GIBSONS, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Hike Again Remedies recently launched in the Canadian marketplace as a direct-to-consumer company offering veterinary health supplements geared toward adult and senior dogs. The company’s e-commerce platform is now live for pet owners in Canada and in the United States.

“Hike Again Remedies, like many other good things in life, came to be after a walk out in nature,” said Founder David Galvez. “Our company was founded with a clear and simple mission: to help dog parents of aging dogs to keep enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle together while reducing as much as we can our environmental footprint.”

The brand has launched with its first two signature products, Hike Again targeting mobility and Shield Again formulated for digestive support and immunity. Hike Again Remedies’ website also teases a third product — Sharp Again — “coming soon.”

The mobility supplement, Hike Again, is formulated with active glucosamine hydrochloride, sourced from crab, lobster and shrimp exoskeleton, as well as methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), hydrolyzed collaged from chicken cartilage, vitamin E, pumpkin seed and zinc citrate. The product also includes a Senior Mobility Omega Blend, comprised of fish oil from wild-caught, mercury- and heavy metal-free Alaska pollock and sodium hyaluronate. This particular supplement includes 12% EPA and 8% DHA.

The digestive support and immunity supplement, Shield Again, is formulated with active L-Carnitine, vitamins E and C, beta-glucan, pomegranate fruit peel extract, blueberry and pumpkin seed. Similar to its Senior Mobility Omega Blend, the Shield Again formula features the company’s Senior Immunity Omega Blend, which includes fish oil from Alaska pollock, DL-alpha-lipoic acid and Bacillus subtillis, a non-pathogenic bacteria with probiotic properties.

The company sources its wild-caught Alaska polluck ingredients from suppliers certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. This helps relieve pressure on salmon and krill stocks, Galvez noted.

Both supplement products are formulated and manufactured in Canada. The company’s website states in-process and third-party safety testing are conducted throughout the process, including microanalysis and assay methods, as well as testing for heavy metals, pesticides and solvent residues.

“As a company, we walk the walk when it comes to premium quality formulations, ingredients sustainability and reduction of our environmental footprint,” Galvez said. “Our veterinary health products are made with no added fillers, gums, colors, artificial flavors or preservatives, using premium certified sustainable and patented ingredients and manufactured in facilities compliant with GMP standards and Health Canada and FDA regulations. Our products are not cooked, baked, or steamed, which means the active biological compounds in our ingredients are not destroyed by heat or pressure.”

Formulation functionality is not the company’s only focus. Hike Again Remedies is also committing to sustainable packaging and operations, namely along its supply chain.

“We pack and ship our products using 100% compostable pouches that could degrade into CO2, carbohydrates and water, instead of ending at landfills or the ocean,” Galvez said. “We also track and offset 100% of the carbon emissions of all our shipments through Shopify’s OFFSET program in association with Pachama, an organization managing carbon projects in the Amazonia.”

Hike Again Remedies is well-poised to meet growing demand for premium, sustainable and humanized pet products, Galvez said. According to market research firm Packaged Facts, senior pet ownership is becoming a more prominent piece of the demographic pie. More than half of all dog-owning households in the United States currently own a dog that is 7 years old or older. Galvez stated this trend is also seen among Canadian dog-owning households.

Interest in functional formulas continues to snowball among pet owners across North America. Mergers and acquisitions in the pet supplement space — such as H&H Group’s recent purchase of Zesty Paws —serve to stoke global growth for this segment of the market. In Galvez’s own words, “this trend is not going away anytime soon.”

“As human companions of older dogs we really wish our aging pals could live for as long as possible - and to be as healthy and happy for as long as possible too,” he concluded.

Read more about new pet food and treat products.