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Tripsy™ for Dogs

Support for urinary tract, kidney, and bladder problems in dogs

USD $44.95
Tripsy™ for Dogs USD $44.95 Add to Cart

Vet Tech Rounds: Top 5 Things to Look For When Buying a Pet Supplement

Vet Talks 5 min read
Vet Tech Rounds: Top 5 Things to Look For When Buying a Pet Supplement

Just like picking up your pet’s food, picking your pet’s supplements should be a confident decision. With a wide array of pet supplements out there, some confusion is bound to exist. Here I list 5 things that can help you pick the best supplements for your pet. If a pet supplement passes these 5 tests then you can administer the doses to your pet without any worries. You’ll know there is a team of experts backing your decision and you can discuss it with your vet with conviction.

Read the label – Ingredients should be clearly mentioned, with no added flavors or preservatives

Supplement-facts-ES-Clear

Look for supplements with natural ingredients, no added flavors, and preservatives.

When picking a supplement for your pet you can choose between natural and synthetic ones. Some pet supplement formulas will fuse the two together. If your intention of picking supplements for your pet is to add natural support to her health then look for supplements with natural ingredients, no added flavors, and preservatives. Nature has a way of taking care of itself and our animals also respond to nature spontaneously. When we add chemicals, artificial flavors, or preservatives to these plant extracts it defeats the purpose of finding something natural.

Grey-cat-with-NHV-supplments-felimm-resp-aid-tripsy-@earlgrey

Whatever you pick, natural or synthetic, the ingredients should be clearly stated for you to read.

Look for certifications, and for manufacturing and sourcing details

Premium certifications standards make a premium product you can trust. When it comes to pet food and supplements, it is very easy to get a low-quality product into the market. Authorities recognize two classes of pet products: food and drugs. “Supplements” for animals do not fall into either. As result pet supplements are not regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). A responsible pet company will look for other certifications and licenses.

How It's Made - NHV Natural Remedies For Pets

Besides GMP certification, some other certifications that you can look for in natural supplements are:

  • Organic Certifications
    • Look at where the supplements are manufactured and if the product has the approval of that province/country’s organic certifications. For instance, NHV supplements are BC Organic and Canada Organic
    • Ecocert – this is an organic certification organization based in Europe that conducts inspections in over 80 countries
    • USDA Certified Organic
    • PACS Certified Organic
  • HAACP – Hazard analysis and critical control points Certification mean that a preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards has been taken in production processes. The finished product made with such a protocol is safe
  • Produced in an FDA approved facility
  • Source of herbs – reliable and clearly communicated. In the efforts to make cheaper products some companies compromise on the quality of herbs used. As a consumer and pet parent, you should be aware of these sources. NHV natural supplements are all made from herbs ethically sourced from North America, Europe, and parts of India and Sri Lanka

Credible third party approvals

Supplements and remedies that have stood the test of time usually have esteemed organizations and trusted personalities who have used them and given them their stamp of approval. When it comes to pet supplements these approvals would come from experienced veterinarians, animal health research organizations, and veterinary colleges of medicine at reputed universities. You can also do a quick google search for the name of the company and the keywords clinical studies. Only a serious and confident pet supplement business will invest in these clinical studies. We do!

NHV received a glowing letter from The University of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine.
NHV received a glowing letter from The University of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine.
UGA VCM NHV tripsy research report
NHV Tripsy was studied by The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Joe Bartges

Third-party checks also come into play at the manufacturing level. All of our products are manufactured in our state-of-the-art FDA-approved facility in Kelowna where they must meet stringent in-house standards before being tested a second time by a third-party lab.

No interactions with vet-prescribed medications

Your pet’s supplement should be human grade but formulated for pets and safe to give with vet-prescribed medications. If not so then it should be clearly stated on the supplement packaging or their website. It should be one that you can comfortably talk to your vet about.

@pupmomma_megs uses NHv supplmenets with medications for her dog
Most pet parents like dog owner @pupmomma_megs integrate NHV supplements with medications for their pets

Often the idea of adding supplements to your pet’s diet is to integrate them into her treatment plan, to provide extra support, and to keep the side effects of medications in control. The treatment plan may include processes like radiation, chemotherapy, steroids, and antibiotics. If the supplements cannot be integrated into this routine then it is not a holistic supplement in the first place.

Contact information of the company

A pet supplement or even a pet food company should be accessible. The contact information should be easily traceable and you should be able to go back to them with any questions or concerns. They should have a valid physical address and proof of existence – pictures of the team on Google reviews from customers on social media and a quick response time to emails.

NHV Natural Pet Products supplements and remedies google reviews
NHV Natural Pet Products supplements and remedies main office

Conclusion

There are many other things that could affect your decision when picking a supplement – Is it easy to give to your pet? Is it safe for the long term? Is it in the best bio-available form (liquid is better than pills, capsules, or powders)?  But in this list, I have concentrated on the 5 most important things that you must look for in a pet supplement brand or even a pet food brand. Once you know the brand, you can trust them to make good quality products and you can trust the information about their products.

Johanna RVT

Johanna RVT

Johanna is NHV’s in house Registered Veterinary Technician. Technicians are the veterinary equivalent of a human nurse. Johanna has over 10 years of experience in different types of veterinary clinics and hospitals. She has seen and assisted in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions and injuries. She will share her experiences in her monthly blog series “Vet Tech Rounds” to help our extended NHV family learn about common preventable medical cases and other interesting stories of vet clinic life.

Published: April 13, 2019

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