We dog owners always want the best for our dogs, and their health and happiness are our focus. Supplements can be vital in maintaining your dog’s well-being, particularly those that support their digestive system. But did you know that when you give those supplements is just as important as what you give them? Let’s unravel the science behind dog supplement timing.

Whether a dog needs additional vitamins or supplements often depends on their diet and health status. Commercial dog foods are formulated to be nutritionally complete, but the truth is that most dry kibble has a bit of a way to go when it comes to actually completing your dog’s nutrition and digestive needs. Many of the ingredients designed to be good for your dog end up being destroyed in an unhealthy gut, and many commercial dog foods have bare minimum ingredients to be ‘complete’. Dogs are like humans in many ways, and supplementation can help keep them in optimal shape.

Supplements work in a complex, interrelated system within your dog’s digestive tract. Prebiotics serve as food for probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut. Fiber helps to regulate the speed at which food moves through the digestive system, and digestive enzymes are crucial for breaking down the food into nutrients that the body can absorb.

The best time to administer vitamins is typically with meals, as this often mimics the natural body process of taking in and utilizing these nutrients. This is best for improving their absorption and application throughout your dog’s body. The scientific backing for supplement timing largely comes from understanding the biological processes of digestion and nutrient absorption. For example, a study published in the Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology highlights the increased survivability of probiotic bacteria when administered with a meal, leading to better gut colonization.

Additional research into lipids, like those in fish oil, has shown that dietary fats can enhance the absorption of omega-3 fatty acids. This supports the idea that giving omega-rich supplements with meals is advantageous.

The biological clock of your dog, known as the circadian rhythm, also plays a part in supplement timing. The gastrointestinal tract has its own clock, which regulates the movement and creation of digestive enzymes. This impacts how well your dog digests and absorbs nutrients throughout the day. Creating a schedule of supplement administration that goes along with this natural rhythm can optimize how they work.

Moreover, the microbiome—the community of bacteria in your dog’s gut—experiences changes in composition and function across the day. By timing prebiotics and probiotics with your dog’s meals, you’re providing these bacteria when they’re most likely to thrive and positively influence the microbiome, which is exactly what you want!

When we created Bernie’s Perfect Poop, we wanted to help our dog Bernie’s gut be the healthiest it could be, and we consulted science to determine what supplements we’d give them. We chose things like prebiotics, probiotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes as their gut’s main ‘instruments’ of good health. Referring back to our orchestra of supplements example, think of prebiotics like the strings, setting the foundation for the music. Probiotics are the brass, strong and impactful, needing the right cue to come in. Fiber is like the woodwinds, providing the flow and pace; and digestive enzymes are the percussion, precise and necessary right at the critical moments. When these supplements are introduced at the right times during your dog’s meals, they create a harmonious symphony that results in a perfectly timed digestive process.

Remember, a happy gut leads to a happy pup!