Best dog vitamins and supplements in 2021 – Insider

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Most dog owners consider their four-legged friend a member of the family. So it makes sense they’d want to support their health in every way possible. That may be why so many dog owners are interested in nutritional supplements for their dogs.
The world of dog supplements is vast. In fact, you can find pretty much any human supplement in a dog version: multivitamins, fish oil, and even CBD.
But most dogs really don’t need supplements, provided they’re being fed a high-quality, life-stage appropriate diet, according to Dr. Michelle E. Matusicky, a veterinarian and clinical assistant professor at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Matusicky adds that this is particularly true if your dog is eating food that adheres to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards — and most commercial pet foods do (see more about what to look for in our guide to the best dog food).
“Ready-made dog foods typically have all the nutrients that a dog needs in them,” says Dr. Lori M. Teller, a veterinarian and clinical associate professor at Texas A&M University. If you’re feeding your dog a homemade diet, however, check with your veterinarian about whether they need any extra nutrients.
So when does your dog need supplements? Generally, dogs need supplements when they’re dealing with a specific health issue, Teller says. And it’s super important that you talk to your vet before giving your dog any supplements, because the wrong dosage or supplement could make their health issue worse, Matusicky notes.
Sometimes people are hesitant to talk to their vet about the supplements they want to use. “Some people think that their veterinarian is just going to shut them down,” Teller says. “But veterinarians tend to be pretty receptive, and a lot of veterinarians use supplements for their own pets, so they put the time into researching when they’re indicated and which ones to use.”
To help you understand your options and what to look for in dog supplements, we’ve rounded up the best ones in several veterinarian-approved categories. Each supplement was evaluated based on a variety of criteria, including quality, price, flavoring, and veterinarians’ recommendations.
Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Dog Supplement is the best all-around fish oil supplement and comes recommended by one of the veterinarians we spoke with.
Pros: Known for quality, third-party tested, vet-recommended, comes in various sizes
Cons: Slightly more expensive than other options
Fish oil is one of the most popular dog supplements out there thanks to its high omega-3 fatty acid content. “Fatty acids, particularly omega-3s, may help dogs with arthritis and skin diseases,” Teller says. She personally recommends Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Dog Supplement. The brand is known for its rigorous quality standards and makes fish oil supplements for humans as well.
Nordic Naturals tests every batch of their products for environmental toxins and other contaminants. You can even enter the lot number listed on the package on the brand’s website to look up the test results and get a certificate of analysis. 
The liquid supplement is available in several different sizes based on the size of your dog. It is easy to add to your dog’s food in just the right dose, and it doesn’t contain any added flavoring. Dosage depends on your dog’s size and your vet’s recommendations, but assuming your dog is medium-size, this bottle will last you a little over a month.
The supplement is slightly more expensive than some of the other options in this category but not significantly pricier. The brand also makes the same supplement in soft gel form if the liquid version seems too messy.
Nutramax Laboratories Dasuquin Soft Chews for Dogs is a vet-recommended chewable joint health blend made by a well-trusted brand.
Pros: Quality tested, established brand, reasonably priced
Cons: Some may prefer liquids or capsules over chewables, flavors added
As dogs get older, joint diseases become more common. According to Teller, some of the most helpful supplements for these issues include glucosamine and chondroitin, which are often administered together for the best possible effect. Though research on dog supplements isn’t as robust as research on human ones, one review of 16 clinical trials did show that glucosamine supplements had a moderate positive effect on dogs with arthritis.
Recommended by Teller, Nutramax Laboratories (the makers of Dasuquin) manufactures several popular pet supplements. The brand is well-known for its rigorous quality standards and is a popular choice among vets. Compared to similar products, Dasuquin is affordable, costing about $17.50 a month for most dogs.
There are two versions of this supplement: One for dogs under 60 pounds, and another for dogs over 60 pounds. This helps to ensure that your pet gets enough of the key active ingredients: glucosamine hydrochloride and sodium chondroitin sulfate. The brand recommends starting with a higher amount of soft chews per day for the first 4 to 6 weeks, then tapering off to a lower dose for maintenance.
It’s worth noting that this supplement has flavors added. While that may be a plus for some dogs for ease of feeding, it can be a downside for any dogs on strict prescription diets or elimination diets for allergies. 
Dog Vites CoQ10 30mg Chewable is made by a human supplement brand, available in higher concentration than other options, and offers better value.
Pros: Quality tested, higher concentration, well-priced
Cons: Flavored
“Animals with heart disease may benefit from coenzyme Q10,” Teller says. Often shortened to CoQ10, this substance is also known as ubiquinol or ubiquinone. Similar to all the other nutrients in this guide, CoQ10 is definitely a supplement you want to talk to your veterinarian about. That’s because only certain heart conditions benefit from it, according to Teller.
Dog Vites may not be one of the biggest pet supplement brands on the market, but it’s manufactured by Health Thru Nutrition, a human supplement company that’s made in a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP)-certified facility that’s been inspected by both the NSF and National Products Association (NPA). So while the company doesn’t work with the most common pet supplement quality certification, National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), they are clearly invested in the safety and quality of their products.
One potential upside or downside, depending on your dog, is that this supplement is flavored. Aside from that, these chewables have 30mg of ubiquinone in each tablet. This concentration is on the higher end of what’s available commercially for pets, which means you’ll need fewer tablets to reach your vet’s recommended dose. Plus, these chewables are priced lower than several other comparable supplements we evaluated.
Thorne Vet B Complex is made by one of the most trusted brands in the human supplement industry and carries the NASC seal.
Pros: NASC seal, trusted brand, affordable, mix of B vitamins
Cons: Flavored, might be expensive for larger dogs
Some dogs with gastrointestinal issues can benefit from vitamin B supplements, Teller says. This is especially true if they’re having problems with malabsorption of their food. One sign of that would be chronically soft stools. “In these cases, vitamin B can be particularly helpful,” Teller adds.
In general, there aren’t as many options for B vitamin supplements for dogs, but this soft chew from Thorne Vet contains a blend of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and choline for a well-rounded mix. It’s specially formulated for digestive issues. Fun fact: It’s suitable for cats and horses, too.
Thorne is well-known and trusted in the human supplement space for the rigorous quality testing their supplements go through. It’s no surprise, then, that their pet supplements undergo a similar testing process and have the NASC seal.
In terms of cost, one container of 60 chews will last most medium-size dogs a month, since Thorne recommends one soft chew per day per 25 pounds of body weight. If you have a larger dog, this could get pricey. But overall, the price of this supplement makes sense for the quality.
Senilife Nutritional Supplement for Elderly Dogs is a vet’s-choice liquid cognitive blend that can be added to your dog’s usual food.
Pros: Unflavored, vet-recommended, highly concentrated, easy to add to normal food
Cons: Slightly pricey
As dogs get older, they may begin to experience brain aging symptoms like confusion or disorientation, barking or howling at night, and wandering aimlessly. Sometimes, these changes are due to a condition called canine cognitive dysfunction, nicknamed “doggy dementia” or “doggy Alzheimer’s.” Understandably, they can be very upsetting for both the dog and their guardian.
Some supplements contain blends of various nutrients that have shown promise in combating brain aging in dogs, and Senilife is Teller’s pick in this product category. It contains a mix of phosphatidylserine, pyridoxine, ginkgo biloba extract, resveratrol, and d-alpha-tocopherol, all of which are thought to help improve age-related cognitive symptoms in dogs. Senilife is made by the same company that manufactures Adaptil, a medicated collar that helps ease anxiety, so it’s well-established within the pet health space.
Senilife is an unflavored liquid supplement that comes in individual capsules you can open and pour over your dog’s usual food. Most dogs won’t even notice they’re eating something new or different, which can be a huge plus in this group.
There are also different formulations of the supplement for different sizes of dogs, which means you can choose the version that’s right for your individual pet. Depending on how many capsules of the supplement your dog needs per day, it can get a bit expensive. That said, many users say Senilife has made a big difference in their aging dog’s symptoms.
To select supplements for this guide, we evaluated over 30 different products based on the following criteria.
Third-party testing: Just like human supplements, there’s not much regulation over veterinary supplements, Teller says. “You want supplements that have been verified by Consumer Lab, or by another independent third party that says the supplements contain the ingredients and the amount of those ingredients listed on the label.” These third-party organizations also look for contamination with lead, mercury, and other potential toxins. Organizations that test pet supplements include NSF International and National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
Good value for the price: As you might expect, price doesn’t always indicate quality when it comes to dog supplements. “Of course, the flip side of that is you get what you pay for,” Teller says. “Some supplements may be a little bit more expensive because they’re putting in that extra research and quality control.”
One way we evaluated value was to look at the concentration of each supplement relative to its price. Supplements that were priced similarly to others but had much lower concentrations of the key nutrients received lower ratings in our evaluation process. Supplements with higher concentrations of ingredients are likely to last longer since you’ll need less of the supplement to reach your vet’s recommended dose.
Added flavors and other ingredients: Flavoring isn’t always an important factor, but it’s something to consider. “Pet supplements often have flavoring in them for taste — chicken, beef, or fish flavoring being most common — and these will disrupt any pet that is on a food trial for allergies, potentially causing more harm than good,” Matusicky says. Of course, in some cases flavoring might be a plus because it’s easier to get your dog to eat the supplement. That said, we did give supplements without extra flavoring slightly higher marks than those that were flavored.
Veterinarian recommended: We took veterinarian recommendations and favorite products into account when evaluating each supplement. Many veterinarians sell supplements in their offices. If you prefer not to buy supplements from your vet, they can still give you recommendations on what to look for and brands they trust.
We considered several supplements in each category for this guide.
Omega-3’s/Fish Oil
There are lots of good options in this category, but Nordic Naturals won out because of its vet recommendation, concentration, and adaptability to different sizes of dogs. Except for Active Chews, all of the below supplements are third-party tested for quality. Amazing Nutritionals’ product is less concentrated than the others, and Ready Pet Go!, Vita Pet Life, Amazing Nutritionals, and Zesty Pets Soft Chews have added flavoring.
 
Joint Health
Products from Dr. Lyon’s and Well & Good are not third-party tested for quality. All of the products in this category are flavored, and all are a good value for the price in terms of concentration. Nutramax’s products were recommended by Teller, but Dasequin won out because it’s better-priced.
 
CoQ10
Products from Dr. Harvey’s, Naturvet, and Nutrition Strength do not clearly state that they’re third-party tested for quality. Additionally, many of the products we looked at in this category had lower concentrations of ubiquinol (CoQ10) and higher prices.
 
Dr. Harvey’s Coenzyme Q10 Dog Supplement, 60 count
VetriScience Coenzyme Q10, 10mg Dog & Cat Capsules, 100 count
Rx Vitamins for Pets CoQ10-30 for Dogs & Cats – Pharmaceutical Grade Ubiquinone – Professional Veterinary Formula, 30 softgels
NaturVet Senior Advanced 5-In-1 Support Soft Dog Chew, 60 count
Nutrition Strength Coenzyme Q10 for Dogs, 120 chewable tablets
Wonder Paws Cardio Support for Dogs, 90 soft chews
Vitamin B
There are fewer commercially available supplements in this category. Rx Vitamins’ product has poor concentration for the price, and only Cobalequin is third-party tested for quality.
 
Cognitive Supplements
PetLab Co. and Drs. Foster and Smith’s products do not state that they’re third-party tested and are lower-concentration for the price. All of the products in this category that weren’t selected have flavors added, and only the winning product from this category (Senilife) was veterinarian-recommended.
 
In short, there’s no single best supplement for dogs. In fact, the best supplement for your dog is going to depend on their individual health, and any other medications they might be taking, Teller says. “It’s really worth consulting with your veterinarian,” she adds.
It depends on whether or not your dog has any health conditions that can be helped by supplements. “Certain health conditions such as osteoarthritis and certain advanced endocrine diseases may necessitate supplementation,” Matusicky says. “However, this is always patient-specific and should only be instituted under the advice of your veterinarian.”
“In many instances, owners can do more harm than good to their animals with supplements, as even the most benign supplement can be dangerous if given at the wrong dose,” Matusicky says.
In particular, there are a couple of supplements to be especially cautious with: CBD and anything containing essential oils.
The bottom line with CBD is that though it’s very trendy right now, we need more research on what it can do for dogs, Teller says. “It may play a role in helping with arthritis and seizures in dogs with epilepsy,” she adds. But there are major risks to getting the dose wrong, including liver injury and disease.
Essential oils are also popular and might even be included in more homeopathic-type dog supplements, but Teller warns that dog owners should be especially careful with these. “Essential oils can be highly toxic to pets, and you definitely need to talk to your veterinarian about those,” she says. 
Lastly, many supplements can interfere with prescription medications your dog might be on for issues like immune, kidney, and liver diseases. “A lot of times, people start adding supplements and herbs on top, thinking it can’t hurt,” Teller says. “But in actuality, these can impact the absorption of medication that’s been prescribed or cause an adverse reaction.”
“Supplements, in general, are completely unnecessary,” Matusicky says. Specifically, multivitamins are a waste of money, Teller adds. As long as your dog is eating high-quality dog food , they’re getting all the nutrients a multivitamin would give them.
But targeted supplements for specific health issues may be helpful, provided you have your veterinarian’s approval.
“As dogs age, they can develop any number of ailments,” Matusicky says. “Depending on what’s going on, different diets and supplements may be recommended.” There are some supplements that are helpful for arthritis (glucosamine, omega-3s/fish oil) and “doggy dementia” (cognitive dysfunction blends) in particular, Teller notes.
Veterinarians use probiotics frequently, Teller says, particularly when dogs are dealing with diarrhea after being on antibiotics or experiencing certain types of anxiety. But similar to how probiotics work in humans, the benefits are strain-specific. In other words, you need to pick the specific strain that helps with a specific health issue, otherwise the probiotic won’t have an effect. “If you have an overall healthy animal, there’s not a great indication for probiotics,” Teller says.
Getting supplement dosage right is extremely important, according to Matusicky and Teller. “A lot of times, supplements may not have enough or may have too much, and different conditions require different dosages,” Teller says. “So it would be really a good idea to consult with your veterinarian about the condition you want to use that supplement for to make sure you’re giving your dog the right dose.”
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