Why we only use whole-food ingredients
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Take a look at the label on many dog supplements and you'll find a long list of individual vitamins, minerals and compounds. When we developed Healthy Happy Dog, we started somewhere slightly different: whole food.
We wanted to use recognisable ingredients that naturally contain many of the nutrients and beneficial compounds we were looking for. Things like broccoli, pumpkin, salmon, beef liver and mushrooms. Foods you know, dried and powdered that can simply be added to your dog's normal meals whether you feed raw, kibble or cooked. There is good science behind that decision too.
Food is more than the sum of its nutrients
Nature rarely packages nutrients individually. Salmon doesn't just provide omega-3 fatty acids; it also contains vitamin D and Coenzyme Q10. Broccoli provides vitamin C alongside vitamin K, fibre and plant compounds such as sulforaphane. Beef liver contains vitamin A, B vitamins, iron and much more.
That's one of the reasons we prefer whole-food ingredients. Each brings a naturally occurring combination of nutrients and compounds, allowing us to create blends that support different aspects of your dog's health.
Why powders?
Our ingredients are dried and made into powders, which gives us the best of both worlds: recognisable whole-food ingredients in a form that's incredibly easy to use.
Powders also give you flexibility. There's no tablet to persuade your dog to swallow or hide inside a piece of cheese. You simply sprinkle the recommended amount onto whatever they normally eat, whether that's dry, wet or raw food.
It also means different ingredients can be combined into complementary blends, which brings us to what actually goes into our pouches.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable containing sulforaphane, a powerful plant compound with antioxidant properties. It's also naturally rich in vitamin C, which supports the immune system, and vitamin K for healthy bones.
Pumpkin provides soluble and insoluble fibre to support healthy digestion and is a natural prebiotic, helping feed the beneficial bacteria living in your dog's gut. Its orange colour comes partly from beta-carotene, an antioxidant the body can convert into vitamin A.
Lion's mane is a functional mushroom best known for its potential role in brain health. It contains distinctive compounds called hericenones and erinacines, as well as beta-glucans, and is being studied for its potential to support cognitive function as animals age.
Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. It's naturally rich in beta-glucans, triterpenes and antioxidants, compounds associated with immune function, inflammation and protection against everyday cellular damage.
Beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. It's an excellent natural source of vitamin A, B vitamins and iron, supporting everything from vision and immune function to energy metabolism and healthy red blood cells.
Beef bone broth is made by slowly simmering bones and connective tissue, releasing collagen, amino acids and other compounds. We use it particularly for its collagen, glycine, glucosamine and chondroitin, which help support healthy joints, cartilage and muscles.
Brewer's yeast might be better known for its role in making beer, but the inactive brewer's yeast we use is packed with beneficial nutrients. It is particularly rich in folate, B vitamins and provides a natural source of selenium, a powerful antioxidant that modulates the effect of the IGF-1 hormone closely linked to the rate of ageing in dogs.
Salmon is naturally rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which support the heart, brain, joints, skin and coat and help maintain a healthy inflammatory response. It also provides vitamin D and Coenzyme Q10.
Herring is another oily fish packed with EPA and DHA, but it also provides plenty of vitamin B12 for the nervous system and healthy red blood cells, plus iodine to support normal thyroid function and metabolism.
Kelp is a type of brown algae that absorbs minerals directly from the seawater around it. It contains polyphenols associated with healthier teeth and gums, as well as minerals including potassium and magnesium that support normal heart, muscle and nerve function.
Why we put them together
No single ingredient does everything, which is precisely why our blends contain several. We choose ingredients that complement one another, providing a broad range of naturally occurring nutrients and beneficial compounds to support different aspects of your dog's health. And because they're powders, you can use the blends individually or combine them depending on the areas you particularly want to support.
They're supplements, so they aren't intended to replace a complete and balanced diet. They're simply an easy way to add more of the good stuff to the food your dog already loves.
Find out more about all our ingredients here.
