Reddit mentions: The best dog supplements & vitamins

For food - I use victor. It’s pricey but I’ve found best results with it. Mine has allergies so he’s strictly salmon and sweet potatoes, but I’ve heard good things about all of their products. Taste of the Wild and Merrick are great brands too.

For supplements, my blue is 92ish lbs and outside some allergies due to a compromised immune system as a baby, he’s overall very healthy. I give him omega-3 supplements for his coat and salmon oil (I’ve given him different ones, the most cost effective option I found to be salmon oil capsules from the vitamin aisle at target but you can buy the pump dispensers at pet stores or even online).

For a collar, to be totally honest - DONT spend good money on a good quality collar until he’s done growing. They grow so fast and so much and they play so rough as puppies you’ll be spending money hand over fist. However, I’d invest in a good harness and teach him not to pull from a young age. I’ve tried a ton of them and somehow the brick head managed to slip out or break out of most of them but this one which you can also buy at Petsmart.

Good luck and post pics of your new baby!

That is not a complete and balanced diet. Honestly I am a bit alarmed that your dog at only 11 weeks old is being fed a diet lacking in so many vitamins and minerals. A growing dog needs a fully balanced diet. If you are using The Honest Kitchen, use it with absolutely every meal, and feed as instructed on the box. Add a multi-vitamin/mineral (I recommend VetriScience Canine Plus Multi). This is

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091WICBM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_bdUqub1RGQJVG

If your dog is getting raw meat, you dont need to get the Honest Kitchen containing meat "for extra protein", your dog is probably getting enough protein. What your dog is not getting anywhere near enough of is fiber, hence the diarrhea. Also not enough vegetable matter which contains minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients. There are dozens and dozens (perhaps hundreds) of amino acids, fatty acids, and other complex chemicals that are contained within food NOT including the essential vitamins and minerals that dogs need. Meat alone does not provide a full spectrum of nutrition. Growing pups need extra attention paid to their nutrition, imbalances in the nutrition of growing pups can cause severe problems (diarrhea being the least of it, but can include things like blindness, bone malformation, etc)

What formula of The Honest Kitchen are you using? You should be using one of their "Base Mixes", and which is a formula of ground dehydrated vegetables and fruits and some vitamins and minerals.

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com///dog-food/base-mix

Are you giving any fish oil? What is your source of omega-3s? Probiotics? Soluble and Insoluble Fiber?

Fish oil: one capsule of the most basic fish oil daily (begin doing this once the diarrhea has subsided). Dont buy fancy high priced fish oil or fish oil "for pets", its way more expensive for no added benefit. Just buy a reputable brand of fish oil (check label for certification of mercury removal). I buy bottles of 270 gel capsules for like 12$.

Raw diets are not simple. Or very cheap. People have the best intentions but may end up hurting their pets by not having done their research, or by using the easiest raw feeding recipes they found on some website that was not written by an expert.

To fix your dog's diarrhea, first get them on a balanced diet. Since you already have The Honest Kitchen, use that exactly according to the instructions on the box.
Second: get your dog something fiber rich to help bulk up his stool. I use Garden of Life Raw Fiber (great product, good balance of soluble and insoluble fiber). How big is your dog? I would add 1-2 Tablespoons per 20lbs (if ur dog weighs less than 20lbs but more than 10lbs, still give 1-2 Tbls).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H2T314/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_jzUqub019P7ER

Your dog also needs probiotics for the diarrhea. Buy a human probiotic, with multiple strains of bacteria (you dont want one with just one strain of acidophilus) and a probiotic with a high CFU count (id say at least 7 billion per capsule). Heres a good one

http://www.amazon.com/Integrative-Therapeutics-Probiotic-Pearls-90-Count/dp/B0011023KS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413686398&sr=8-1&keywords=integrative+therapeutics+probiotics

If u dont like ordering online, you can find fiber powder, probiotics, fish oil at health food stores or grocery stores like Whole Foods. I just like amazon bc its always been the cheapest.

Im a pre-veterinary student with 9 years of clinical experience, im currently interning for one of the few Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists in the country. I also have a personal interest in holistic medicine, raw food diets (i feed my own senior dogs a raw food). Feel free to ask me any follow up questions

Benedryl would help if it were an allergic reaction, so it's possible. Dosage is 1mg/lb. If I ever get another young pup, I will be using Dr. Jean Dodd's reduced vaccination schedule, because the issues you're describing are ones I've experienced before with other dogs, and are probably more common than people are aware.

I also highly advise picking up an immune support supplement, like this one, which has worked wonders for us, particularly for papilloma warts which tend to crop up with pups and young dogs after a heavy vaccination schedule. (We had three contagious wart outbreaks last year, and they are usually gone within a couple of weeks, instead of the usual waiting time of 1-2 months.) Platinum Performance has a colostrum based one that we had less success with, but may be better for your younger pup.

Also, slippery elm will help firm up output, and can be picked up at Walmart.

I'm with the other poster on greatly reducing veg/fruit intake. This has improved my older dog's stools. After kibble, I was doling out a homemade blender veg/fruit frozen mold (recipe from Dr. Karen Becker's book) every other day, which I have now reduced to one per week, or even every two weeks. Much better.

I like that Kymythy Schultz is an actual nutritionist promoting this diet. There are so few of them. I have pdf's of Dr. Tom Lonsdale's books (From Aus; and I absolutely agree with you on how advanced they are on raw feeding there and in the U.K.) and he has given me permission to share them selectively, if you're interested? I sent Raw Meaty Bones to my vet over the summer, and will be learning what she thought of it next week (if she didn't just throw it away).

I'm totally with you on raw being the best thing I ever did, and wish, wish, wish, I had done it years ago. I learned that I was the cause of so many of my (now passed) beloved lab's health issues because he was forced to eat what I was giving him, and was totally ignorant. Never again.

Good on you for trying to do right by your dog! It sounds like her quality of life is generally good for a senior dog. I know how frustrating and exhausting it can be to clean up after an incontinent dog - believe me, I know! - but destroying an otherwise healthy dog for something like this is unconscionable.

You've already gotten good advice here, but I wanted to offer a clean-up suggestion that might make your parents more tolerant of her incontinence. Have you tried Nature's Miracle? It's great for getting rid of urine smells. You can also sprinkle baking soda onto a smelly rug, let it sit for an hour or two, and vacuum it up to help neutralize odors.

My pup takes a prescription medication that caused temporary excessive thirst and excessive urination while he was adjusting to it. Our vet encouraged us to schedule his water intake during that time. Basically, while he was adjusting to the medicine he was getting all the water he needed, but timed in such a way that made accidents less likely. He got 2/3 of his overall water with his meals, and then got a potty break shortly afterwards. The other 1/3 of his water was given at other times, but in smaller increments. (I felt really funny/bad about doing this, but both our regular vet and the amazing, extremely competent specialist who prescribed this medication suggested it, and it did work well.) So you might check with your vet to see if this would be safe/appropriate for your dog.

I've also been giving him this bladder supplement. I'm not sure if it's really working, but it could be worth a try for you. (Always check with your vet about adding supplements to your dog's diet, of course!)

I would recommend the following (and you clearly already know about them):

Nutramax Cosequin DS

Phycox

Dermaquin

You can actually get the Cosequin and the Dermaquin is free

I'd also recommend a high quality senior food like Wellness Just for Seniors

Wellness uses all human grade food.

It can be spendy taking care of an older dog but it's well worth it.

Amazon is a good source for the stuff I linked above but I'm not sure that store I linked to has the best prices (I have ordered from them and others) so shop around for better prices.

It's no trouble :)

I feed my pigs Oxbow food. Since your pig is still a baby, he/she can eat that food till they're 6 months. Then you can get the Oxbow adult pig food. They should also have mostly alfalfa hay, not timothy, till they're 6 months. When my pigs were babies, we usually gave them alfalfa in the morning and at night, and then we gave them timothy (or botanical hay, or oat hay--Oxbow makes both of these) throughout the day.

Sticks are fine :) I usually just get edible houses for my pigs.

AFAIK, it just depends on what you prefer for bedding. I used the Pet Supplies Plus brand paper bedding before I switched to fleece. Just make sure you don't use wood shavings because they're bad for their respiratory systems.

And I assume you've read about their vitamin C needs? I give these tabs to my pigs. Usually everyday because they love them and it's adorable watching them all come up to the side of the cage :) But you can give them strips of red pepper, too! I recently introduced my pigs to those little cutie oranges and they love those. They also get romaine, cilantro, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes on a regular basis. Every once in a while they get a tiny piece of raw sweet potato, squash, or an apple.

love this pic - going through the same thing with my eldest (though both are certifiably elderly, at 19 and 17 respectively), so i totally feel you.

i'm sure your vet gave you lots of tips and probably prescriptions, but i recently found this cat weight gainer on amazon that helped my "young" man gain back a little more of his energy and put on some weight for winter. it's also kept him eating better, which helps everything else, too. i use the puppy dosage for the cats and they both like the taste.

• My pups' Kong harnesses - they're really heavy-duty and easy to clean when they get muddy. Also, when my baby boy decided to jump out the car window while I was driving (while attached to and hanging from my zipline in the back seat), the harness distributed the weight well enough that my boy came away from it completely unscathed.
  
• Not specifically a dog product, but I use this swivel with carabiners to attach my two dogs' leashes to one end and a "handle" for me (slip lead) on the other end to avoid my pups' leashes getting tangled while on walks! My weirdos like to switch sides a lot while walking, so this has made a huge difference for us. I also use it with my car zipline so they can walk around each other and not make accidental nooses.
  
• This Kurgo water bottle/bag has been AMAZING along with a collapsible travel bowl for walks and busy days at the dog park. It can hold up to 32oz of water, has a pocket/dispenser for poop bags, a zippered, slightly hidden pocket that I use for my keys, and another front pocket that fits my two 4ft leads while we're in the park.
  
• And finally, my saving grace with a super anxious little one - the Animal Essentials Tranquility Blend. I'd tried her ThunderShirt with their spray, playing classical music loudly, white noise machines, melatonin, and a handful of other calming treats, and nothing had worked for car rides - she'd still shake the whole time no matter where we were going. With 0.25mL of this tincture (which smells AWFUL, as a fair warning, but the taste is bearable), she's now calm enough to fall asleep during some car rides, or at least just chill and maybe look out the window.

Our cat was recently diagnosed with cancer and now is on 3-4 pills a day. I'm very practiced at pilling cats, so I could get them down her just by shoving them in her mouth, but I had to do it so many times a day that she was starting to shy away from me whenever I approached her, which was extremely sad and stressful for us both. She doesn't have long to live, and I want those to be good months with lots of quality time.

Pill pockets and hiding pills in food and similar approaches have never worked for her, so a month ago, I scoured the internet for ANY other options. I ultimately found this stuff called a "pill masker." It's like cat-food-flavored play-doh. You wrap it around the pill, and it's so sticky and such a tight fit that the cat can't get the stuff off and also doesn't really chew the pill before going down?

It has been AMAZING. Our cat eats 100% of her pills with enthusiasm now and zero coercion, and it's been a month without the bloom going off the rose. She's an unusually smart cat, so usually tricks like this work only super briefly and then she figures them out.

Anyway, I've become a pill masker evangelist. Told everybody I know with cats, plus the vet and the pharmacist. Yet to meet anyone who has ever heard of it. You should try it!

This is the kind we are using, chosen because there were only two brands on Amazon and this one was a few bucks cheaper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FXX4DQK/ref=sxts_kp_lp_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=SV0HU&pf_rd_r=Q510PWJ87T4B4E90XEKM&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B01FXX4DQK&pd_rd_w=2DNDs&pf_rd_i=pill+masker&pd_rd_r=35ed66a2-fe4d-42a5-ac41-aa24ec3cde3d&ie=UTF8&qid=1543367125&sr=2

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Yeah, I follow a couple guinea pig rescue groups on facebook, and one of them recommended giving our piggies these once or twice a week. Our piggie lost a lot of weight so now I have to feed him a special mix of food to help him gain weight. I think he loves all the attention hes getting now :)

Also feed her every two to three hours, even at night. My vet, specelised in guinea pigs, told me, if the fall under 500 gram there is no real chance of recovery, because they crashed to hard and are to weak to recover.

Monitor her weight closly. If you have red light that will warm her or something to lay on, like a snuggle safe, give her this as well.

Give her her favorite foods, there is a chance she is more motivated to eat them. Cut them into small pieces, if they are to big.

If she got an antibiotic you can help her if you give her some bacteria for her digestion. What we have here is bene bac. Give it one hour after you gave the antibiotics. The reason is, that antibiotics don't care what bacteria they are killing, so they kill the bad and the good ones. Intorducing the good bacteria 1 hour after the antibiotics means, that they are not being killed of immedatly and the diguestive track is a little stronger, meaning she has a better chance of regaining some appetit and is able to digest the food way better.

Also, between feeding, let her rest. Fighting the illness is very hard work and she needs all the rest she can get.

Best of luck for you two.

Edid: grammar

Always a diva.

Someone else in the thread suggested carrots, I’ve used that at times. Just make sure they are in bite-sized pieces and softened in water. Or just used canned carrots.

Canned pumpkin is a other good option. Just be sure it is pure 100% pumpkin with no other ingredient and not pumpkin pie filling or other pumpkin product, the labeling is less than clear. With pumpkin just be careful because it is high in sugar.

Technically both those are orange.

Blueberries can work well and are also not green.

You can try mixing the fruits and vegetables with salmon oil. It’s a supplement for skin and coat health, but some dogs really love it and it also had a strong smell.

I just see this being your hippo. .

I did not talk to my vet first, I did try and do a lot of research. As my last dog got into old age, we started making food for her, so my current recipe was adapted from that. My typical recipe is:
6-8 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
60 oz bag of Bird's Eye Normandy Blend frozen vegetables (has carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and zucchini)
*1 cup water

I add the chicken, skin side down, to the crock pot first. I put the vegetables on top and add the water. Cover, let cook until chicken is done and meat falling off the bone. I like to do low like maybe 6 hours, if you are more pressed for time you can cook it on high for less time. YMMV. I like to use chicken thighs for the fat content, and the ease of pulling out a single bone. I have tried doing this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but the meat did not become as tender for whatever reason.

After the meat is cooked, I stir the pot and fish out the bones, making sure the chicken becomes broken up/shredded. I then add half of a 42oz container of old fashioned oats. I stir this through, it adds fiber and bulk and absorbs the fat and water to thicken the mix. I then let it cool and then portion into containers that go into the freezer. I take out a container the day before to put in the fridge to thaw. My girl is 81 lbs and bordering on obese, and she gets 13oz of food per day, split into two meals. She is also fairly sedentary so she is eating less than a lot of other dogs on here, and she also generally gets the last bite of whatever "Daddy" is eating (because I eat spicy foods and she can't have that). She is also very treat motivated (plain Goldfish crackers).

I also make sure to give her a multivitamin daily. I use this one.

My vet is very supportive and is impressed that I am well informed. Had I not looked into it or was not giving a vitamin, she would not recommend it. She's also not fond of the BARF diet. I thought about the BARF diet, but I think it would be too messy for us.

I started doing this for a couple of reasons. When she was a puppy she would eat the kibble of our other dog, but then she stopped eating kibble. But also the horror stories of pets getting sick from kibble, even the high end brands. She is the world to us, and making sure she has safe food is such an easy thing for us to do.

At one point I was making her treats, but that was more labor intensive. I try to keep her treats small because she is so treat motivated and I don't need her to gain more weight! I usually use Bunny Grahams, but the store was out last time so I bought plain Goldfish crackers.

edit: formatting, and I forgot to mention that in addition to the frozen vegetables, I might add any other fruits or veg that need to be eaten. Especially if it is frozen with freezer burn. I had blueberries that I didn't want to go bad and added those in one time. The only things I try to stay away from is corn, since my previous dog had corn allergies, and potatoes, because this dog has a hard time digesting potatoes (throws up, never fun.)

He is a beauty!

Also, for those old man nose crusties, I highly recommend nose butter! This is super common for brachycephalic breeds like boxers. :)

I have a super fussy Smooth Collie when it comes to administering pills that he has to swallow. I tried Pill Pockets and they worked for a time until he realized he could chew the pill pocket and still spit out the pill. So I found this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FXX4DQK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wasn't confident that pill "putty" would work, but I've been using it for a bit over a month now and he takes all of his pills because he cannot unbind the pill from the putty.

I introduced him to this method by giving him some rolled up pill putty balls with a tiny bit of a regular treat inside them and then sometimes with nothing inside them. Once he was good with that, I started putting his pills inside the rolled up putty balls. I still give him an empty putty ball every other treat so that he has to "gamble" and take the putty anyway.

I buy it from Amazon. A bottle lasts almost a year. I only give it for breakfast not dinner. Half pump for pups full pump for adults

Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil for Dogs & Cats - Supports Joint Function, Immune & Heart Health - Omega 3 Liquid Food Supplement for Pets - All Natural EPA + DHA Fatty Acids for Skin & Coat - 32 FL OZ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WZZQ46C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_g8.OAb3HV1PNG

If nothing else, it would open up a whole new market for peripherals. I use a wireless KB & optical mouse from my couch with Steam Link... and while it's not uncomfortable - it's not as compact and convenient as a controller. I think a more condensed WSAD pad (similar to the T9) which fits in one hand, coupled with a good stationary track ball could be extremely comfortable.

It may not occur to many people that having your hands so far apart could be comfortable. It seems unwieldy and unintuitive if you've never done it - but it really is extremely comfortable and you pick up on it almost immediately. I had one of those ASCII NGC Keyboards imported from Japan to use with PSO Ep I & II - which basically split the controller in twain and jammed a keyboard between the buttons. I thought it was going to be a pain to get used to, but really, it keeps your arms in a more natural resting state and reduces the angle your wrists have to extend.

I don't think it'll be nearly as much of an adjustment as people fear it will be, especially if devices are designed with the ergonomics of couch play (rather than desk play) in mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Game-Keyboard-Controller-ASCII-Sammy/dp/B0000AFZRW

Fish Oil and Glucosamine/Chondroitin are good joint health supplements. My girl has very mild arthritis in her elbow and that's what her orthopedist recommends. I use Iceland Pure fish oil (sardines and anchovies) and Cosequin DS.

In the mornings, let him really wake up/loosen up from any stiffness before doing any strenuous activity. Massages are good, so give a little extra tactile love.

We adopted her about a month ago. January 5th 2019 to be exact, it feels longer than that, I put two months in my original post but it was just a month ago. The Humane society didn't have record of when she was spayed they just assured me that she was. She was transferred from the city and didn't have a lot of information on her. The vet confirmed she was spayed and even showed me the incision. The vet recommended UTI prevention so I picked up some cranberry Antioxidant she has been taking them around the same time as the Omega 3 so about 3 weeks now.

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I have been putting the omega 3 pills in hot dogs and pill pouches but I haven't been breaking the up. That might do the trick since she weeds out the pill with her tongue and spits it out, she eats either the hot dog or pill pouch. I am going to try breaking up the pill it will get around her method.

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Thanks for taking time to respond it means a lot.

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This is the supplement that I used with my picky border collie. But like I said, he was severely underweight. Best of luck, and don't fret too much. Maybe your anxiety about the food is playing through to the dog?

So sorry this happened. Butter works wonders for getting pills down. I’ve also had good luck with this product: Tomlyn Products 079-427463 Pill-Masker Original for Cats & Dogs Bacon, 4 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FXX4DQK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WiVSBbPZYEQFJ

I hate to reiterate what everyone has said, but you should consulte with your veterinarian.

Absent anything concerning, I highly recommend Nutri -Cal. It’s available on amazon . I’ve noticed that as each of my IG’s has gotten older they became pickier with food, and would sometimes skip meals. This was the only thing I found always worked, and would at least ensure they ate something through a period of food funk.

Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear lol . It is a food supplement . You follow the instructions on the bottle and squirt it in the food .

Iceland Pure Unscented Pharmaceutical Grade Sardine Anchovy Oil For Dogs and Cats.Bottle Size 33oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005F5DKMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XsDpzb3Y3514Z

That's good. I buy mine on Amazon. They may not help cure this one, but they will help prevent the next one.

https://www.amazon.com/Blissful-Dog-Bulldog-Butter-1-Ounce/dp/B00T85E6Y4

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UPDATE:

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This stuff worked amazingly for our Bulldog. Thank you to all who responded!!!

I'm thinking more of a Blem


Also, I've had better than expected results with this: https://www.amazon.com/Blissful-Dog-Bulldog-Butter-1-Ounce/dp/B00T85E6Y4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524754048&sr=8-3&keywords=bulldog+nose

(not a sales pitch)

But does it top this? https://www.amazon.com/Game-Keyboard-Controller-ASCII-Sammy/dp/B0000AFZRW

Hey OP, think about some nose butter for that dry sniffer.

Amazon link

It was mainly used for Phantasy Star Online.

http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Cal-Calorie-Dietary-Supplement-4-25-Ounce/dp/B00542UWFW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1381710847&sr=8-3&keywords=nutri-cal

You really should consult a vet, but this will make up for some of the nutrition and calories the dog is lacking from not eating much.

Get this controller and paint it black and indigo :3

https://www.amazon.com/Game-Keyboard-Controller-ASCII-Sammy/dp/B0000AFZRW

This is the item in question.

and this thing existed, so GC is covered.

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Cube-Keyboard-Controller-ASCII-Sammy/dp/B0000AFZRW

I think I might buy one soon.

This Cosequin is what I get my GSD and GSD mix. My GSD will eat them no problem my my mix doesn't so we have to hide them or trick her. We also give them this Salmon Oil that they both like.