Dosing supplements in a multi-dog household

One household, several different doses

In a home with two or more dogs it is tempting to think of them as a unit: one scoop of food each, one supplement routine for all. But food and supplement amounts are set per dog, by weight. The PDSA explains that pet food feeding guides tell you how much a pet needs for their weight, so you first need to know each animal’s actual weight. A weight-banded supplement works the same way, and the dogs in one house can easily sit in three different bands.^[1]

Step one: weigh every dog

Start by getting a current weight for each dog, on the same day if you can. For small and medium dogs, the bathroom-scale method in our guide to weighing your dog at home takes a couple of minutes. For larger dogs, ask your vet practice whether you can use their scales. Write each weight down with the date — it becomes the basis of your chart.

Step two: work out each dog’s daily amount

DIGEST+ is fed at roughly one tablet per 10 kg of body weight, in four bands. Each dog gets the amount for their own band:

Here is a worked example for a three-dog household. The numbers come straight from the feeding guide above; your own dogs’ weights will differ, so use the dose calculator for each of them.

Each bottle holds 120 tablets, so this household would get through a bottle in 120 ÷ 6 = 20 days. DIGEST+ also comes in 2- and 3-bottle packs, which makes it easier to keep a household like this stocked — a 3-bottle pack (360 tablets) would last these three dogs about 60 days. Subscribe & Save is available on every pack if you would rather have a regular delivery.

The same arithmetic works for any combination. A few common households, using the feeding guide bands:

Step three: feed separately

If a supplement is crushed into food, the dog who eats fastest may end up with someone else’s share — and the slowest eater with none. Separate feeding solves both problems. The PDSA advises feeding dogs in different rooms and making sure that when one finishes they can’t get to the other’s bowl, which it says helps ensure no food guarding or aggression issues develop. Its puppy advice adds that feeding dogs away from each other means neither can guard their food and you can make sure each gets the right diet.^[2],[3]

Dogs Trust also notes that the stress of competing for resources can make dogs more likely to guard them — a puppy repeatedly pushed off their bowl by another dog may learn to protect it. If one of your dogs already guards food, or there is any growling or snapping at meal times, speak to your vet and consider a qualified behaviourist.^[4]

Giving tablets to several dogs

DIGEST+ tablets can be eaten directly or crushed into food. In a multi-dog home, giving them by hand is often the simplest way to be sure who has had what: count out each dog’s tablets into separate piles before you start, then give them one dog at a time while the others wait in another room or behind a gate. If you crush tablets into food instead, crush each dog’s amount separately, mix it into their own bowl, and stay until each bowl is finished. Our guide to giving a dog a tablet has tips for dogs who are suspicious of anything new.

Step four: one chart, one person

In a busy home it is easy to miss a dose, or give one twice, when two people each assume the other has done it. Agree that one person is responsible for supplements each day (or a clear rota), and pin a simple chart near where the dogs are fed. A tick per dog per day is enough.

Re-weigh every dog from time to time and update the chart — growing youngsters, dogs on a diet and older dogs can all change band. Our guide to building a daily feeding routine has more on keeping meal times consistent.

Mixed ages and stages under one roof

A product suitable for one dog in the house may not be suitable for another. Check each dog against the DIGEST+ label before including them in the routine:

Cats (and other pets) in the house

DIGEST+ is for dogs only. Store it out of reach of cats and other pets as well as children, and never put it in a shared bowl. Feeding dogs and cats apart is good practice anyway: Dogs Trust advises feeding your dog and cat separately in different rooms, with their own water bowls, and suggests feeding your cat on a raised surface so your dog can’t steal or guard their food. The same separation keeps a cat away from food that has a dog’s tablet crushed into it.^[5]

Finally, keep the bottle closed and stored as the label asks — in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight — which our guide to storing dog supplements covers in more detail.