Ingredients

• Alpha-casozepine
  Dog: Traditional use · Cat: Some evidenceCalm & relaxation

  A peptide from cow's milk protein, obtained by breaking casein down with the enzyme trypsin. It is the active ingredient in Zylkène and, for cats, the best-studied substance for stressful situations; for dogs the evidence is much weaker.

• Ascophyllum nodosum (seaweed)
  Dog: Some evidence · Cat: Traditional useTeeth & oral care

  A brown alga said to act on the bacterial film on the teeth by way of the gut. For dogs there is one controlled 90-day trial; the manufacturer’s cat trials are unpublished, so we carry no reference amount for cats.

• Biotin
  Traditional useSkin & coat

  A B vitamin involved in forming keratin. A deficiency is rare on a complete food.

• Chondroitin sulfate
  No evidenceJoints & mobility

  A glycosaminoglycan from cartilage tissue, nearly always combined with glucosamine. The same 2022 meta-analysis found no benefit for the combination. So we do not rate the amount.

• Cranberry
  No evidenceUrinary tract

  Proanthocyanidins from cranberry. A 2026 systematic review went through the controlled trials in dogs and cats and found no clear benefit in dogs and too little data in cats. We list cranberry products but do not rate their amounts.

• Crude fibre
  Some evidenceHairballs

  Indigestible fibre, mostly cellulose. It binds swallowed hair and carries it through the gut instead of letting it collect in the stomach. It has been studied as a share of the whole diet, about 2.5 g a day for a cat; a paste delivers a small fraction of that, a food with added fibre most of it.

• D-Mannose
  No evidenceUrinary tract

  A simple sugar that E. coli can bind to instead of the bladder wall. Studied in humans with mixed results; for dogs and cats there are no dosing studies. So we do not rate the amount.

• DL-methionine
  Some evidenceUrinary tract

  A sulphur-bearing amino acid. What can be measured about it is urine pH: methionine is metabolised to sulphuric acid and excreted in the urine, which lowers its pH. The amounts at which that happens measurably are well above what most supplements deliver.

• Glucosamine
  No evidenceJoints & mobility

  An amino sugar and a building block of joint cartilage, usually sold together with chondroitin. A 2022 meta-analysis found no benefit for that combination in dogs and cats and advises against it. We still list such products but do not rate their amounts.

• Green-lipped mussel
  Dog: Well supported · Cat: Some evidenceJoints & mobility

  Whole mussel powder from New Zealand with glycosaminoglycans, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals. One of the best-studied joint ingredients for dogs.

• L-Theanine
  Traditional useCalm & relaxation

  An amino acid from green tea. Several small studies in dogs and cats that are frightened of noises.

• L-Tryptophan
  Dog: Some evidence · Cat: Traditional useCalm & relaxation

  An essential amino acid. Studied in combination with alpha-casozepine in anxious dogs and cats.

• MSM
  Traditional useJoints & mobility

  An organic sulphur compound, long used in joint products. Controlled trials exist in humans for the knee, but none on dosing in dogs. We list MSM products but do not rate their amounts.

• Malt extract
  Traditional useHairballs

  The classic base of hairball pastes, alongside oils and fibres.

• Omega-3 (EPA + DHA)
  Well supportedSkin & coatJoints & mobility

  Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish or algal oil. What counts is EPA and DHA: dogs and cats barely convert the ALA in plant oils.

• Prebiotics (FOS / MOS / inulin)
  Some evidenceDigestion & gut

  Indigestible fibres that feed the gut flora.

• Probiotics
  Some evidenceDigestion & gutImmune support

  Live micro-organisms, authorised in the EU as Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 among others. They are dosed per animal rather than per kilogram: the trials give about 2 billion CFU a day. In cats the benefit is established; in dogs the largest trial found none.

• Psyllium husk
  Dog: Traditional use · Cat: Some evidenceDigestion & gut

  The seed husks of Plantago ovata. They bind many times their own weight in water and swell into a gel, which changes the amount and consistency of the faeces. This has been studied at around one gram per kg of body weight, far more than most supplements provide.

• Taurine
  Dog: Traditional use · Cat: Well supportedGeneral wellbeingImmune support

  Essential for cats. Complete foods contain it; raw and home-cooked rations have to have it added.

• Valerian
  Traditional useCalm & relaxation

  A plant extract long used for its calming effect. Hardly any controlled studies in animals.

• Vitamin E
  Dog: Some evidence · Cat: Traditional useImmune supportSkin & coat

  A fat-soluble antioxidant. The requirement rises with a high omega-3 intake.

• Zinc
  Dog: Some evidence · Cat: Traditional useSkin & coatImmune support

  A trace element for skin and the immune system. Avoid overdosing: complete foods already contain zinc.