My fabulous honorable

                  Tre (san), a Shiba Inu,  a Pariah dog from Japan.

If you are...and I certainly hope you are...taking a multivitamin each day does it stand to reason that you should do likewise with your dog or cat?  Do animals require special handling with regard to supplementation?  Many of my clients have seen a real change for the better in their pet when supplements were begun.  Some beneficial changes were a return to playfulness, lessened signs of aging, better mobility, reduced incidence of cataracts , very common in dogs, improved temperments, and lessened allergy signs and symptoms.

If your pet has signs of arthritis, or hip dysplasia, pet formulations of glucosamine and chondroitin are helpful.  Cats thrive on fish oils, especially as they age, while they can be problematic for dogs who have a much faster metabolism.  Certain herbs like St John's Wort can be trouble for pets, even toxic reactions can develop, something I never want to see.

It is absolute folly to use supplementation in pets without the advice of a nutritionist or veterinarian trained in veterinary nutritional medicine, as there are vast differences between animals and people and dogs and cats.

Another concern is that independent laboratory results of animal supplements has found that they are in general of much lower quality than those for humans.

Dr. Tod Copperman, president of consumerlabs.com stated in a recent interview that over 50% of verterinary products fail their inspections. They urged consumers to speak to health professionals before self-medicating or even just buying products in stores or over the internet.

Dr. John Bauer, professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas's College of Veterinary Medicine, offered up some considerations when evaluating products.  1. Product quality...who is the manufacturer, how much of the active ingredient is present? 2. What is the scientific basis to support the supplement? 3. Check tolerance carefully when administering something new. 4. Safety: the products label should indicate how it was tested.

Most of you know how much I adore animals, and we are carrying some wonderful pet products in the pharmacy Pet's Natural Products

section.  Also, I would like to offer FREE consultations in July regarding pet questions and natural supplements.  Please check next month's calendar for details.  The anticipated date is Friday July 18th, from 9:30-1:00PM.  I will be posting a new nutrition news volume next week with articles on weight loss and chinese medicine for fertility issues see you then.

Best of Health!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

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