AUSTIN, TEXAS — Pet supplement brand Pet Honesty announced Aug. 7 the launch of a new liquid supplement line to complement its recently launched range of powdered supplements for dogs and cats. These new collections expand upon Pet Honesty’s vast soft chew portfolio and meet emerging demand for alternative supplement formats.

According to a survey shared at the 2023 National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) Annual Meeting, 41% of consumers would be open to a format of supplement other than a soft chew. Pet Honesty tested this theory on its own customers and found around two-thirds agreed with this sentiment, according to Greg Reinhart, Ph.D., vice president of research and development for the company.

“The name of the game in the pet space is humanization,” Reinhart told Pet Food Processing. “We’re seeing more and more pet parents wanting to use things that they would use themselves for their four-footed family members. We’re also seeing a lot more involvement — rather than just giving a supplement, pet parents want to be involved in mealtime and offer variety.”

Exploring innovative form factors is something in which Pet Honesty is well versed. In late 2022, the brand introduced its first dual-texture supplements for cats, which mimic a popular treat format known for its ability to entice even the finickiest of felines. The supplements feature a crunchy outer shell and a creamy inner filling and deliver a range of functional ingredients targeting hairball support, calm behavior, and hip and joint health. The company expanded the line in late 2023 to include formulations for gut and immune support, and skin and coat health.

“These new liquid and powdered supplements are really in line with what we’ve been focusing on over the last couple of years, which is alternate formats — something that a dog or cat will really enjoy eating relative to other types of formats,” Reinhart said. “From there, we pack it with potent active ingredients, and it’s a win-win.”

The liquid supplement line includes three new formulas — 10-in-1 Multivitamin, Hip & Joint Health and Skin & Coat Health — to complement the existing Allergy Anti-Itch Salmon Oil liquid supplement introduced in 2021.

Two common denominators exist across the liquid supplement portfolio: salmon oil and bone broth.

“Salmon oil is rich in Omega 3s, which have anti-inflammatory benefits in the body, help with shiny skin and coat, and reduce excessive inflammation to help with mobility,” Reinhart explained. “Omega 3s are well-known on the human side. Bone broth is another ingredient, from a consumer perception standpoint, of which humans are generally aware. They know it’s rich in collagen, and that collagen can help reduce inflammation and help with mobility. Bone broth also supports skin health and coat maintenance, and it’s high in protein.”

Source: Pet Honesty

According to Reinhart, these foundational ingredients work alongside targeted actives to deliver potent health benefits to pets. For example, the Hip & Joint Health liquid supplement formula touts three powerful joint health actives — glucosamine, chondroitin and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) — while the Skin & Coat Health liquid supplement features biotin and vitamin E to support and protect the skin, as well as additional Omega 3 fatty acids from flax oil.

“There are a lot of powerful actives in these formulations, and they weren’t just chosen for name recognition — they were selected because they work, and that efficacy gave them the name recognition in the first place,” Reinhart noted.

The 10-in-1 Multivitamin liquid supplement also includes prebiotics and postbiotics to support digestion, immunity and overall health. This formula follows the notion that overall health and wellness starts and ends in the gut, so by supporting digestion and the growth of healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, the formula is also able to address a wide range of other health concerns in pets.

“The formula has glucosamine, prebiotics, Omega 3s, and essential vitamins and minerals like zinc, which supports skin and coat health as well as the immune system,” Reinhart said. “It’s not just any zinc — we use zinc glycinate, a chelated format bound to a small amino acid to increase absorption. It also has postbiotics, which are not live microorganisms but fragments of microorganism cell walls that do a lot of powerfully good things in the body.

“I consider our Multivitamin formula as a daily nutritional healthcare plan,” he added. “It’s not just multivitamins, it’s a whole lot more. It’s not so much about addressing a particular problem than it is about keeping dogs and cats healthy.”

Ease of use was a key consideration in the development of Pet Honesty’s liquid supplement line, as a good deal of feedback around these types of products has been negative — including that it’s too messy and can be difficult to dose. Pet Honesty ventured to assuage those inconveniences by choosing a twist cap, not far from solutions that can be found in the condiment aisle of any grocery store, that allows pet owners to minimize messes and precisely portion each serving.

For the powder supplement line, the brand zeroed in on supporting digestive health in dogs and cats. It aims to achieve this through the use of hydrolyzed yeast, bentonite clay and targeted actives selected for each formula’s specific focus. The line currently includes two varieties: Probiotics Powder and Fiber Powder.

Hydrolyzed yeast delivers amino acids, total dietary fiber, and key vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, calcium, magnesium and iron. The inclusion of bentonite clay is both functional from a shelf-life standpoint and a health perspective, as Reinhart explained.

“Powders are fine when they’re sealed and not exposed to moisture, but over time — and especially in more humid environments — they can start to take on water and clump, becoming harder and more difficult to use,” he said. “We wanted to make sure all active ingredients in the formulas were equally distributed and keep it easy for the pet owner to scoop. We wanted an ingredient that could help with that, and bentonite clay was the answer.

“Not only does it absorb water and help reduce the likelihood of clumping, but the other cool thing about bentonite clay is it also adsorbs certain toxins,” he added. “The adsorption of toxins is an ancillary benefit in the intestinal tract. We’re using bentonite clay not as a filler, but as an anti-clumping agent that also has the ability to bind certain toxins.”

Active ingredients in the Probiotics Powder include probiotics and prebiotics — both ingredients that have been established as proven vehicles for delivering gut health benefits to pets and people alike. The supplement also includes natural enzymes amylase, protease, lipase, cellulase, hemicellulases, and certain enzymes like papain and bromelain to assist with protein digestion.

The Fiber Powder formula features pumpkin, apple and psyllium, all of which are fiber-rich, natural plant-based ingredients offering benefits for digestive health, as well as stool quality and regularity.

All ingredients used in Pet Honesty’s new powdered supplements are vegan. While this wasn’t necessarily by design, the brand is including the ingredient claim as part of its marketing for the powders.

“We knew we wanted to provide an alternate format for two unique need states — digestion and fiber — and it just turned out that the ingredients we wanted to use were all vegan,” Reinhart shared.

With these two alternative supplement formulations now on the market, Pet Honesty will continue to innovate in the pet supplement category to meet the needs of pets and their owners as they evolve. Future innovations will continue to focus on palatability, functionality, and science-backed ingredients that are safe and efficacious for pets.

“I think some of the trends in the pet industry are fads, and we have to be careful that we don’t allow trends or fads to move in a direction that’s not healthy for a dog or cat,” Reinhart shared. “How can we meet the needs of a pet parent that wants to be more involved and wants to humanize how they interact with their pet? Doing so in a way that serves the best interest of dogs and cats is what we’re trying to do with these supplements.”

Read more about product development, ingredients and formulation.