Wrangling the Wild West of Pet Supplements

Episode 79 • 4th March 2026 • Barking Mad • BSM Partners

00:13

Jordan Tyler

The global pet supplement market is now worth somewhere between 2 and a half and $3,000,000,000, and it's showing no signs of slowing. With steady growth projected over the next several years, we could be looking at a 4 to $6,000,000,000 category by the end.

00:29

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Of this decade. That growth isn't random. It's driven by pet humanization, rising pet care costs, preventative health trends, and a whole lot of pet parents who just want more healthy years with their animals. But here's the uncomfortable truth.

00:45

Jordan Tyler

From a regulatory standpoint, supplements can feel a little untamed. Some products on the market technically qualify as unapproved drugs, depending on.

00:56

Dr. Stephanie Clark

How they're marketed. Which makes this space complicated to say the least. Because unlike pharmaceuticals, supplements don't go through formal FDA pre approvals for safety and efficacy before they hit the shelves. And that leaves room for confusion and the occasional bad actors.

01:15

Jordan Tyler

So you've got a booming market, high consumer demand, emotional decision making, and inconsistent oversight. That's a volatile mix.

01:25

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Hang on. It's not complete chaos. There is an organization working behind the scenes to bring structure, accountability, and science to this category.

01:35

Jordan Tyler

Today, we're unpacking the National Animal Supplement Council and the NASC seal. What it does, what it doesn't do, and how pet owners can use it as a.

01:45

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Resource for finding trusted brands and formulations. And in today's episode, the moment you all, I definitely have all been waiting for, We have a very special guest on today's episode making his debut. It's Rufus. Our lovingly snarky schnauzer who has some thoughts, some very spicy thoughts about today's conversation.

02:08

Jordan Tyler

So if you've ever stood in the pet supplement aisle wondering whether that mobility chew actually contains what it claims or if it's just label candy, this episode's for you.

02:19

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Welcome to Barking Mad, a podcast by BSM Partners. We're your hosts, doctor Stephanie Clark. And I'm Jordan Tyler.

02:28

Jordan Tyler

So I think to really kick us off today, we should first get an understanding of the supplement landscape. I know we just kinda went through it super high level, but let's dig a little deeper here. There are a few things that have led to this rise of pet supplementation. And really, it does come down to what you said, doctor Stuff, earlier. People just wanna do right by their pets. They wanna make sure that they're comfortable, they're well fed, they're not having any discomfort, and that they're staving off any negative health issues or diseases and anything like that. So why everybody's so obsessed with pet supplements? Because they're a form of preventative care.

03:07

Jordan Tyler

Rising costs of pet care, everything from the veterinarian's office to the food that you buy to the services that your you and your pet use, those prices are rising as we trend more toward preventative care and shift more from, you know, reactively supporting our pet's health. You know, if something's wrong, take them to the vet and move toward proactively supporting their health. And this, I think, is really just pet owners are paying more attention. They're keeping closer tabs. They're keeping an eye on their overall health comfort, well-being, and recognizing supplements as a way to.

03:47

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Fill any gaps or meet any unmet needs that they perceive that their pet has. We wanna provide comfort or at least alleviate some discomfort. Right? I mean, I've got older dogs. Sometimes they jump off the couch. Sometimes they go up the stairs a little bit more slowly, and then I'm like, maybe a joint supplement would help. But if I'm walking down the aisle, and I look at the supplement aisle, or I go online and look, I mean, how many joint supplements? And I'm picking on joint supplement because I've got older dogs, but how many are out there? And then we start thinking about, like, what are the similarities and differences between human supplements and pet supplements? And I'm sure we pick pet supplements based on what we would pick for ourselves or what we think we want to see in our supplements.

04:40

Dr. Stephanie Clark

And I guess the similarity is it's kind of a mixed bag. Right? Like, we go to the supplement aisle at a food store, a grocery store, and you hope and you pray and you're picking that the supplement that says on the label x y z is in here, you hope x y z is in there. But that's not always the case because there's really no governing body saying like, yep, we've tested this. What's on the label is in there. And actually, there's quite a bit of research that people have picked up these supplements and tested them, and then what is actually in the supplement, whether it's a tab, chew, powder, whatever you wanna call it, and what's on the label aren't matching. And the same is true for our pet supplements. Now, the human supplements, they're regulated by the FDA as food, not drug.

05:34

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So there's a little bit of regulation there. But, you know, just like in pet with all things, it's it's a slow trend to following that regulative and regulatory path that we have in the human supplements. So there are some regulations around it, but it's not as rigorous as we would like. So, yeah, it can be really confusing. And that confusion causes mistrust and a rift. And then you've got these pet owners who are stuck in the middle of, I just wanna do right. I just wanna pick something that's efficacious or something that is going to when I give it to my pet, is going to have some sort of positive result.

06:15

Jordan Tyler

But you're totally right. It's it's totally created a rift in the market and that pet owners feel like not all companies are telling them the truth. But it's definitely cropping up here in the pet supplement space as well. And take it from our first guest, Vincent Bierzak. He's the vice president and general manager and the chief marketing officer for Pet Ag, which is animal nutrition company that's historically focused on milk replacers but is now expanding into all sorts of supplements for all sorts of companion animals.

06:49

Vincent Biroscak

I think if there's one thing that I've learned over my career in this category specifically, trust is the currency with which we play. And if you have that, you can leverage that. And if you lose that, it's really tough to get back. And there have been, exposes and reports on human supplements and the quality of human supplements, and in some cases, the lack of alignment between what some of these independent testing bodies found in the product versus what was claimed on the label. In some cases in the human supplement space, there have been reports of a lot of these human supplements having, being contaminated with heavy metals. And, you know, that gets into a consumer's mind when they read about that, and it sits in the back of their mind, and they think, well, what does this mean for pets and pet supplements?

07:44

Vincent Biroscak

And how do I ensure that, you know, first and foremost, they're gonna be safe for my pets?

07:49

Dr. Stephanie Clark

On the other hand, pet supplements are regulated at the state and federal level. Lisa Moltke, director of regulatory affairs at H and H Group, which owns the Zesty Paws supplement brand, you know, those orange tubes you've probably seen on the shelves and online, says that pet supplement space is regulated pretty differently compared to human supplement regulations.

08:10

Leasa Moltke

I think one of the biggest misconceptions on both the supplement and the animal food industry side is that consumers think that they're not as regulated as human supplements and food, which in my opinion, it's actually kind of opposite. Pet supplements and pet foods are regulated at a much higher level, in my opinion, not just federally, but with every single state.

08:38

Jordan Tyler

Let's hear from another regulatory expert, doctor Emily Taylor Cotton, director of food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory services at BSM Partners, about why the way pet supplements are regulated feels kinda like the Wild West.

08:56

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

Why it kinda becomes the Wild West, we say, is that, is there are a lot of supplements out on the market that are using ingredients that aren't recognized by AFCO or GRAS.

09:09

Jordan Tyler

Okay. When doctor Taylor Cotton says GRAS, she's not talking about your lawn. She's talking about generally recognized as safe, g r a s, or GRAS, a regulatory pathway that allows ingredients to enter the food supply for people and for animals without formal approval from the FDA, but only when the safety of that ingredient is, quote, unquote, generally recognized as safe by qualified experts. So think of things like vegetable oils, salt, citric acid. These are things that we've all been consuming for a long time, and they have proven histories of being safe for consumption. Anyway, back to doctor Taylor Cotton.

09:51

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

And an example for that would be like glucosamine and chondroitin. You know, we Texas has a a concentration max on both of those, whereas maybe other states don't. And so it could kinda go all over the place, right, of what you're going to put into a supplement and how much glucose immune or controlling you're going to use, but Texas highly regulates that.

10:14

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So, yeah, that's why pet supplements sometimes feel like the wild west. Oh,

10:27

Audio Compilation

Hey, Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. We all know Rufus. Everybody loves Rufus. He's a great dog.

10:34

Rufus

Hang on. Rufus is here now. I've got some beef with this wild west. Like, where is the sheriff for pet supplements, and why is he on vacation?

10:45

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Well, Rufus, it's not that simple.

10:48

Rufus

It never is with these things. Is there at least a badge, a whistle, a strongly worded memo?

10:56

Dr. Stephanie Clark

I mean, there are regulators, guidelines, audits.

11:01

Rufus

So there is structure, I see, but also 50 different rule books, depending on what state you're in, of course, right?

11:09

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Yeah, that can happen.

11:11

Rufus

So when pet parents feel confused, they aren't completely crazy then?

11:16

Dr. Stephanie Clark

No, no, it is that complicated.

11:19

Rufus

I just want to know that what's on the label is actually in the jar. Is that too much to ask?

11:24

Dr. Stephanie Clark

It shouldn't be, but sometimes it can be. And that's exactly why we're doing this episode, you know?

11:30

Rufus

Yes. Makes sense now. But what do I know? I'm just a dog. Alright then. Back to the dog house I go. I'll pop by later if I have any more grievances. Take care and mind yourselves.

11:44

Jordan Tyler

Oh, Rufus. Here is another thing about pet supplements is states are very particular about ingredients and claims that supplement brands can actually put on a label. So they break this out into two different categories. Claims fall under either a nutritional claim or a drug claim. So an example of a nutritional claim would be something like supports healthy joint function, helps maintain a healthy skin and coat. Something essentially that supports a normal bodily function. Right? It's not promising to cure anything. It's not promising to mitigate anything or promote or I don't know, doctor Steph. Is prevent one of those no words for a nutritional supplement?

12:34

Dr. Stephanie Clark

It is. And even promotes can be a little too far out there. Right?

12:41

Jordan Tyler

What are some examples of drug claims? Like, if you see this claim on a label, on a supplement label, you know, it should be regulated at the federal level.

12:51

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Yeah. So by no means, not a regulatory here, but there's, like, two things we need to look for. One is the type of control or action word. Right? So, like, prevents, reduces, controls, mitigates, cures, treats. But then is it a condition? So hip dysplasia, inflammation, seizures, anxiety, those any one kind of combination of all of those is a huge red flag. Yeah. And you know who will agree and appreciate that sentiment, doctor Stuff, is Bill Bookout. So he is the president, board chair, and the founding member of the National Animal Supplement Council or the NASC. And let's hear what he has to say.

13:39

Bill Bookout

Say in terms of claims, if a company mentions a disease, they're violating the law or implies. So diagnose, prevent, treat, cure, mitigate disease. So if you see a company that talks about relieving pain and chronic pain in dogs with osteoarthritis or cancer or IBD or any other chronic condition or disease, those companies are violating state and federal law. Right? Now some companies make mistakes just because they don't know any better. Companies that make claims that sound too good to be true probably are.

14:16

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So all of this regulation, yet still there's plenty of room for bad actors and misleading claims. So ecommerce makes it easy for brands to, quote unquote, fly under the radar. And issues of what we call, like, either pixie dusting or label candy, where it's things you want to see on the label, but maybe either don't have enough research to back up that support, or are not in at the amount that really is going to give that benefit. An example of this is chamomile. We love chamomile. We love to drink chamomile tea. We think it's very calming and relaxing, and there is a fair amount of studies for humans that it does. However, not so many studies in pets. But when people are picking up pet supplements for calming, they flip over, and they wanna see chamomile on the ingredient list.

15:15

Dr. Stephanie Clark

But that doesn't really have much research to back it up. So it that could also be considered kind of label candy. It's something that we want. It's something because we like it, but it maybe isn't really beneficial. Alright. So there you have kind.

15:28

Jordan Tyler

Of the lay of the land of the pet supplement environment. But before we dive even deeper into some of those challenges and others, let's chat about why a pet would even need a supplement in the first place. So to educate us on that, we have doctor Bradley Quest, principal veterinarian at BSM Partners.

15:50

Dr. Bradley Quest

You know, things like, you know, joint health is a big one. You know, skin and coat, think it's pretty well documented that in a lot of cases skin and coat type supplements can help pets with, you know, skin issues, digestive issues, know, there are gonna be a lot of, you know, medical conditions where it might beneficial and I'll use myself as an example. I've taken joint health supplements for, you know, a long time and I think they help me but what I look for are supplement companies who are using existing research.

16:29

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Yeah. Doctor. Quest definitely mentioned skin and coat, joint, and digestive health. But I think another one that's getting popular, and for better or for worse, right, is calming. And I and I say better or for worse is that's really difficult to formulate something because calming is kind of in the eye of the beholder. It's really subjective. Like, what your definition of calm for your dog may not be the same definition of calm for my dog. And so the functional or the active ingredients that we can actually put into supplements, very little research on it. And then what research is, some actually have patents, so we can't use it across the board. So it makes formulating that particular supplement for that particular condition, really difficult.

17:20

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. I think the other thing for me, and this is probably I'm biased here as well because I had a senior dog up until recently, but I have seen so many supplements that are, like, targeting, you know, like, you know, your golden years, you know, your dog's in their golden years. Don't you wanna make sure that they're still comfortable, and all that? But, otherwise, I'd say those are the big ones that I've usually seen.

17:43

Dr. Stephanie Clark

You know, supplements are not like pharmaceuticals. So they're going to take time before they become efficacious. You know, a joint supplement may take thirty, sixty, ninety days before you start seeing an effect.

17:57

Bill Bookout

I think supplements are beneficial, but again, they're not a magic bullet. I think what we want to achieve for our animals is the same thing we want to achieve for ourselves. Long, happy, healthy life to the maximum degree possible. Supplements are a valuable component of that. But it's a three-dimensional sphere that makes up this thing that we look at as health and wellness and longevity. Diet, exercise, home environment, supplements, there are many factors involved.

18:27

Jordan Tyler

So pet supplements can certainly beneficial for pets who need.

18:31

Dr. Stephanie Clark

A little extra support. But like Bill says, they're not a silver bullet approach. So folks, let's have just a real quick recap. Because if you're anything like me, regulatory can get in the weeds real quick. The FDA regulates products that carry drug claims, so treating, preventing, diagnosing, all of that good stuff. AFCO regulates nutritional supplements, and these are going to provide b twelve, like Jordan was talking about, or enzymes for digestion, or extra fats, or proteins, that sort of stuff. The NASC co regulates with these entities, helping brands understand where the regulation burdens of proof lie, and how labels should read based on what's actually in their supplements and the promises or the claims that they can make.

19:26

Jordan Tyler

So let's learn some more about the National Animal Supplement Council or the NASC, which is not a regulatory body but works closely between regulatory bodies and brand owners to help them navigate this, quote, unquote, Wild West environment. It has one of the world's most advanced post market product monitoring systems. So that's essentially once a product has been certified, it continues to be monitored by the NASC program just to make sure that it doesn't fall out of compliance down the road. This certification tracks more than 6,500 products and 1,400 ingredients, and it's growing. But I won't say anymore. Let's just hear it from Bill.

20:09

Bill Bookout

Usually, when you talk to somebody like me who's the president of a trade association, you get an attorney or you get a former regulator, and I'm neither one of those. I'm a business guy, and I was the executive in the medical device and drug industry. But I had two Labrador retrievers, one of them had cancer. He was given a very poor prognosis. You know, I'm looking for help, and you know, I wanted to achieve for my dog the same thing I think that we all want to achieve for our pets. We want them to live a long happy healthy life to the maximum degree possible. So I find a veterinarian formulated a supplement, completely changed his diet, and he lived two and a half years good quality of life, which wasn't long enough, but I was thankful for that.

20:48

Bill Bookout

know, help animals. So I did: 1999

21:36

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Certifications are a great way for consumers to discover brands who are really putting their money where their mouth is.

21:43

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

They take everything to the next level for the pet parents. And so what a brand has to do for NASC is they have to provide them with a lot of information. All of the studies that they've done, information on the ingredient, information on the supplier where they're getting these active ingredients from, NASC does a full dive into all of these active ingredients as well as the manufacturers. And it's, basically, there's that next level of guarantee that, you know, that deep dive has been done, that if they're looking for a supplement, one that one more level that they can trust would be looking for that NASC seal.

22:30

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So let's hear how this process actually shakes out, like, life, how it looks. By supplement brands who've been there, who've done it, who have been through the thick of it. So let's hear directly from Ryan Frank, head of research and development and regulatory affairs at pet supplement brand, Pet Honesty. Ryan, anything surprise you as you went through the NASC certification process with Pet Honesty?

22:56

Ryan Frank

So it's not a casual audit. It takes commitment, by the company. For us, it's a multifunctional audit for us where we bring in r and d, regulatory, our quality team. But one thing to answer your question that kind of surprised me was, I think, just the comprehensive how comprehensive the audit is, where they're looking at manufacturing, labeling, off pack labeling with your, you know, what are you selling on how are you selling on Amazon? How are you positioned on Amazon Chewy?

23:31

Ryan Frank

And then I'd say the last one would be finished product testing, you know, that not only should we require as a brand to ensure that our product meets label claims, but you also have NASC confirming that you are doing testing and that you, what you're putting on your label is truthful and not misleading, and that right there fits really well into why we got the certification. What you put on the label must match what's in that jar.

24:01

Jordan Tyler

According to Lisa at Zesty Pause, the NASC certification goes beyond spot checking and conducts comprehensive audits so nothing slips through the cracks.

24:11

Leasa Moltke

It's actually a very intensive process. So they're auditing not only, you know, your products themselves, but they audit your quality processes, you know, your SOPs, manufacturing information. They look at all your labels, all of your marketing collateral, anything that might be out there on the Internet, whether it's with ecom companies or even third party people, like testimonials, that kind of thing. It takes initially many months. They also do a biannual audit. So every two years, a member company is audited again, where they kinda go through the same process. So, yeah, NASC does a a really good job in checking up on companies and making sure that everything that we're doing is in compliance with federal regulations and state regulations.

25:09

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Once a brand is an NASC member and carries that seal, it can still be confusing when launching new supplements into the market. This comes back to the claims thing we all talked about earlier. And according to Vincent, there is still significant gray areas here for both brands and the NISC to navigate.

25:28

Vincent Biroscak

I mean, you're talking to someone who's been in this area for twenty five years, and it's still incredibly confusing. And, the NISC will tell you if it's not something that's black or white, yes or no, you absolutely can or cannot do this, there's a lot of gray. So what they will provide you with is a perspective and a risk assessment that ultimately it's on the manufacturer to determine the level of risk that they want to assume in making a particular claim, for example. So complex. This is what keeps me up at night because there's no clear definition even between a functional treat and a supplement. So a lot of it is how you market it and what you intend the use for.

26:16

Jordan Tyler

So it's not just the way that supplements are regulated that makes them so mysterious. There's also the fact that there's a limited amount of clinical peer reviewed publicly accessible research around pet supplement ingredients and formulations. And doctor Stuff, you brought this up earlier, but there's a few different reasons for this. Right? Companies, first of all, have pretty much no financial incentive to invest time and money into research because the pet food industry, there's a lot of what people consider proprietary information, and so that's why they won't publish research because it they would have to divulge that proprietary information in the research. So that's another reason. But bottom line, it's super expensive. It takes a lot of time.

27:04

Dr. Stephanie Clark

I get it. Research is expensive. It is. And and at the end of the day, everyone, every business needs to make money. But to really substantiate these claims, research should be done, and safety should be tested.

27:16

Bill Bookout

Right. Research costs money. So how do you recoup the investment when there's very little intellectual property protection for natural substances? Right? You can have your company do a great clinical study and substantiate the claims on your product. Maybe even claims that you could use disconnected with marketing. But somebody else could come in and build a spat supplement company, knock off your product, reverse engineer it, sell it cheaper than you. Right? So when people say, well I won't buy supplements until I see more research. Really the right question is why isn't there more research on supplements? Right? And the two limiting factors are, you might substantiate a claim that you can't use. And how do you recoup the investment? Given limited protection via intellectual property, meaning patents or other IP.

28:11

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Coming full circle here, this may be why the pet supplement market feels like a bait and switch. Nobody wants to make their private intellectual property, the thing that differentiates their business, available for other people to take. Whether it's ingredients or formulation or process or something else. Really, we don't wanna say it publicly. That's our secret sauce. It's very expensive. Research is very expensive. And there's no guarantee that the research results will be what you want. And that's a hard sell for an ROI. I know it's a hard sell for us here at BSM. We talk about we can absolutely do the research, but we cannot guarantee you're gonna get the result you want.

28:54

Jordan Tyler

So let's hear now from Rebecca Rose. Rebecca is the CEO of In Clover, a natural pet supplement brand that prioritizes not only talking the talk, but walking the walk when it comes to pet supplement research.

29:09

Rebecca Rose

Having the research allows the pet owner to feel better about giving the supplement to their pet to understanding that they are not testing it on their pet. You know, there's so much responsibility that comes with pet ownership, and that to me is critical. It's table stakes. It's the cost of entry. It's what every company should do, should be able to say. This is why I'm adding this ingredient. This is where I get this ingredient, and this is how much I'm adding because this is the right amount. And all of those questions need research in order to answer them. There is a lot of marketing around this segment, and marketing often doesn't equate to scientific testing. And so as long as we have our focus on marketing, then the science is going to be, play second fiddle to that.

30:10

Rebecca Rose

And I think if consumers for companies like ours who have done this, we need to tell a better story. We need to help consumers understand why it's important. And when it becomes important, then it will be done.

30:25

Jordan Tyler

All of that said, all of the reasons why there isn't as much research as there probably should be, still not really an excuse. I'm sorry, but it just ain't. Companies really should invest more in research, or as we like to say here at BSM, they're testing their products on your pets. And that's kinda uncool. I don't know. I think it's uncool.

30:50

Vincent Biroscak

But there are manufacturers out there. I'll give you an example. We call it pixie dusting or label candy, where a manufacturer will find a trending ingredient and know that there's consumer interest in that ingredient, and they will put it in a product, but it won't be there at a level that provides any efficacious benefit. It's just there to put it on the label, and you know we believe at Pet Ag that's misleading. I see a number of products out in the marketplace that I'll look at the ingredient, and it's not an ingredient that has proven benefits for a pet, but it is something trending that people are talking about know about maybe in the human space, and they're just assuming that it's also good for their pet. I mean, CBD is a great example.

31:40

Vincent Biroscak

There's there's a lot of talk about CBD, but there's still not a lot of proof out there from a scientific standpoint. And then if you look at brands that are including CBD, it is at you don't know what an effective level is. And you'll see it. It's one dosage in one product and another dosage in another product, and you have no idea if that dosage is doing anything for the pet.

32:06

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Alright. So we need to land the plane here. There are some key takeaways. First and foremost, kids don't accept label candy from strange companies. Yikes. Especially if they're in a white van. And look for research. Brands that prioritize scientific evidence, safety, and testing have your pet's best interest in mind.

32:29

Leasa Moltke

Every single product, when they give it to me, research and development, to kind of create the label and research it all, has a basically, an evidence sheet where they have gone and connected specific scientific studies to every single active ingredient, which like I said, I've never seen that before. And I I'm not sure how widespread that is in the pet industry, but every single active ingredient that we're talking about, the levels that we're guaranteeing, the active levels that we formulate it for coincide with scientific studies to ensure that level is actually gonna be, you know, efficacious.

33:14

Jordan Tyler

And doctor Steff brought this up earlier, but just to rehash this little bit of nuance, just because an ingredient has established safety studies for human conception does not mean that ingredient automatically is safe for pets. Think back to the toxicity series that we did. Right? We talked about Xylitol. It's great. Xylitol's awesome for a whole bunch of human food and personal care products, but it is so highly toxic to dogs. This is why it's so important to conduct species specific research, not just research, not just peer reviewed research, but species specific into active ingredients like this so that we can be absolutely certain there won't be any negative long effects?

34:01

Ryan Frank

We we are very intentional on, the ingredients we use, and we always try to formulate where there's efficacy in companion animal data to show that there's a benefit. More active ingredients doesn't always mean better. Right? So it's about quality and not quantities, and you could see 15 different actives on there. But that may not always be the best thing for the dog.

34:27

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So there you have a few companies speaking to their supplement formulation practices. But now you know about the NASC too. That's a great resource if you're looking for supplements that have undergone third party certifications and are subject to audits. We'll add a link to the NISC member list to the show notes for this episode, and you can search supplement companies and see if they've been audited as well.

34:52

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. Super great resource. But before we close out today, what are some red flags to watch for? Anything pet owners should do, ask, look for, avoid as they parse pet supplement labels? And let's start first with our BSM experts, doctor Taylor Cotton and doctor Quest.

35:12

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

Red flags for me, not just claims, are gonna be, ingredients that you haven't ever heard of. Right? What is that ingredient actually? And what, you know, is are we using it as an intended use? And and also that, am I comfortable taking that myself? And am I comfortable giving it to my pet?

35:32

Dr. Bradley Quest

Just because you can buy it doesn't mean that it should be appropriate, you know, for every pet. An example might be, you know, a pet with kidney disease and, you know, a well meaning pet parent buying a supplement that might have, you know, mineral levels that would be contraindicated or mean that the pet shouldn't have those because it could actually make their medical condition worse.

35:58

Dr. Stephanie Clark

And here's something else to consider. Your veterinarian may not be the best person to ask about pet nutritional needs, according to Vincent.

36:07

Vincent Biroscak

The number one source of trust from a consumer or the source of advice where they go is the veterinarian. So consumers are going to veterinarians for nutritional advice. That would be like you or me going to our doctor, our physician for nutritional advice. Doctors are not nutritionists. They're two completely different things. It's a completely separate and additional area of study that a veterinarian has to pursue if they want that nutritional credibility and want to be involved in more nutritional decisions. And I think most of them would come right out and say, it's not my area of expertise, but they do field a lot of questions about it. So my advice to the consumers would be, do your homework. The vet may not be the all knowing source of wisdom that you think they are.

37:04

Vincent Biroscak

So I would strongly encourage consumers that are considering pet supplements to do the research on their own and not solely rely on their vet, unless their vet happens to be one of those few board certified veteran nutritionists, then 100%, they are more than qualified to give you the advice on nutrition. But but most of them really aren't.

37:29

Audio Compilation

Hey, Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. We all know Rufus. Everybody loves Rufus. He's a great dog.

37:36

Rufus

Wait now for a second. I thought the vet knew everything.

37:40

Jordan Tyler

Well, they do, they know a lot.

37:42

Rufus

So when I ask about joint supplements and they hesitate.

37:45

Jordan Tyler

Well, may simply not be their specialty, right? Nutrition's really its own discipline.

37:51

Rufus

So you are saying that my vet can diagnose kidney disease but may not know if this $58 longevity blend will actually work for me?

38:01

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, that's more than likely.

38:03

Rufus

Well, then who do I trust, the internet?

38:05

Jordan Tyler

Absolutely not, no.

38:07

Rufus

Because I found this form where this guy said he reversed his dog's aging with elk antler juice and positive affirmations. Sounds legit to me. No. He also tried to sell me crypto. Wait now for a second. I've been hoodwinked.

38:27

Jordan Tyler

Oh, Rufus. Anyway, if you want advanced nutritional guidance, look for experts credentialed in companion animal nutrition, like board certified veterinary nutritionists or board certified companion animal nutritionists like Doctor. Steph.

38:41

Rufus

So stay away from the Reddit comment sections. Correct. And no medical advice from usernames with numbers in them. Got it.

38:50

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Another trusted tip from Lisa, that NASC label should be your friend.

38:56

Leasa Moltke

Looking for that NASC is a good start. You know, to make sure at least it's gone through that process of, you know, that audit and qualification process. Any, you know, pet parent who has questions or has concerns or, you know, is trying to figure out what to use, call the companies. You know, just talk to them. Say, you know, you have three mobility supplements that you're looking at. Call every single company or email them and see what they have to say. And that's probably one of the best things that they can do. Don't have blind trust. Just just because something is on the market doesn't mean that it's, you know, science backed or formulated well or, you know, regulatory compliant or, you know, even safe manufacturing wise. Don't assume just because something is being sold, that means it's safe and helpful and beneficial.

39:50

Jordan Tyler

And like most things, a healthy dose of skepticism goes a long way. When asking companies for more information about the supplements they sell, there are no stupid questions.

40:02

Rebecca Rose

And as much as I don't like putting it back on the consumer, I do feel like the consumer has to get curious and has to ask these questions that will it'll very quickly be clear if research has been done or not if you simply ask about why are you adding this ingredient, and why are you adding it in this amount, and what does it do?

40:26

Dr. Stephanie Clark

So pulling out our crystal ball, what does the future look like for NASC? An exciting recent development, we heard a few guests today talk about how the line between supplement and functional treats is becoming a little too blurred for comfort, and honestly, how we like it here in The US. And so the NFC is looking to address this by expanding its scope to also include functional treats according to Bill Bookout.

40:53

Bill Bookout

Treats are food. They're regulated as food, but they don't have a functional purpose or a nutritional benefit. So we'd like to eliminate the term or classification functional treats, because it's really misrepresented and that's the difference between nutritional supplements and treats. Nutritional supplements make nutritional contributions. Treats are enjoyment training rewards. Eventually this category of supplements for animals not being statutorily recognized at the federal level, we're gonna have to fix that at some point. Right? And that's why we hope people buy NASC members products is because not only do I think you can have a high degree of confidence to the product because the company's acting responsibly. NASC members are also contributing to a cause greater than their own individual company's self interest. Together, we make the industry better.

41:49

Bill Bookout

I believe in my heart, we make a difference in the lives of millions of animals every single day throughout this country and throughout the world through our members' products.

41:59

Jordan Tyler

From a regulatory standpoint, we still have some things to figure out, according to doctor Taylor Cotton. Not just so it's easier for brands to create and market their products, but also to help pet parents make more informed decisions. Our goal, should be that supplements are.

42:15

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

Not the Wild West. Right? We need probably more stringent guidelines on supplements in general. Do I think that we're going to see that going forward? Yes. Having those guidelines are gonna be really important and going forward, not just for us as nutritionist regulators that makes our lives a little bit easier if we have, you know, straighter guidelines, but for pet parents as well to know that what they're feeding their animal is gonna be okay.

42:41

Dr. Stephanie Clark

And for any brands out there listening who are looking to get a supplement back to the market, Hey. BSM Partners. We're here for you. We've got your back.

42:51

Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten

BSM has a a wide range of nutritionists, vet nutritionists, regulatory, consumer insights, you know, we've got so many different practices that, you know, for a brand, we kind of open the door wide open and say, what are you looking for? All the way from the beginning of, you know, what do you think that pet parents are wanting today? What are they looking for? All the way to formulations, and then are we meeting all the regulatory requirements? The other piece is that, you know, we work very closely with NASC to make sure that any formula that we put together, we have all of the documentation that we need to make sure, you know, that, again, we are putting the best, safest products on the market that we can for our brands.

43:40

Jordan Tyler

Alright. There you have it. Let's review. Pet supplements aren't magic bullets. They won't reverse the aging process. They won't cure chronic diseases. And if someone promises they will, that's your first red flag.

43:55

Dr. Stephanie Clark

But when formulated responsibly, backed by research, and used appropriately, supplements can absolutely support whole pet wellness, especially for mobility, skin health, digestion function, and even aging support.

44:09

Jordan Tyler

That little NASC seal on the label isn't just decoration. It represents audits, adverse event reporting, label reviews, finished product testing, and accountability. It's one more layer of confidence in a very crowded market.

44:26

Dr. Stephanie Clark

But certification alone isn't enough. Pet owners still need to read labels, ask questions, look for that evidence, be skeptical, especially of those dramatic claims.

44:37

Jordan Tyler

And remember, if a company hasn't invested in their own research, they may be learning in real time on your pet. Science costs money. Transparency takes effort. And brands doing both are telling you something about where their priorities lie.

44:54

Dr. Stephanie Clark

At the end of the day, supplements should support the fundamentals, like quality diet, exercise, environment, and veterinary care. They're not meant to replace them.

45:04

Jordan Tyler

So go out there, call some companies, ask why an ingredient is included in their supplement and at what level. Look for credentialed expertise. And if your pet has a medical condition,

45:16

Dr. Stephanie Clark

Make sure any supplement is gonna fit into their full health picture. Because the goal isn't just a longer life, it's a better quality life.

45:25

Jordan Tyler

And between this episode, the NASC, and other resources we've added to the show notes for you for this episode can help you make more informed decisions for the animals who trust you completely, then that's time well spent.

45:38

Dr. Stephanie Clark

And if you're a brand listening, know that BSM Partners can support you with formulation work, VOHC compliance, and product development that truly moves the needle for pet health. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Barking Mad. If you want to learn more about BSM Partners, please visit us at www.bsmpartners.net. Don't forget to subscribe on your favorite leading podcast platform or share it with a friend to stay current on the latest pet industry trends and conversations.

46:11

Jordan Tyler

A huge thanks to Bill Bookout, Leasa Moltke, Vincent Biroscak, Ryan Frank, Rebecca Rose, Dr. Emily Taylor-Cotten, and Dr. Bradley Quest for sharing their time and insights with us today. We'd also like to thank our dedicated team, Ada-Miette Thomas, Neeley Bowden, Kait Wright, Cady Wolf, Anna Guilfoyle, and Jacob Parker. A special shout out to Lee Ann Hagerty and Michael Johnson in support of this episode, and to David Perez for our original music in the intro, outro, and for Rufus. See you next time.

Share Episode

Shownotes

Transcripts

Follow

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube