DOGTOR herbs for dogs

Which herbs for dogs and for what

Herbs for dogs are easiest to choose when you know what's inside. The name of the blend tells you what it addresses, but it's the ingredients that decide whether it's the right product. That's why I've broken down all eight by the raw materials that actually do the work in them.

• For joints 80 g: devil's claw, fenugreek seeds, green-lipped mussel powder, meadowsweet herb, hawthorn leaves.
• For strong bones 90 g: eggshell powder and calcium from seaweed, plus devil's claw and linseed.
• For digestion 120 g: apple pomace, psyllium husks, turmeric, papaya, carrot, fennel.
• For gut protection 80 g: caraway, thyme, ginger root, pumpkin seed flour, walnut leaves, willow bark.
• For immunity 90 g: colostrum, spirulina, rosehip shells, milk thistle, elm bark.
• For skin and coat 70 g: wild pansy herb, brewer's yeast, linseed, nettle, calcium from red seaweed.
• For metabolism 80 g: dandelion root, chlorella, horsetail, liquorice root, peppermint.
• For calming and soothing 50 g: chamomile, passionflower, hop flowers, lemon balm, lavender, valerian.

Three pairs that are easy to mix up

Four of the blends sound similar to each other, and that's where the wrong choice most often ends up. The difference lies in the raw materials, not the name.

For joints vs for strong bones

For joints relies on devil's claw and green-lipped mussel powder, raw materials aimed at the joint itself and the soft tissues. For strong bones is above all calcium: eggshell powder plus calcium from seaweed, which gives this blend the highest calcium content of all eight. The first is often chosen for working and older dogs, the second for growing ones.

For digestion vs for gut protection

For digestion is a fibre and fruit blend: apple pomace, psyllium, papaya. For gut protection goes for spicy and bitter herbs, led by caraway, thyme and ginger. One works on how the contents move along, the other on the environment in the gut itself.

For metabolism vs for immunity

For metabolism is built around milk thistle, dandelion and horsetail, the classic liver herbs. For immunity is based on colostrum and spirulina, so its centre of gravity is somewhere else entirely, even though both contain nettle.

Herbs for dogs vs a probiotic

This question comes up most often, so I'll answer it directly: DOGTOR blends are not a probiotic. They contain no live bacterial cultures. What they do contain is fibre, which plays a leading role in three of the blends: psyllium husks, apple pomace and elm bark. That's a prebiotic, i.e. food for the bacteria your dog already has. One doesn't replace the other, and it's worth knowing what you're buying.

Why a powder, not a tablet

You sprinkle powdered herbs over what your dog is eating anyway, so there's no stage of persuading them to swallow something separate. The downside is that with dry food the powder settles at the bottom of the bowl. Mixing it into a moist portion or sprinkling dry food with water sorts this out, and that's the only thing you really need to remember with this form. If your dog refuses the powder in every form, you'll find the same herbal calming blend in a hand-fed form in the functional treats category.

What isn't in the ingredients

None of the blends contain artificial colourings or preservatives, and the raw materials are dried and ground. Seven of the blends are grain-free. The exception is calming, which contains green oats, hence the declaration of grains and gluten on the label. The skin and coat blend contains brewer's yeast, which can matter for a dog on an elimination diet. If you prefer a liquid supplement, the same set of issues is covered by the functional oils, and I've gathered the whole line in DOGTOR supplements.