What to watch for when buying supplements for your pet:
- “Tested by an FDA approved laboratory”-The FDA DOES NOT APPROVE laboratories! A lab can register with the FDA but that entails other accreditations.
- “Pharmaceutical grade”-manufacturers may claim ingredients meet a USP (U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention) standard, if one exists but there is no such thing for a “pharmaceutical grade” for most supplements.
- “Contains clinically tested ingredients”-Just because something is “tested”, does not mean it has been “proven” to work. Anything can be “tested”…BUT DOES IT WORK ONCE IN THE PATIENT??!! If the ingredient has been proven to work, is it in the right dose of the product?
- Supplements are not legally considered drugs and cannot claim to cure, treat, or diagnose a disease. Supplements that claim any of these are illegal as there are no drug studies behind them to prove this (no FDA drug application with studies needed for approval).
- Gummy formulas may enable ingredients to be less stable than those in tablets and capsules and the USP holds gummies to lower standards than tablets and capsules.
- “Proprietary brands/formulas/complexes” may in fact, contain little of the ingredient listed. Products such as curcumin, chondroitin, SAMe may actually have less of that ingredient to which the manufacturer claims in the formula. Always look for the exact amount of the ingredient i.e. magnesium 110mg vs. magnesium bisglycinate which contains only 14% of magnesium.
- Herbs such as 200mg turmeric EXTRACT may contain only 36mg curcumin-good labels show how much of the active ingredient is in the extract.
- “Quality tested” or “Third Party Tested” mean nothing if the third party is not identified.
- While many products sold on Amazon.com are good, there have been reports of counterfeit supplements which contain only a fraction of what is advertised. Examples include: Berberine, Bromelain, SAMe, Quercetin, Turmeric/curcumin, and Immune Support products. Try and purchase supplements and prescription medications from your veterinarian as they know where they came from, have proper storage of the products, and most have a high turnover keeping them “fresh”.
- Thanks to consumerlab.com (Dr. Cooperman) and the NASC seal (Bill Bookout) on supplements for their guidance on what to watch for in supplements which are not FDA regulated.