Veterinary supplements and nutraceutical products are regulated differently than pharmaceutical drugs. Despite research not being legally required, a number of safety and efficacy studies of the ingredients in these products have been performed on various animal species. This article discusses what veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals are, the species in which these ingredients have been studied, how to choose safe and effective veterinary supplements and nutraceutical products as part of a multimodal veterinary medical plan, how some common veterinary supplement and nutraceutical ingredients can support patients, and the role veterinary team members play in integrating these products into traditional approaches to care.
Take-Home Points
- Veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals can be used alongside traditional veterinary medicine practices to provide a multimodal approach to care.
- Veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals can help support a variety of body systems.
- By providing viable veterinary supplement and nutraceutical product recommendations, veterinary team members can influence where and how clients complete research and increase trust.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate veterinary supplements and nutraceutical products the same way it regulates pharmaceutical drugs; therefore, it is helpful for veterinary team members to be able to guide clients in their selection of safe and effective products for their pets.
- Species-specific scientific evidence of ingredient efficacy and safety exists for some veterinary supplements and nutraceutical products.
- In the United States, veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals cannot legally claim to treat, cure, prevent, or mitigate disease; only FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs can use these claims.
The terms “supplements” and “nutraceuticals” can be easily confused with each other and are often used interchangeably colloquially, but there are differences. To further complicate matters, not all descriptors are appropriate to use with the term “supplement” when referring to animal products. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the phrase “dietary supplement” can only be used to refer to products taken by humans that are designed to supplement a diet by increasing the daily intake of those compounds.1 Because of this, a variety of terms including “veterinary supplement,” “veterinary health supplement,” “animal health product,” “veterinary nutritional supplement,” “pet supplement,” and other variations of these phrases are commonly used to refer to similar products that are intended for this same use in animals.
Stephen DeFelice created the word “nutraceutical” in 1989 by combining the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical.”2 Because it has various industry definitions and is not defined by the FDA, the word “nutraceutical” can be used to refer to products for both humans and animals. DeFelice defined a nutraceutical as a “food or part of food that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease,” despite the FDA defining only a pharmaceutical drug as “a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease” and as “a substance (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body.”3 The now-defunct North American Veterinary Nutraceutical Council defined nutraceutical as “a [non-drug] substance which is produced in a purified or extracted form and administered orally to a patient to provide agents required for normal body structure and function and administered with the intent of improving the health and wellbeing of animals.”1,3
Despite the lack of regulations in the United States, veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals have risen in popularity over the years. If pet owners aren’t already giving their pets products with these ingredients, they may be familiar with them because they take similar human products themselves, have seen the variety of products available to their pets through pet retailer marketing, or have been looking for alternative or complementary options to pharmaceutical and other traditional veterinary treatments and preventive medicine.4 Not all veterinary supplement and nutraceutical products are equally safe or effective, though; therefore, veterinary team members should be comfortable discussing options with clients to integrate or expand their hospital’s traditional care approaches.1,2
What animal species and body systems can be supported with veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals?
Based on scientific studies, several body systems may be supported by veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals (TABLE 1).
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In addition to efficacy studies, it is ideal to have species-specific studies for pet supplements and nutraceuticals to help ensure bioavailability and safety in a specific animal species. See TABLE 2 for specific species and the veterinary supplement or nutraceutical ingredients that have been studied in them.
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Veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals can be incorporated into a multimodal treatment plan or used alone. A variety of examples of sound recommendations exist for common cases. Based on the aforementioned research, these examples include glucosamine hydrochloride and sodium chondroitin sulfate–containing products for dogs, cats, horses, and rabbits that are prone to developing or already have joint issues and L-theanine–containing products for dogs and cats that are anxious when they hear fireworks or thunder. Additionally, dogs, cats, and horses with itchy and dry skin may benefit from fish oil products that contain omega-3 fatty acids, and dogs and cats with elevated alanine aminotransferase enzyme levels are likely to benefit from S-adenosylmethionine and silybin supplementation to help support their livers.
Is there variability in veterinary supplement and nutraceutical products?
Supplement and nutraceutical raw ingredients can be researched for bioavailability, safety, and efficacy in specific species; however, when those ingredients are put into a finished pet product, other aspects, such as label claims, contaminants, purity, and shelf life, also need to be considered. The pharmaceutical drug manufacturing process is strictly regulated by the FDA, so when a consumer purchases an FDA-approved pharmaceutical drug, it automatically includes all the benefits of having gone through the FDA 12-step drug approval process.39 This process includes:
- Research and testing in the species for which the drug is manufactured
- Determination of effective dosages derived from that research
- Addressing any side effects or safety concerns
- Analyzing the finished product for purity and contaminants
- Monitoring to ensure the amount of an ingredient that is stated on the label is factual
Because veterinary supplement and nutraceutical products are not pharmaceutical drugs, these steps are not required to be completed before a product is sold to pet owners. This means that there are no legal requirements for veterinary supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers to obtain or provide the information that would otherwise be discovered during the FDA drug approval process. This can be surprising to pet owners, who may assume and trust a product that often looks like a pharmaceutical drug and claims it will help their pet. Despite the lack of regulation in the U.S. veterinary supplement and nutraceutical industry, some manufacturers not only use ingredients that have been researched but also take voluntary steps to help ensure their finished products are shelf stable, pure, and free of contaminants and meet label claims.
Membership with the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) is an option that veterinary supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers have to help ensure trust in their products. The NASC is a nonprofit trade association that requires its members to “pass a comprehensive third-party quality audit every 2 years, maintain ongoing compliance with rigorous NASC quality standards, participate in annual continuing education facilitated by NASC, and pass random independent testing of their products to ensure they are meeting label claims.” In return, NASC members earn permission to display the NASC Quality Seal on their veterinary supplement and nutraceutical product packaging.40 Veterinary team members can look for the NASC Quality Seal when making veterinary supplement and nutraceutical product recommendations.
ConsumerLab is an independent laboratory that tests human and veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals. This laboratory purchases its tested products independently from pet retailers and does not accept product samples from manufacturers. It provides transparency on its testing methods and verifies the identity, strength, purity, and disintegration of tested products. ConsumerLab publishes test results on its website, along with brand recommendations based on test findings.41,42 Veterinary team members can use this third-party laboratory to help determine which veterinary supplement and nutraceutical products are free of contaminants and meet label claims.
Checking if a manufacturer has Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification is yet another way to help determine the quality of veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals. These certifications are granted by authorized third parties to manufacturing facilities that are compliant with FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations. Certification typically lasts for 3 years and involves an analysis of quality and computer systems, an analysis of the manufacturing facility, and a review of equipment logs and personnel. GMP certification is part of the FDA drug approval process to ensure products are manufactured consistently and to minimize errors and contamination, but manufacturers that don’t produce drugs can also become GMP certified.43,44 Veterinary team members can contact veterinary supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers directly or check company websites to determine whether they are GMP certified.
Why should veterinary professionals be well versed in veterinary supplements and nutraceuticals?
Only safe and effective veterinary supplement and nutraceutical products should be recommended to clients; therefore, it is important for veterinary team members to know how to determine which products fulfill these requirements. Clients may be unaware of the lack of regulation in the veterinary supplement and nutraceutical industry and therefore will benefit from guidance from the veterinary team. Proactive guidance can help prevent ineffective (due to a lack of bioavailability, purity, or efficacy) or even harmful (due to contaminants or a lack of safety studies) products from being administered to patients.
References
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