Why Every Dog Benefits From Supplements | Even If You're Feeding A Healthy Diet

Why I supplement my own dogs' diet

When people think about supplements for dogs, they usually think about older dogs - dogs that are slowing down, itching, scooting, or “not quite right.” Puppies are rarely part of the conversation. But from a nutritional perspective, puppyhood is the most important time to get things right.

Most people discover us when something doesn’t feel quite right. Their dog might be itching, scooting, slowing down, or just “not themselves.” That usually sparks a search for supplements.

My philosophy, however, has always been different.

I don’t believe supplements should only enter the picture once there’s a problem. I believe the real power of nutrition - especially for puppies and young dogs - lies in setting the right foundations early, supporting the body consistently, and doing our best to reduce unnecessary burdens along the way. Don't get me wrong, a lot can be done for older dogs too, but the outcomes can be much better when starting young.

That’s not a medical claim. It’s common sense - just as in humans, the quality of fuel we provide influences how the body functions over time. Whole, thoughtful nutrition supports normal biological processes. Highly processed inputs and excessive chemical exposure place extra demands on the body. One approach supports resilience; the other increases strain.

I supplement my dogs' diet daily and I hope to inspire you to do the same. Not because I run a supplement company, but because I truly believe this is how dogs should be raised in the modern world - and I’ve seen the difference it makes over many years.

Everything I formulate, everything I write about, and everything we offer at Augustine Approved is grounded in what I personally do for my own dogs, day in and day out.

This blog explains why supplementation makes sense for dogs of all ages regardless of diet - not as a cure, but as a way to honour how dogs evolved while adapting to the modern world they now live in.

 

Ancestral Diets Were Built on Diversity, Not Uniformity

Wild canids didn’t eat uniform meals every day. Their diet was shaped by hunting, scavenging, and foraging. When wild prey was consumed, it wasn’t just muscle meat - it included organs, bone, connective tissues, and even the contents of the prey’s digestive tract, which contained partially digested plant material such as grasses, seeds, roots, leaves, berries, and fungi.

That provided a naturally rich spectrum of micronutrients, fibres, phytonutrients, and bioactive compounds - far more varied than what most modern diets provide. This level of dietary diversity was normal for ancestral dogs, and their physiology likely evolved around this broad nutritional exposure.

 

Today’s Diets: Safer, Simpler, Less Diverse

Modern dog foods - whether commercial kibble, canned formulas, or even homemade raw or cooked diets - derive a substantial amount of their ingredients from farmed animals and intensively grown crops. These animals are fed formulated feeds and raised in environments very different from the wild ecosystems dogs once evolved alongside.

Even high-quality raw or homemade diets reflect the nutrient profiles of farm-raised meats, which may lack the ecological diversity of wild prey. That’s not a criticism - it’s simply how modern agriculture works. But it does mean dogs today are exposed to far less nutrient and plant diversity than their ancestors were.

This gap is one of the key reasons supplementation can play a supportive role.

 

The Soil Connection: What the Food Chain Has Lost

Another overlooked factor in modern nutrition is soil depletion.

Historically, plants drew micronutrients and beneficial microbes from biologically rich soils. Herbivores consumed those plants, and carnivores - including dogs - obtained a wide range of nutrients through the food chain.

Today, many agricultural soils have reduced microbial diversity and lower trace mineral availability due to intensive farming. This affects the nutrient composition of both plant and animal foods.

A commonly cited example is vitamin B12. While often discussed in human nutrition, it’s less widely known that many farm animals are supplemented with B12 because modern soils don’t reliably provide it through grazing alone. People and animals eating conventional meats therefore often rely indirectly on supplemented nutrients.

This doesn’t make modern food “bad,” but it helps explain why even fresh diets may lack the full breadth of nutrients dogs once encountered naturally.

 

Why Supplementation Still Makes Sense

So if a dog’s food provides protein, fats, and essential nutrients, why consider supplements?

Because supplementation isn’t so much about fixing a deficiency - it’s about restoring context.

Modern dogs face influences their ancestors never experienced, including:
• Highly processed diets
• Treated water supplies
• Environmental residues
• Indoor living environments
• Routine chemical products such as flea, tick, and worming treatments

This isn’t about alarmism. It’s about recognising that the modern environment places different demands on normal biological systems.

Used responsibly, supplements can help provide nutritional diversity and support everyday physiological processes, especially when they’re based on wholefood ingredients rather than isolated, synthetic inputs. I go in more depth about the differences between synthetic and wholefood ingredients in the article Inside the Mind of a Formulator: What Makes a Great Dog Supplement.

 

Puppyhood: A Critical Development Window

During puppyhood, a dog is rapidly developing:
• Their digestive system
• Their gut microbiome
• Their immune communication pathways
• Their metabolic efficiency

These systems are not fully “set” at birth. They are shaped by early nutrition, environmental exposure, and digestive input. What a puppy eats — and how their body learns to process food - can influence how resilient they are later in life.
Supporting these systems early is far easier than trying to correct imbalances once they’re established.

 

Mushrooms, Beta-Glucans, and Bioactives

Mushrooms are a powerful example of how supplementation can reflect evolutionary logic.

Certain mushrooms contain beta-glucans, complex polysaccharides that interact with immune and gut-associated cells. Rather than acting like drugs, beta-glucans function as bioactive food components, supporting balanced immune communication when included as part of normal nutrition.

Importantly, ancestral dogs were not eating mushrooms directly - and even if they had, their digestive systems would not have been well suited to breaking down intact fungal cell walls. Instead, exposure to fungal and plant compounds occurred indirectly, through consuming prey animals that had themselves eaten plant and fungal matter. By the time those compounds reached the dog, they were already partially broken down and biologically accessible.

Products like Little Universe are designed with this in mind - delivering mushroom-derived bioactives in a food-based, non-clinical way that aligns more closely with how dogs historically encountered these compounds through the food chain.

If you’d like a deeper, step-by-step explanation of mushroom powders, extracts, and tinctures, and why these distinctions matter, you can read our full mushroom guide here:
The Mushroom Blog: Everything You Need to Know About Powders, Extracts and Tinctures

 

Fibre: More Important Than Ever

Fibre is often overlooked because it isn’t a vitamin or mineral - yet it plays a critical role in normal digestion.

In the wild, dogs consumed fibre both from plant matter present in prey stomach contents and from connective tissues and skins of whole animals.

Modern diets - even those labelled “complete” - may not supply the same range or amount of fibre. When fibre intake is lower or imbalanced, normal stool bulk and consistency can be affected.

This is explored in more detail in The Truth About Dog Anal Glands - Why Your Dog’s Poo Matters, which explains how fibre supports normal digestion and elimination - a fundamental part of everyday canine wellbeing.

 

The Three Ps: Peeing, Pooing, and Panting

This is where my personal philosophy comes in - because we’re not living in the wild anymore.

Modern dogs encounter a wide range of everyday inputs through food, water, air, and household environments. That’s why I focus on what I call The Three Ps: peeing, pooing, and panting (or perspiring if you don't have a tail).

Urination and bowel movements are the body’s normal ways of clearing what it doesn’t need. Fibre supports regularity and normal stool formation, helping digestion move as it should.

Panting is how dogs regulate body temperature - because unlike humans, they don’t sweat efficiently. While panting isn’t “detoxification,” it is part of normal physiological balance and heat regulation, and getting the blood pumping through regular activity is a great way to encourage bowel movements.

When nutrition supports digestion and hydration properly, these everyday systems can function smoothly - without forcing or overriding the body.

 

The Role of Herbs in a Modern World

Herbs have long been part of traditional dietary systems. Speaking purely as supportive nutritional components and not as treatments, in natural environments, animals were continually exposed to herbs, roots, leaves, and botanicals. Modern dogs live in a far more filtered world, where that plant diversity is largely absent.

Herbs contain phytonutrients that interact with digestion and metabolism, supporting normal biological processes rather than targeting disease.

This philosophy underpins formulations such as Faith’s Cleanse & Detox - not to “cleanse” in a medical sense, but to nutritionally support the systems that already manage everyday inputs.

 

From Puppy to Senior: Why Supplementation Matters More With Age

While getting puppies started on the right nutritional path is incredibly important, supplementation often becomes even more relevant as dogs age.

As dogs get older, normal physiological processes naturally become less efficient. Digestion may slow, nutrient absorption can change, recovery can take longer, and the body may need additional nutritional support to maintain its regular functions.

This isn’t about disease or decline - it’s a normal part of ageing in all living beings.

Thoughtful supplementation in senior dogs can help support normal metabolic, digestive, and immune function, providing extra nutritional assistance at a time when the body may no longer respond as efficiently as it once did.

In other words, supplementation isn’t just about starting strong - it’s also about supporting the body as it works harder with age.

 

More Than “Complete” on Paper

A diet can meet nutritional standards and still lack biological richness.

Dogs evolved alongside complexity - varied prey, plant matter, fibres, soil-linked nutrients, and fungal bioactives. Modern diets are safer and more consistent, but they are simpler.

Supplementation, when done thoughtfully, is not an admission of poor feeding. It’s a way to reintroduce diversity, honour evolutionary biology, and support normal function in the modern world.

If you’d like to understand how these principles shape the way I formulate supplements, you can also read Inside the Mind of a Formulator: What Makes a Great Dog Supplement, where I explain the thinking behind ingredient choice, formulation, and why simplicity often beats clever marketing.

 

Final Thoughts: Start Early, Think Long-Term

Most people come to Augustine Approved looking for answers once they’re concerned about something. That’s understandable.

My focus, however, has always been prevention over reaction.

Starting puppies and young dogs on the right nutritional path, prioritising wholefood ingredients, supporting digestion, and being mindful of chemical load makes far more sense than trying to correct issues later.

That isn’t a medical promise - it’s a practical reality. Bodies that receive appropriate fuel tend to function better in the short and long term. Bodies exposed to excessive processed inputs tend to work harder to maintain balance.

Supplements aren’t about fixing dogs.

They’re about supporting them - early, consistently, and with intention.

 

Educational Note

This article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified veterinarian regarding medical concerns.