DIY (sort of) Supplement Blend
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.
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