Supplements: Head to Tail

Posted by Michelle for PetTest, AAHA Certified Diabetes Educator on 22nd Sep 2023

Over the past couple of years I have written many blogs on supplements that are safe for our diabetic dogs. Diving in to supplements that are beneficial for our dogs is great but I wanted to compile all the products that I have suggested so that they are all in one place and easy to find.

Today’s blog will do just that and I have added some supplements that I haven’t touched on before. Links to past blogs will be available along with product links and all products in this blog have been reviewed and are safe for diabetic dogs!

Grab a cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage and let’s jump right in!

Bladder Health

Diabetic dogs are prone to urinary tract infections due to excess glucose. Glucose is excreted into the bladder and can breed bacteria.

PetTest D-Mannose - veggie capsules, human-grade ingredients made for dogs and cats.

NOW D-Mannose – this is a human supplement, dosage for dogs is as follows: under 20 lbs – 75mg per day, 21 – 40 lbs – 150 mg per day, over 41 lbs – 300 mg per day.

Diarrhea

These are great products to use when your dog has diarrhea.

Pro Pectalin Tablets – chewable tablets made for dogs and cats. The paste is not recommended due to powdered sugar in ingredients.

Dr.Harvey’s Runs Be Done - powder form, ingredients recommended by a holistic veterinarian, made for dogs.

Purina Fortiflora - powder form, specific strain of probiotics that helps with diarrhea, made for dogs.

Gastro Elm Plus – powder that turns into a gel when liquid is added, a great product for dogs with GI upset due to pancreatitis, IBS, reflux, etc.

Digestive Enzymes

If your dog has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) or needs help when it comes to digesting food the following digestive enzymes are good:

Nusentia Enzyme Miracle - powder form that aids in digestion, made for dogs and cats.

Coco and Luna Probiotics and Enzymes - tablets that include digestive enzymes and probiotics, made for dogs (tablets only, powder contains maltodextrin and not recommended).

Bark & Whiskers Digestive Enzymes – powder form digestive enzymes, made for dogs and cats (formerly called Dr. Mercola's).

Eye Supplements

Eye supplements help with the overall health of a dog’s eyes; this is especially important since diabetic dogs are prone to diabetic cataracts.

OCUPET for Small to Medium Dogs and All Cats - veggie capsules with vitamins and antioxidants, human-grade ingredients made for pets.

OCUPET for Medium to Large Dogs - veggie capsules with vitamins and antioxidants, human-grade ingredients made for pets.

Coco and Luna Health Eye Support for Dogs - tablets with vitamins and antioxidants made for dogs.

Fiber

Fiber is essential to a dog’s diet; soluble fiber is not digestible and turns into a gel. This gel coats nutrients and helps slow down absorption of them. Soluble fiber can also be a prebiotic. Insoluble fiber is not digestible and acts as a bulking agent in the colon and can help a dog feel fuller longer.

100% Pure Pumpkin (canned) – suggested dose is 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. There is no link for this product as it can be purchased in most grocery stores.

NOW Psyllium Husk Powder – this is a human supplement and dosage is small dogs - 1/4 tsp per day, medium dogs - 1/2 tsp per day, large dogs 1 tsp per day. It is recommended to start with a quarter dose and work your way up to the suggested dose.

Heart Supplements

There are several different supplements for heart health. The first is coenzyme Q10 also called CoQ10 and ubiquinol is the active form of CoQ10. Taurine is the second and the third product is omega fatty acids.

CoQ10 / Ubiquinol

Dr. Harvey’s Coenzyme Q10 for Dogs - capsules with 30 mg of CoQ10, made for dogs.

Bark and Whiskers Ubiquinol – liquid pump, ubiquinol is the active form of CoQ10, made for dogs and cats (formerly known as Dr. Mercola’s).

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Grizzly Omega Health for Dogs & Cats, Salmon Plus - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids harvested from wild caught fish, made with human-grade fish for dogs and cats.

Dr. Harvey’s Health and Shine Omega-3 Fish Oil - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught fish made for dogs.

Taurine

The following products are human supplements and dose is as follows for taurine supplementation:

Small dogs – 250 mg twice per day
Medium dogs – 500 mg twice per day
Large dogs – 750 mg twice per day

Now Taurine 500 mg

Bulk Supplements Taurine Powder

Hip and Joints

Many of our dogs are older and benefit from hip and joint supplements due to arthritis. Diabetic dogs also benefit from B12 supplementation since diabetic neuropathy is common. B12 in higher doses has been shown in human studies to regenerate nerve paths (I have also seen it help thousands of diabetic dogs, including my Lucy).

Methyl B12:

PetTest Methyl B12 Supplement for Dogs and Cats - liquid form, human-grade methyl B12 made for dogs and cats. Here is a handy calculator to figure out the exact dosage for your dog when giving Methyl B-12 for diabetic neuropathy: PetTest Methyl B-12 Dosage Calculator

A Squared Nutrition Methyl B12 5,000 mcg - human supplement, dosage is 68 mcg per lb.

Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM:

PetTest Joint Support with Hyaluronic Acid for Dogs & Cats - powder form with glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid.

Nature’s Pure Edge Hip & Joint Powder - powder form with added turmeric made for dogs.

Coco & Luna Hip & Joint Chewable Tablets - tablets with non-GMO ingredients made in the USA, made for dogs.

Nutramax Cosequin Standard Strength Chewable Tablets with Glucosamine and MSM - chewable tablets made for dogs.

Nutramax Cosequin DS Chewable Tablets with Glucosamine and Chondroitin - special formulations of glucosamine and chondroitin, made for dogs.

Nutramax Cosequin DS Capsules with Glucosamine and Chondroitin - special formulations of glucosamine and chondroitin, made for dogs.

Eggshell Membrane

This is a human supplement and the dose is 6 mg per pound given once daily.

NOW Eggshell Membrane 500 mg Veggie Capsules

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Vetoquinol Triglyceride Omega Capsules - omega-3 fatty acids in capsule form. Made from Atlantic sardines, mackerel and anchovies for dogs.

Grizzly Omega-3 Dog & Cat Supplement - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids harvested from wild caught fish, made with human-grade fish for dogs and cats.

Dr. Harvey’s Health + Shine Omega-3 Fish Oil Formula - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught fish made for dogs.

Dr. Harvey’s Health + Shine Salmon and Krill Oil - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught fish made for dogs.

Kidneys

There are several supplements that are beneficial for the kidneys; renal supplements and omega fatty acids are listed below.

Kidney supplements

Dr. Harvey’s Kidney Health - powder form herbal and mushroom supplement made for dogs.

Vetriscience Renal Essentials for Dogs - chewable tablets contain herbs and vitamins that support kidney health, made for dogs.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Vetoquinol Triglyceride Omega Capsules - omega-2 fatty acids in capsule form. Made from Atlantic sardines, mackerel and anchovies for dogs.

Grizzly Omega-3 Dog & Cat Supplement - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids harvested from wild caught fish, made with human-grade fish for dogs and cats.

Dr. Harvey’s Health + Shine Omega-3 Fish Oil Formula - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught fish made for dogs.

Dr. Harvey’s Health + Shine Salmon and Krill Oil - liquid pump, omega-3 fatty acids from wild caught fish made for dogs.

Liver

The liver is the workhorse of the body and the only organ that can repair itself while working. There are several supplements that can be beneficial for your dog’s liver.

Denamarin is a combination of SAMe and silybin. Silybin is found in milk thistle.

SAMe

Vetriscience SAMe 225 mg - chewable tables made for dogs.

The following is a human supplement that is safe to use. Dosage of SAMe is 9 mg per lb.

NOW SAMe – 200 mg veggie capsule.

NOW SAMe – 400 mg veggie capsule.

OjosLabs SAMe 500 mg – This is on Amazon.

Milk Thistle

Herbsmith Milk Thistle Liver Support for Cats and Dogs - powder form of milk thistle made for dogs and cats.

Coco and Luna Milk Thistle for Dogs and Cats - liquid form of milk thistle made for dogs and cats.

Dosage for human grade milk thistle is as follows:

Tincture: ¼ tsp per 20 lbs. per day.
Powder (this includes veggie capsules): 2 – 5 mg. per lb. two to three times per day.

Nature’s Answer Milk Thistle Seed Extract, Alcohol Free

Probiotics

Probiotics are good bacteria that live in your dog’s gastrointestinal tract (the stomach, intestines and colon) and are part of the microbiome. Probiotics fight off bad bacteria and have many health benefits for the body. Some of the benefits of probiotics are they crowd out bad bacteria, support the immune system, support a healthy microbiome, produce vitamins, help with GI issues like diarrhea and IBS, can help with allergies, anxiety, mood and skin disorders.

Vetriscience Mega Probiotic for Dogs and Cats - veggie capsules made for dogs and cats.

Nusentia Probiotic Miracle - powder probiotics made for dogs and cats.

Coco and Luna Probiotics for Dogs - chewable tablets with probiotics made for dogs.

An important note: if you choose to use supplements that are made for humans make sure you read the ingredients and inactive/other ingredients. Xylitol is extremely toxic and can be fatal to dogs.

Xylitol Warning for Supplements Head to Tail blog mtm Canada