One morning in the fall of 2020, I went to my local pet store. While there, I noticed a display of veterinary supplements, which caught my attention. Even though I'm very passionate about the research, formulation, and manufacturing of nutraceuticals for humans, I'd never considered one for dogs!

I left the store without buying anything and quickly forgot all about it.

A few days later, Blaze and I were walking in Soames Hill Park when I remembered about the supplements in the store.

What exactly was in them? Why would a dog need a supplement? Clearly humans use and benefit from supplements. But dogs? Do they need supplements too?

I started researching about the role of veterinary supplements and discovered that, when properly formulated, they could support the normal health and function of several structures and systems like joints, the gastrointestinal track and even their brain and immune system. Like humans, a dog's diet doesn't always contain all the necessary fatty acids, antioxidants, amino acids and probiotics needed to maintain the normal and healthy functioning of these structures and systems.

My curiosity took me back to the store, where I had bought two different bags of supplements. I read the list of ingredients and was not pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Both products contained added fillers, gums, colours and artificial preservatives. The labels on the bags had unsubstantiated health claims, and lacked the Veterinary Health Product official designation from Health Canada. While looking for other alternatives online, I noticed what appears to be plain thoughtlessness in many products advertised for mature and senior dogs. Why are these products made in kibble format if some older dogs have sensitive gums and teeth? Why are so many fillers, gums and sugars added to something that is supposed to be a health supplement?

I was also surprised to notice that many premium products (i.e., the ones made with better ingredients and no preservatives) are not made in Canada. This implies an enormous carbon footprint to bring and distribute them here and a lack of support for Canadian manufacturers (which are perfectly able to formulate and manufacture premium products following the highest standards of quality and safety). To make things even worsts, almost all these products are packaged in multi-laminated plastic bags that can't be easily recycled.

I was frankly frustrated and disappointed.