Herbals for pets getting popular

Though many people take supplements, experts urge caution when considering them for Fido.

By WES ALLISON

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 27, 2000

Sparky too spunky?

You could spike his kibble with Calm-Down, a supplement made with kava kava and valerian root.

Mister Flufkins keeps forgetting to stay off the couch? Perhaps a ginkgo compound designed to "promote memory and mental alertness" would help him mind the rules.

Millions of Americans regularly use herbal supplements as "natural" remedies for everything from obesity to depression to insomnia. Now, some are feeding them to their pets, too.

Several companies have begun marketing herbal and other natural supplements for dogs and cats just like the people versions, including ginkgo biloba, glucosamine and St. John's wort. No one apparently tracks this wing of the industry, but an Inverness company that recently began making herbals sold in Publix supermarkets says its sales are encouraging.

In fact, business is so good that Nutra-Pet is about to expand its line for dogs and hopes soon to begin making herbals for cats, sales manager Mike Jacobs said. He would not release revenue figures.

"Consumers are really very aware of what supplements can do for themselves, and that translates down to their pets," Jacobs said last week. "The science is essentially the same for people and dogs, and it's essential for people to have them for their pets as well."

Maybe. Maybe not.

Experts say herbs for animals face the same potential problems as herbs for people: Proof of effectiveness is often spotty or lacking, even when anecdotal evidence abounds. Herbal products aren't regulated and must meet no dosing standards like prescription drugs, so the amount of active ingredients can vary from brand to brand, or even bottle to bottle.

And the right doses for people and for animals remains unclear, notes Dr. Richard C. Hill, an internist and the Waltham assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Florida.

"The question, I guess, for most people like myself is we suspect that some of these things could be beneficial, but we need scientific studies," Hill said.

"Most of the time, I would say for most of these (supplements), no -- most animals are normal. They don't require it."

Dr. Kevin Brock of Brock Animal Hospital in Pinellas Park said that just because an herbal remedy eases your digestion or makes you mellow or more alert doesn't mean it will have the same effect on your dog or cat.

"It could possibly be dangerous, too," he said.

For years, glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have been commonly used to relieve arthritis in people and animals, and these products are widely available at pet stores and online. Herbs, too, have been sold for years in the tack shop: Thumb through a saddlery catalog and you'll find a stable of them, from Moody Mare and Herbal Lick by Wendals Herbs to Hilton Tempermend for relieving the stress of being a horse.

Most herbal supplements for dogs and cats are still on the fringe, however, and have not won widespread acceptance, vets and pet store owners say. Even Pets.com, the online mega-store for all critter care, advises shoppers that most animals don't need supplements if they get a balanced diet. And except for catnip, Pets.com sells very few herbs.

But Amanda Badgley, manager of Pet Mart on Bay Pines Boulevard in St. Petersburg, said herbal and natural remedies are catching on with customers, and Hill said veterinary students at UF now are being taught to ask if their patients are taking any.

Americans are expected to spend nearly $5-billion on herbal supplements this year, and Badgley said many people seem driven to give human-quality foods and pills to their pets as well.

That's a key selling point for Nutra-Pet, too, which promises people-grade products (but don't take them yourself, the labels warn) and scientifically guaranteed standards of dosing.

Nutra-Pet unveiled its line of four supplements about five months ago, and Pet I.Q., the ginkgo compound that purports to "promote memory and mental alertness," quickly became a favorite, Jacobs said. A supply of 50 sells at Publix for $7.49. Dogs take one or two a day, depending upon size.

It also makes Calm-Down -- $8.50 for 50 tablets -- and two supplements with glucosamine. The herbal cat remedy should come out soon.

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