Alison has majored her career in new product development for both the health and pet food industry. Although she develops pet foods, she adores NPD of supplements, as it really tickles her fancy for science and creativity. She loves bio chemistry but there’s also innovation and an artistry to formulating good and effective supplements. Here My Pet Nutritionist shares pointers as to how to choose the right supplements for your pets. You’ll sometimes get professionals and non-professionals saying supplements are a waste of money and not worthwhile. This is true if you 1. you don’t know what the issue is and blindly choose something to help the problem or 2. buy something that hasn’t been formulated well or contains inferior ingredients. For a supplement to work there has to be fine tuning to a product. We follow a principle called the 8 element system which is a naturopathic approach at looking at several body systems to consider what happens in its entirety and not looking at masking a problem. Like pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals can just mask an issue, if all aspects of health are not looked at. When formulating a product, we consider energy, immunity, digestion, detoxification, structure, neurological, hormonal and stress levels (including inflammation). We always develop synergistic blends that work in perfect harmony to establish nourishment, balance and restoration no matter what the situation. As you can imagine diet alone cannot often achieve this, especially if symptoms or disease are showing. Supplements help to modulate systems and food alone often cannot do this (although food is also incredibly important). The main criteria for choosing a good supplement · Know what your pet requires; problem specific or nutritional deficiencies for example · Check the source of ingredients; provenance of herbs, extraction or types of minerals · Clinically tested for absorbability; no point in taking it if your pet can’t absorb it · Clinically tested for pureness and safety · Manufactured by a legit R&D company · Well-priced for what you are getting 1. Know what your pet requires (problem specific or nutritional deficiencies for example) It’s important to know what is going on for your pet before purchasing a/several supplements for them. There are some wonderful tests to check mineral status for pets that can be used to establish any nutritional deficiencies in your pet. Don’t allow for blood tests they are inconclusive due to the blood leaching minerals from other parts of the body to try and obtain equilibrium, thus creating an unclear picture of health. If you have been to the vet and received a diagnosis such as arthritis or a nutritional deficiency, then you can get looking for your ideal supplement. If you are at a loss and there are lots of things going on for your pet, this is when coming to see someone like myself can help. 2. Check the source of ingredients; provenance of herbs, extraction or types of minerals used and so forth The source of any ingredient is important. If it’s a herb, it’s good to know it’s provenance, purity, extraction method and also how it is delivered. We love herbs and they have a beautiful nutritive and supportive role for so many systems in the body. Herbs can be adaptogenic so can up or down regulate a process in the body. This is clever and intuitive and unlike any pharmaceuticals we know of, however the purity, extraction and delivery method is important to how effective it may be. For example, we would choose organic for those herbs that are commonly used and extensively farmed. Echinacea is one of the most abundant and commonly used herbs in the industry but a mass farmed batch from China is probably less nutritive and clean than an organic echinacea grown in the Swiss Alps at high altitudes. Every herb and every ingredient has a story. Look to see what companies write about their ingredients used and why they have selected them. Give the brand a call and put them to the test. The type of substrates (binders) in minerals are also important. Different forms of mineral perform different mechanisms but may not be as bioavailable as another. Calcium and magnesium are great examples of this. Calcium carbonate is the cheapest calcium option on the market and the most wildly researched calcium in the pet industry. However, we know from research that calcium carbonate harder to absorb even though it’s around 40% pure calcium. Calcium citrate is probably second in line for expense but much better absorbed and around 20% pure calcium. Therefore we tend to choose better absorbed options such as citrate. 3. Clinically tested for absorbability; no point in taking it if your pet can’t absorb it I sometimes use registered ingredients that can claim and supply clinical data to support the product and gives sound piece of mind as to how effective it is. An example of this is with curcumin. Curcumin is an active extract and effective curcuminoid compound found in turmeric. Turmeric is something everyone seems to be talking about at the moment, whether buying a supplement or just reaching into the kitchen cupboard. And rightly so, this is an awesome and effective ingredient for many health related issues. However, we don’t use regular turmeric or curcumin as it’s hard to assimilate in the body. We therefore use and look out for certain patented curcumins such as Ultrasol® or Curcuwin® that have proven increased bioavailability by making them water soluble or liposomal without having to use added ingredients such as Bioperine®. Bioperine® a pepper extract is well researched for increasing other ingredients bioavailability by interfering with a process called glucuronidation in the liver. It slows down the metabolism and excretion of curcumin thus extending it’s life. MPN prefer to work with ingredients that solely enhance processes within the body and not dampen them down and so avoid ingredients like Bioperine®. Research does show that curcumin is also better absorbed with the whole turmeric that contains a number of curcuminoids. Therefore we like to see a plain
The Royal Society Open Science has decided to document microbial findings and supposed linked articles/research to explore and implode the concerns about raw feeding for cats and dogs. We had to comment so hopefully we don’t bore you too much. We’re not the most avid raw feeder you’ll ever find. We find merit in different ways of feeding cats and dogs but we are a big raw fan and in all our years of practicing pet nutrition, we have not found anything negative (only positive) linked to raw food feeding. Royal Society: “Raw pet food has become increasingly popular among dog owners seeking to feed their pets on what is perceived as a natural and healthy diet. Health claims include benefits to canine vitality, the digestive tract and the immune system, but currently lack scientific evaluation [1].” Alison: Evaluation of the efficacy of raw food for our pets has been difficult as many pet food companies run these scientific based studies for their own financial gain. There is however a movement on non-biased research that has positive outcomes with regards to feeding a raw diet. In Finland at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Helsinki University, they found negative health markers of homocysteine (linked to many disease states) from blood and urine samples in dry food verses raw fed dogs. Here’s a brief video on the findings as opposed to putting up a research paper to wade through. Video Here Royal Society: “Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), also known as biologically appropriate raw food (BARF), consist mainly of raw muscle meats, organ meats and meaty bones. Some diets additionally contain vegetables, fruits or grain. Like conventional pet food, most RMBDs are based on the by-products of animals slaughtered for human consumption; however, they do not contain additives and supplements such as preservatives, stabilisers, gelling agents, sweeteners,flavours or vitamins and minerals, potentially posing the risk of nutritional imbalances and deficiencies such as skin and thyroid problems [1,2].” Alison : Firstly, I am not sure how sweeteners, preservatives, gelling agents and stabilisers promote your pet’s health? I agree that if fed a home prepared diet that hasn’t been thoroughly considered and balanced this can be a risk overtime. However, I have worked with many raw food companies who absolutely add in supplementation based on the raw food analysis and to ensure the cat’s and dog’s nutritional needs and requirements are met. Please ask your raw food company what they add in terms of vitamins and minerals and indeed for analysis for your piece of mind. Arguably if we are focusing on imbalance of supplementation added to food and possible health risks, here are some stats based on research carried out in 2017 for mineral content of complete pet food (wet and dry) in the EU. I believe there were some 177 different brands. Here, mineral composition of complete wet (n = 97) and dry (n = 80) canine and feline pet food sold in the UK was measured to assess compliance with EU guidelines. A majority of foods complied with ≥8 of 11 guidelines (99% and 83% for dry and wet food, respectively), but many failed to provide nutritional minimum (e.g.Cu, 20% of wet food) or exceeded nutritional maximum (e.g. Se, 76% of wet food). Only 6% (6/97) of wet and 38% (30/80) of dry food were fully compliant.Some foods (20–30% of all analysed) had mineral imbalance, such as not having the recommended ratio of Ca:P (between 1:1 to 2:1). Foods with high fish content had high levels of undesirable metal elements such as arsenic. This study highlights broad non-compliance of a range of popular pet foods sold in the UK with EU guidelines (94% and 61% of wet and dry foods, respectively). If fed exclusively and over an extended period, a number of these pet foods could impact the general health of companion animals. Findings here Royal Society: “Furthermore, although the production of raw pet food is subjected to strict microbiological hygiene criteria (the EU animal by-products regulations 1069/2009 and 142/2011), pasteurisation is by nature not undertaken, raising questions regarding bacterial contamination [3–5].” “RMBDs have also been shown to be a significant source of Salmonella in healthy dogs and cats that consequently shed the organism at higher rates than animals fed conventional diets [10,12], with implications concerning public health. Case reports of human illness associated with pathogens in RMBDs are still scarce,and illnesses are probably under-reported [12]. However, four cases of an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Reading in the USA were linked to raw pet food [13].” Alison: Let’s focus on dry food contamination findings that far out weigh any raw food findings. The detection of Salmonella during routine tests on dry dog food uncovered an outbreak linked to a rare strain that had been known to sicken 14 people in nine states,the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was due to dry pet food contamination proven to be in Diamond Pet Foods (a recall was issued). Also an outbreak, which started in 2006, marks the first time that dry dog food has been confirmed as a source of the bacterial infection in people. The dog food had been traced to a Mars Pet care U.S. plant in Everson, Pa and the company announced a recall of approximately 23,109 tons of dry dog and cat food sold under 105 brand names. This was a time that prompted owners to look at other options. This became an epidemic around the world and the first time around 2007 that consumers started to question dry and commercial companies as their only option to feed their pets. Royal Society: “and recently, an outbreak due to Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 in the UK was attributed to exposure to contaminated raw pet food [14].” Alison: The outbreak argued due to Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 in the UK being attributed to exposure to contaminated raw pet food is irrelevant due to the fact that the source of infection in the first case was not identified and so pet food
Many dog owners ask My Pet Nutritionist, why their dog is eating grass. The truth is, eating things that are not deemed a food, is rather common among dogs and often not a concern and referred to as pica. However, there are certain health related reasons why pets can be prone to eating grass. It’s known as an emetic and helps to purge and rid the body of unwanted substances such as foods. Here are some reasons why your dog may be dining out on grass! Grass is an emetic Most of you may be well aware that dogs will sometimes eat large amounts of grass in an attempt to make themselves throw up. After they consume a large amount of grass, they’ll often display some nauseous behaviour and then they’ll vomit. It’s completely normal for your dog to vomit occasionally but if this is a general occurrence then this must be looked into. Dogs are intuitive and selective and know what’s for them best in terms of intentionally ridding their system of something that could be toxic, or making them poorly. In short, a dog may be eating grass due to illness or eating something unsuitable. Dogs may eat grass to fulfil a nutritional requirement. This could be to enrich their diet with fibre. On a natural and raw diet, vegetation can add so much fibre, prebiotic and nutritional diversity. This is essential for a good functioning gut and nutritional status. We know that grass contains an abundant source of fibre and since grass is a living green food it contains phytonutrients. It’s high in potassium and also contains chlorophyll that helps aid in cleansing the body. It could be a way of easing nausea, gas or digestive issues and disease. Grass has soothing properties that can aid digestive comfort. If you suspect it could be digestive issues and grass eating is also accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhoea or constipation then get this checked out. I always consider a natural enriched diet that is appropriate for dogs. They may be suffering from parasites such as intestinal worms. Plant material may increase intestinal motility and help to eliminate intestinal parasites. Being an emetic this may help expulsion of unwanted parasites via vomiting also. Its instinctive and enjoyable. Some dogs consider this pastime fun and may eat grass to occupy themselves. Please note vomiting grass and food on a weekly basis is not within the normal remit. Always consider the quality of the food your feeding and mental stimulation you are providing your dog. To ensure a happy and healthy dog my recommendation is always to look at natural, home cooking (researched and balanced), raw diets and better commercial home style diets, raw diets and raw dehydrated. Probiotics and prebiotics help repopulate and fortify the beneficial bacteria in your dog’s gut, while digestive enzymes provide what the entrails or the guts of their prey species would provide. These enzymes provide a rich source of amylase, lipase and protease, which can help your pets process food much more successfully. Chlorophyll in liquid form can help reduce grass eating and provide a slight detoxifying effect that your dog may require. It is full of trace vitamins and minerals and very much mimics the nutrition offered from grass. Wheatgrass is also a wonderful thing to grow in your garden or apartment, for your dog to graze on and obtain the pleasure and benefit from a nibble here and there. We hope you found this beneficial. MPN Team x
