The changing landscape of pet supplements: from CBD to salmon

No longer a luxury

It is a great time to be a pet because wellness and self-care are growing trends among owners – especially millennials, who tend to view pet supplements as a necessity rather than a luxury. They are more health  conscious, sometimes even to the extreme, and inform themselves about the origin, quality and health effects of ingredients. This is continually changing the landscape of health supplements for pets.

Personalisation

In today’s abundance of choice, direct-to-consumer brands that offer personalised supplements are gaining popularity among these demanding customers. Unique supplements tailored to the needs of each pet – from multifunctional to specific, like joint or gut health, skin or immunity issues – are now an important market trend.
Specialisation
On the other hand, there will always be companies specialised in specific ingredients. They focus on improving them to perfection and diversify by adding other ingredients to the original product.

One example of this specialisation are honeybee products like propolis and pollen. These are used mainly due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, but other functional ingredients can also be added – such as glucosamine for joint health or ginger for digestion.

Popularity mirrors human trends

The demand for each ingredient changes dynamically over time, and predicting the next big hit is always a challenge for the innovation-driven pet food industry. Modern customers increasingly search for less common health solutions; they will perhaps prefer sea buckthorn oil over ginger for gastric problems. But the popularity of pet supplements can also be predicted to some extent: it mirrors the trends in human supplements, albeit with a slight delay.
Healthy oils
For example, after the antioxidant craze we are now witnessing rising interest in healthy oils – from fish oils to CBD oil. Fish oils are considered to be a rich source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), known to have various anti-inflammatory effects as well as promoting brain function and vision. In a 90-day study in dogs, supplementation with salmon oil had a positive influence on semen quality and serum testosterone levels.

Since some dry pet foods lack these fatty acids, many owners search for adequate fish-oil-based supplements. Atlantic krill oil is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and believed to be more stable and better absorbed, making it a good alternative to fish oils.

CBD and salmon

Due to a multitude of alleged health effects (from pain reduction to epileptic seizure control), the cannabidiol CBD has been in growing demand for some time, leading to increasing availability of various CBD-based products for pets as well as humans. In view of the good palatability of salmon oil and above-mentioned health benefits, it could plausibly be combined with CBD oil as a powerful health supplement for pets.

One thing is for sure: the pet supplement landscape is continuously changing in its constant endeavour to innovate in line with customer demands.