Are dietary supplements living up to their promise?

A new survey by Yummypets, powered by Loop, among some 2,500 pet owners in France, the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil and Mexico reveals that just 30% of cats and 42% of dogs are given dietary supplements every day.

How often are supplements given?

Pet owners in North America are the most likely to give their pet a supplement every day (40%), followed by European owners (37%). But just over three out of 10 pet parents in Latin America (32%) administer this type of product on a daily basis.

The majority of pet parents give supplements between one and six times a week. This is seen the most among the respondents in Mexico and Brazil (36%). At the other end of the scale, 23% of all cat owners in the survey, and 14% of all dog owners, only give a supplement to their pets once a year or less.

Expected health benefits

Of all the benefits the respondents expect from a dietary supplement for their pet, the ones most mentioned are skin and coat health as well as digestive health. These benefits are particularly valued among US pet owners, at 63% and 62% respectively. Digestive health is the most valued benefit in Mexico, at 60%.

General wellness and dental health also rank highly among pet owners’ expectations, according to the survey. Brazilian (60%) and French (53%) owners have the highest expectations for general wellness, while dental health tops the list of expectations in the UK, at 51%.

Generation X (aged 44-59) pet owners agree that these four benefits are why they use supplements. Meanwhile, Gen Z (18-27) pet owners are more likely to give supplements for stress, urinary health, appetite, cognitive health and, to a certain degree, heart health.

Canine vs feline wellness

There are significant differences between owner expectations of benefits for dogs and cats. Dog owners often use supplements for joint health (49%) whereas for cats this figure is just 21%. Cat owners see the urinary and kidney health benefits (33%), while this is of less interest to those who own dogs (13%). It’s a known fact that cats can be difficult eaters, so unsurprisingly their owners use supplements for appetite stimulation (22%) more than dog owners (12%).

Preferred formats

While chews are the most preferred globally – particularly among dog owners (71%) – the survey shows that pet owners are open to other formats too. The second most popular for cats is liquids and pastes (both 43%). For dogs this is tablets (42%).

Preferences differ in global regions and among subgroups. For instance, Latin American and Gen Z pet owners are more likely to give pastes to their pets, while North American, female and millennial (those aged 28-43) pet owners prefer powders. In Europe, pet owners are more likely to give tablets, while male North American pet owners favor chews.

Mix to taste

In terms of administration, 65% of all cat owners mix dietary supplements into wet food, while 39% do so with dry food. Other methods for cats include placing directly in the mouth (30%) and spreading on a treat or coating it (27%). Some 17% of the respondents mix supplements with water or other liquids to give to their cats.

Dog owners also mostly administer a dietary supplement by mixing it with wet food (49%) or dry food (51%), while 40% directly place it in their pet’s mouth. About three in 10 of them add the supplement to a treat in some way, while 15% give it to their dog mixed with a liquid.

Positive feedback

Globally, more than eight in 10 (81%) cat and dog owners believe their pets respond positively when given supplements. About one in seven (14%) say their pets respond neutrally, while 5% say they get negative reactions.

The survey noted no differences in the observations of subgroups, except that cat owners notice more negative reactions overall (8% vs 4% for dogs) and women do too (8% vs 1% for men).