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Food supplements for animals: effective or money-making?

13.4.2024

Translation: machine translated

It's almost common practice for two-legged friends to take vitamin supplements. But what about four-legged friends? Do pets need food supplements? Or are they just a goldmine for many companies?

What did you have for breakfast today? Maybe an omega-3 capsule and a B vitamin? Food supplements are very popular. Many people - including me - take everything from vitamin A to zinc to combat suspected or actual deficiency symptoms. No wonder, really, when you look at our highly processed and often one-sided diet.

And as it happens, almost every health trend that affects two-legged friends also affects four-legged friends. Surveys from Germany and the USA show: A large proportion of pet parents already feed food supplements to their pets. And the number is growing every year. Joint complex, salmon oil, biotin liquid: everything is now available for dogs, cats and horses. But is it really useful? Mieke Jongmans, Product Manager at Good Goods Germany GmbH, answered my questions.

In suspicion: diets and forms of nutrition

The company from Heidelberg in Germany produces nutritional supplements for pets under the name "Annimally". These can also be found in our shop. The products based on natural ingredients piqued my interest because they are co-developed by veterinarians. These include the vet for the Swiss national dressage team, Christoph Kühnle. A physiotherapist and an osteopath from northern Germany also help with their expertise. The products therefore have a scientific basis.

Annimally Barf oil 500ml (Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 1000 g)

Dog food

CHF36.95 CHF36.95/1kg

Annimally Barf oil 500ml

Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 1000 g

Annimally Joint complex (Senior, Adult, 1 pcs., 120 g)

Cat food

CHF37.95 CHF316.25/1kg

Annimally Joint complex

Senior, Adult, 1 pcs., 120 g

Horse feed

Annimally Joy of movement

1 x, 850 g

Dog food

CHF36.95 CHF36.95/1kg

Annimally Barf oil 500ml

Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 1000 g

Cat food

CHF37.95 CHF316.25/1kg

Annimally Joint complex

Senior, Adult, 1 pcs., 120 g

Horse feed

Annimally Joy of movement

1 x, 850 g

First of all, I want to know from Mieke Jongmans why many pets suffer from deficiency symptoms. Has the quality of pet food deteriorated? "You can't say that in general," she says. "The quality of hay for horses has decreased because the soil contains fewer and fewer nutrients. For dogs and cats, however, the reasons lie elsewhere." Nowadays, owners are paying more attention to the health of their pets. They are increasingly trying out special diets, such as organic or grain-free, or favouring diets such as raw feeding - so-called barfing. Animal sports are also on trend. Jongmans says:

"An increased focus on health is a good thing. However, maintaining a balanced diet is not easy."

How a deficiency manifests itself

If a cat's coat suddenly becomes dull, its appetite and weight decrease or the dog suffers from digestive, joint and skin problems, a deficiency may have developed. It may or may not be. To be sure, a visit to the vet is essential, emphasises Mieke Jongmans. Sometimes the deficiency only develops after an illness: for example, due to a prescribed worming treatment, an antibiotic or other medication. Or because of an allergy. All of this can upset the animal intestinal flora. And suddenly it is no longer able to absorb all the necessary nutrients.

An animal's coat may or may not show a deficiency.
Source: Shutterstock/9gifts

This is where dietary supplements can help. Mieke Jongmans explains exactly how: "Our products contain live microorganisms that can restore the balance of the intestinal flora and improve digestion. They also contain prebiotics, which serve as food for the good bacteria in the gut." Annimally does not use any artificial flavours, flavour enhancers or fillers in the composition, which makes the supplements more effective.

What users say

No flavour enhancers? And the four-legged friends swallow this voluntarily? I remember the countless fights my parents used to have with our cats when they had to swallow tablets. They tasted the pills and powders out of their food. Mieke Jongmans gives the all-clear: "Our products are enriched with natural ingredients such as brewer's yeast. Because the tablets have no coating, they can be pulverised. Most animals take them with their food without any problems." It is unclear what the experiences of Galaxus customers have been like. There are no reviews so far. The situation is different on the Trusted Shops platform.

The acceptance of nutritional supplements is also a topic on Trusted Shops.
Source: Screenshot: Trusted Shops

Some pet parents write that their four-legged friends have refused the supplements. Overall, however, customers are convinced of the effectiveness of Annimally products, giving them 4.95 out of 5 points.

Unclear benefits until now

The effect of food supplements for animals is nevertheless debatable. Overall, there is not yet a comprehensive, sufficient study situation for targeted use. The effectiveness of individual dietary supplements has been proven in scientific studies on dogs. However, further research is still required in terms of dosage and duration of use. Mieke Jongmans says:

"Nutritional supplements alone cannot guarantee that a pet will live longer. But they can improve their health and well-being. And that can have a positive effect on life expectancy.""

You don't have to rush straight to the food supplements. Basically, you can do the same for your pet as you would for yourself: If you make sure your pet's food contains a balanced mix of nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, a deficiency can usually be prevented. So-called complete pet food should provide the most important nutrients. However, if you are worried about a deficiency, ask your vet to clarify this first and recommend nutritional supplements for your pet. You may already be used to "throwing them in".

If not: ~~Good fight~~ Good luck!

Do you give your pet supplements? What are your experiences? Tell me and the Community in a comment.

13 people like this article

Darina Schweizer

Senior Editor

Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.ch

I love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.

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Food supplements for animals: effective or money-making?

In suspicion: diets and forms of nutrition

How a deficiency manifests itself

What users say

Unclear benefits until now

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Werewolf syndrome: product recalls and a statement from a brand featured in our range

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