovery.

I often take him running with me when I'm training so I think a booster can help him too.

I also give him kefir, or low fat cottage cheese, I'm actually now mixing Nupro with it and give like 2 or 3 hours before is last meal, and this way he is doing OK.

which fish oil do you generally give, and how much? and regarding the golden paste, how much should be given?

I'm actually thinking to try myself as well, to see if it helps with my runner knee pain.

[kingfisher7151]

I'm a bit cheap. I feed Costco brand fish oil. Not salmon oil, not krill oil, not cold pressed yadda yadda. It is, however, wild caught. It's pretty middle of the road in quality, and I feed capsules which are less likely to spoil. If funds were endless I'd be feeding pure salmon oil.

 

You'll hear people feed the turmeric in terms of tablespoons to body weight, or to bowel tolerance. I tend to do the latter, but really, the taste ends up being the deciding factor. Too much and Keeper will make icky faces while eating. He gets probably 1.5 tablespoons at dinner.

 

My dang dog hates the taste of the honey though, so he's a bit ridiculous.

[simba]

I know that athletes are *sold* supplements as speeding recovery. I'm not aware of any evidence that they are needed for athletes if your diet is adequate and you get enough time outside- and if you are eating a terrible diet then supplements are a band-aid, not a replacement for good nutrition. Sometimes a band-aid is needed, sometimes someone may have medical needs etc. or unique circumstances that make supplements more suitable, but diet makes more sense to me than pills for most people and times.

 

Turmeric isn't proven to have the benefits usually claimed, in humans or dogs. It's a pity since I love turmeric and would love an excuse to eat more of it. I'm not saying 'blergh you cannot try it ever', I'm saying 'if you try it, know that it's unproven and most unproven things, even with convincing anecdotes or in vitro research, turn out not to actually work as well as people thought- and most commonly turn out not to work at all'. Plus there are problems with bioavailability of curcumin, usually said to be the 'active' compound responsible for those effects, which means you're likely not getting much of it from golden paste.

 

Kingfisher7151- my dog loves steamed kale. Steamed kale, I ask you? Shredded through a bag of shopping, I was terrified she'd gone after the cheese. Nope. Kale.

 

Also I initially read 'dandy dog'. New nickname for my dog acquired. Thank you.

[Tommy Coyote]

I gave my dogs steamed spinach today. Tommy spit it out. Joey ate it but without enthusiasm. Zeke will eat anything.