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I’m not a fan of supplements because it’s so easy to be get suckered into buying everything folks recommend and, before you know it, you’re spending 30 minutes adding a 1/4 tsp of this, that, and that over there to everyone’s meal.
A few years ago, I began looking at supplements differently. Instead of buying a ton of different pills and powders, I decided to focus on what each of my dogs need. And, WOW! This saved me a ton of time and money.
Creating a Supplement Blend for My Dogs
After losing Sydney, my focus was turned to making sure our remaining dogs lived long, healthy lives. I spent a day mixing up a supplement blend using all of the supplements that support immune system health. A friend asked me how I know that I’m giving my dogs enough – is this supplement even working for my dogs? Yeah, I know that each container has a recommended dosage, but I don’t buy into that because…
Supplements aren’t Formulated for Raw Fed Dogs
I doubt that many of the supplements I buy had raw fed dogs in mind. Instead, they’re correcting deficiencies and health issues in dogs fed a kibble diet. I believe that my dogs are much healthier than they would have been if fed kibble – so I don’t have to add as much of a supplement.
Dosage Recommendations are a Farce, Right?
Sometimes I put on my fashionable tin foil hat and on one of these days, I wondered if the recommended dosage was for a healthy dog, a sick dog, or to get us to use as much of the supplement as quickly as possible so that we had to buy more.
So, that’s when I decided that mixing everything together isn’t a bad idea.
I mix up a batch of this supplement blend and transfer it to 5-6 small glass containers. And I add 2 teaspoons to each dog’s meal (except Scout, because of the chemo) daily.
Benefits of Mixing Up a Supplement Blend
I’ve been using this supplement blend for nearly a year and, as I stated above, I know that my dogs are getting the benefits.
- Rodrigo is 11 years old and still active and spry.
- Zoey is seven and acts like a three year old.
- Scout’s cancer, which is aggressive, remained at a stage that is manageable and he’s strong enough to handle chemo.
- Apollo is a gorgeous, healthy dog of two years.
Of course, feeding a raw food diet, skipping on the vaccinations, and limiting access to toxins is helping too.
Over the past year, I’ve compiled a short list of benefits of mixing all of my supplements together:
- saves me a lot of money – I only have to buy many of the supplements I use once a year; I don’t use as much as I have in the past.
- saves me time – instead of scooping something from several containers, I take two small scoops from one container.
- easier to mix into a meal – when I was using separate supplements, my dogs’ meals because kind of chalky and I had to add lots of water to blend the powders in.
- I don’t forget a supplement – and, with so many different supplements, I would forget all the time and that’s when I began to wonder “are these even working?” Now, I no longer forget nor do I have to wonder.
Downsides to Mixing Up a Supplement Blend
Although I think I’m a genius for coming up with this idea (although, this isn’t an original idea), there is one downside (possibly more) to this idea.
I’m not a veterinarian or a nutritionist so everything I do is a guess based on experience and online research. While I think my supplement blend is working for my dogs, I can’t guarantee that this is the great idea that I think it is. And this is why I chose to focus on supplements that support the immune system rather than willy/nilly adding powders to a bowl and calling myself a formulator.
So, if you’re reading this and want to do something similar, then I suggest following my lead. Choose a grouping of supplements that have one thing in common – immune system boost, joint health, or urinary tract health. As you’re making a list of supplements to add to your blend, make sure they don’t cancel each other out, that you don’t add so much of a supplement that it leads to digestive upset, or so little that it may as well not be in there.
DIY (Sort Of) Supplement Blend Recipe
You don’t need a recipe to mix a set of supplements. I didn’t need one. I’m simply sharing this as an option that has been working for my dogs.
However, if you’d like to see my recipe, join me over on Patreon where I share exclusive content (like recipes) to my supporters. It’s an affordable monthly fee, I won’t spam you with tons of emails, and you’re helping to keep my dogs living the lifestyle to which they’ve become accustomed.
If you already do something similar, I’d love to hear about it. Please share in the comments below.
Read More About Supplements for Dogs
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