Everything for a dog that's unwell or needs support: supplements, veterinary diets, flea and tick treatment, worming and dental care. It's grouped by what's wrong rather than by product type, so you can see the food and the supplement for a condition together.
Some things shouldn't wait
If your dog is retching or trying to be sick without bringing anything up, has a hard swollen belly, can't settle and is pacing, that needs a vet now rather than in the morning. In a deep-chested dog it can be hours that matter.
The same goes for collapse, difficulty breathing, or sudden weakness in the back legs. Most UK practices have an out-of-hours service, usually a recorded message on the main number telling you where to go. Worth knowing yours before you need it.
Start from the problem
The pages under this section cover joints and mobility, digestion, skin and coat, urinary, kidney and liver, dental and weight. Each has the diets and the supplements for that condition in one place.
If you're not sure which applies, the Veterinary Condition filter on the left does the same job across everything here.
Joints, and when to start
This is the biggest section for a reason. Most dogs slow down with age, and larger breeds tend to get there sooner.
Worth knowing that joint supplements are generally more use early than late. Owners often start one when a dog is already visibly struggling, by which point there's usually a conversation to be had with a vet about pain relief as well. If your dog is stiff getting up after a lie-down, slower on walks, or hesitating at the stairs, that's the point to act.
Give it time. Six to eight weeks before you can judge whether anything has changed, and that's normal rather than a sign it isn't working.
What supplements can and can't do
They're feed supplements, not medicines. At best they support a treatment plan. A joint supplement won't reverse arthritis and a calming supplement won't fix a serious behavioural problem.
They're worth it when your vet has suggested one, alongside proper treatment for an older dog, or where there's a specific reason. They're rarely worth it as a general precaution for a healthy young dog.
Getting things into a dog
Easier than a cat, but not always easy. Most things here can be given more than one way.
Tablets can usually be crushed and mixed into something strong-smelling. Check the packaging first: anything described as coated or slow-release is meant to be swallowed whole. Capsules can generally be opened and the powder stirred through wet food. Pastes and liquids go over food or straight onto the tongue.
The old trick still works: two plain treats, then the one with the tablet in it, then another plain one. Dogs that inspect food carefully will often swallow the third without thinking if the first two were fine.
If something proves impossible, ring us before you give up on it. There's often a paste, a liquid or a chew version of the same thing.
Fleas, ticks and worms
What's here is routine prevention rather than treatment for an established problem. Stronger products, and anything for a dog with a diagnosed infestation, come from your vet.
Treat the house as well as the dog, because most of a flea population is in your carpets rather than on your pet. Follow the weight bands on the box exactly rather than estimating.
Ticks are worth taking seriously in this country, particularly if you walk in long grass, woodland or on moorland. Use a proper tick removal tool and twist rather than pulling, and never try to burn one off or smother it. If your dog becomes lethargic, lame or feverish in the weeks after a bite, mention the tick to your vet.
Never use a dog product on a cat
If you have both, this matters. Some dog flea treatments contain permethrin, which is seriously toxic to cats and can kill, including from a treated dog sleeping against one before the application has dried. Keep them apart until it's dry, and check every box before it goes near a cat.