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I don't add supplements to balance my dog's diet; instead, I reach for supplements to address a specific health issue, support my dogs' gut health, and boost their immune system. The following is a list of supplements for my raw fed dogs listed by health condition. I don't give my dogs all these supplements daily; I add them as needed and alternate them with other supplements.
This list was comprised after ten years of feeding my dogs a raw food diet. Please don't feel you need to add all these to your shopping cart today. I shop sales, stocking up on various supplements. Alternating supplements work best for my dogs and ensure I have alternatives on hand should I no longer be able to find a product.
Supplements for Gut Heath
I focus primarily on my dogs' gut health because disease starts with an imbalanced gut. The following are supplements that specifically support gut health. And because 70-80% of the immune system lives in the gut, these supplements also strengthen a dog's immune system.
Adored Beast Apothecary – Pre/Probiotics
- Fido's Flora
- Gut Soothe
- Healthy Gut (digestive enzymes)
- Love Bugs
- Soil & Sea
- The Wolf
Four Leaf Rover
Supplements for the Immune System
Sometimes, a dog needs a little more support – when recovering from an injury, an illness, or in their geriatric years.
Supplements for Senior Dogs
- Golden Years, Dr. Harvey's (for senior dogs)
- Canine System Saver
Supplements for All Dogs
Mushroom Tinctures
I began adding mushroom tinctures regularly when Scout was diagnosed with lymphoma. Today, I alternate between the following products:
- Animal Essentials: Mushroom Defense tincture
- Real Mushrooms: 5 Defenders, Mushroom Immune Pet Chews, Mushroom Relax Pet Chews
- Adored Beast Apothecary: Turkey Tail tincture, Chaga tincture
- MycoDog Mushroom Tinctures
Fish Oil / Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Alaska Salmon & Pollock Oil, Life Line Pet Nutrition
- Omega Fish + Hemp Seed Oil, Life Line Pet Nutrition
- Anchovy & Borage Oil, Life Line Pet Nutrition
- Potent Sea Omega-3 Algae Oil, Adored Beast Apothecary
Joint Supplements
Liver Supplement / Detox
I use liver supplements before and after vaccinations, exposure to prescription medication (antibiotics, pain meds), and if my dogs' bloodwork shows me they need a boost (this is rare).
I also give my senior dogs a supplement that supports kidney health: Rx Renal Canine
Final Thoughts on Supplements
As stated, I don't add all these to one meal; I alternate most of the above supplements through my dogs' diet as needed. The only supplements I add five days a week (I take a break on the weekend) are joint supplements, mushroom tinctures, and Omega-3 fatty acids.
I don't spend much time looking for new supplements, sticking to a handful of brands I trust. And when I can, I make supplements using natural ingredients:
- fiber powder from dehydrated apples – we have apple trees
- dehydrated broccoli sprouts – I grow my own
- dehydrated nettles – I pick them from a friend's property
All of the supplements on this list can be fed to your dog, no matter their diet – raw, cooked, freeze-dried, dehydrated, or kibble.
I know the supplements I choose to give my dogs work because I’ve seen them work in all my dogs. Medicinal Mushrooms work because they were part of a protocol that gave us more than 1-1/2 years with Scout after he was diagnosed with cancer. I know that the digestive supplements work because my dogs don’t have signs of an unhealthy gut, which I became familiar with when working to improve Rodrigo’s health. I know that disease comes from an imbalanced gut, so I alternate supplements to keep my dogs’ gut healthy.
I’m not sure what you mean by post-biotics; these are the byproduct of pre and probiotics, not a supplement I buy for them, so I don’t have anything to share.
I’m confused by your use of quotes whenever you mention science, as if the science isn’t real or what you mean is “pseudoscience.” I do read scientific studies; 99% of them are about humans, but I think a lot of the information can also be applied to dogs. I don’t subscribe to pseudoscience; I look at holistic and traditional medicine, and consult with my veterinarians, people I trust in the pet industry, and other raw feeders.
I don’t expect people to do what I’m doing. I only wrote this post because a few followers said it would be helpful to read what I was doing and why; I didn’t publish this to tell others what they should or shouldn’t do. I’m not a veterinarian, nor am I a nutritionist. I only speak from my perspective, sharing what I’m doing with my dogs. If someone reads this and doesn’t think anything I’m doing works, I hope they will move on and find something they feel more comfortable doing. This is what’s working for my dogs; I know it’s working because I see it in them daily.
Being told that my dog will die only to have him thriving and healthy ten years later is evidence for me. And I’m looking at everything I do for Rodrigo and applying it to my other dogs so I can strike gold a few more times. Losing two dogs to cancer was very humbling, and I don’t take my dogs’ health for granted, nor do I toss random supplements in the bowl because a popular brand or a well-known advocate made a post about it. I do these things because I did my research.
I hope that answers your questions. Please DO NOT use Keep the Tail Wagging as a medical website; please do not use the information you find here to diagnose or treat your pets. I am not a veterinarian. I am not a nutritionist.
I have spent a lot of time recently re-examining supplements, specifically supplements that I supply on blind faith (ie health supplements from reputable companies that perform functions that I do not know how to qualitatively measure). I wonder how you view this type of supplement? An example is mushrooms (I have been working on a much more in depth post for the Heartbeat group). How do you quantify they are performing as told? For example, if giving this to a dog with a slow growing, non-visible cancerous tumor, how would you measure that a TT sup was actually assisting in its ability to contain its growth (without the $3400 Veterinarian Cardiologist doing an ultra sound)? Or do you “just believe” based on the science (and brand reputation)?
And what about the gut health supplements? I know with Rodrigo you have clear indications of its effectiveness, but what about the others? The ones that receive it for “general well-being of the gut”. How do you judge whether it is working or not? Or are you again, just subscribing to the “science” presented and the brand reputation?
And what about those Post-Biotics? How are we to judge them?
I am really not trying to be a jerk at all, I am just really curious as to how you, and others, judge whether a given supplement without clear outward indications, that THAT particular supplement is doing what it is touted to do for THAT specific pet?
You don’t need to answer here, just food for thought. Though I would really appreciate you weighing in when I post in the group.
Yes – here is the article about that: https://keepthetailwagging.com/can-dogs-eat-broccoli/
Great question. No, I don’t think a detox is necessary. Our bodies naturally detox and I think the same about our dogs. I only use a liver supplement when my dogs need extra support – my younger dogs still get vaccinated every four years, I use Liver Tonic and Rebalancer afterward. I give my senior dog a pain supplement when needed, and I use Liver Tonic for a few days afterward. And if I used topical flea/tick treatments, then I’d detox my dogs after application.
But a general detox, in my opinion, isn’t necessary.
Now that spring is here I am getting daily emails about dog detoxing. My dog is raw fed and very healthy. All the companies I buy pet supplements from are saying it is time to detox, citing pollution, etc as reasons to do so. What is your opinion? I see you have a liver detox in your list. I am also a healthy vegan and I personally do not detox. Should my dog?
Thank you!
Hey I saw you dehydrate your broccoli sprouts. Do you have a link on how to do that? I’ve grown them and I ate them along with the dogs. I didn’t think of dehydrating them. Do you know if they hold their nutritional value after being dehydrated?