10 Best Senior Dog Vitamins & Supplements – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

It’s a sad fact of life: Every dog gets old eventually. What’s even worse is that many old dogs suffer from limited mobility due to joint problems or other issues.

It doesn’t have to be that way, however. If you’re proactive about your dog’s health, you can give them the nutrients that they need to stay spry well into their golden years. All it takes is the correct regimen of vitamins and supplements.

We ranked 10 of our favorite supplements for senior dogs. The reviews on this list range from general multivitamins to specialized nutrients, so you should find something that can help your dog live their best life for as long as possible.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 10 Best Senior Dog Vitamins & Supplements

1. NaturVet VitaPet Senior Daily Vitamins — Best Overall

There’s no easier way to help your dog navigate the aches and pains of senior living than by giving them NaturVet VitaPet. These chewable glucosamine supplements are extremely soft, so even dogs with dental issues can easily get them down. There’s more than just glucosamine inside, though. You’ll also find plenty of omega fatty acids, thanks to ingredients like flaxseed, canola oil, and dried shellfish digest. That’s in addition to all the other vitamins and minerals that have been added, like vitamin E, vitamin A, and ascorbic acid.

Even your pup’s doggy breath can be helped by chowing down on these. They have a breath aid that can knock out your pet’s halitosis, making their kisses tolerable for once. The only issue we found with NaturVet VitaPet is that some dogs don’t care for the taste, so you may have to slather them with peanut butter to get them down. Once they’ve been eaten, though, they’ll do your dog a whole world of good.

Overall, we think these are the best senior dog supplements and vitamins available this year.

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2. Nutri-Vet Senior-Vite Dog Chewables — Best Value

Nutri-Vet Senior-Vite has a liver flavor that most dogs seem to enjoy, so convincing your pup to eat them shouldn’t be an issue. The tablets are designed to fill any gaps in your dog’s diet, so they have a wide array of vitamins and minerals inside. You won’t find much for joint support, though, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for that.

Most of the ingredients seem focused on boosting the animal’s immune system and keeping them sharp mentally, both of which are extremely important for older dogs. Best of all, though, this is one of the least expensive senior supplements on the market. We consider it the best senior dog vitamin and supplement for the money, as you get plenty of pills for a low cost.

The pills themselves are quite large, though, so smaller breed dogs may have trouble getting them down. Nutri-Vet Senior-Vite gives you excellent bang for the buck, but it has a few key flaws that keep it out of the top spot on this list.

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3. Zesty Paws Mobility Bites Senior Dog Supplement — Premium Choice

If you’re willing to spend a little more money to keep your dog up and moving, then Zesty Paws Advanced Mobility is about as good of a supplement as you’ll find anywhere. The treats are filled with glucosamine and chondroitin, but you can find those in any number of joint supplements. These also have OptiMSM, black pepper extract, and a special blend of Qmin and curcumin. These ingredients aren’t often found in senior supplements.

There’s also hyaluronic acid inside, which helps lubricate the joints to keep your dog feeling spry. There’s hemp extract as well, which is a controversial ingredient that’s nevertheless shown some promise in fighting inflammation. The formula doesn’t contain grain, corn, or soy, so it shouldn’t give your dog digestive issues, and it even has ingredients like flaxseed inside for extra omega fatty acids.

If you’re willing to pay top dollar to take care of your dog, then Zesty Paws Advanced Mobility is likely the best choice for you.

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4. VetriScience Canine Plus Senior Multivitamin

VetriScience Canine Plus is a complete-health multivitamin that addresses many of the most common issues facing senior dogs, but it has a few minor imperfections that serve to keep it out of the top three positions on this list. There are over 25 nutrients inside, each of which was chosen because it’s something that older dogs often lack. They serve to prop up everything from the cardiovascular system to the liver, so your pup’s all-around health should improve on these treats.

The ingredients include biotin, which is excellent for both skin and hair, and vitamin B8, which is ideal for heart health. There are fish and canola oils inside as well, so your pooch should have plenty of omega fatty acids in their diet. They’re shaped like little treats, so your dog is likely predisposed to try them. However, they tend to get hard after a few days (or hours, if you forget to put the lid back on). That makes them a poor choice for pups with bad teeth.

Also, they have an incredibly strong odor. You may have to hold your nose while serving them, and the smell may make your dog think twice about eating them. If your pooch can get them down without issue, the VetriScience Canine Plus vitamins are great supplements for any aging dog.

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5. 21^st Century Essential Pet Daily Senior Chews Multi-Vitamin

Liver meal is the third ingredient in 21^st Century Essential Pet chews, giving these a savory flavor that most dogs flip out for. If you usually struggle to convince your dog to take their medicine, this is a good choice of supplement. It also gives them a decent amount of protein at 8%. These chews shouldn’t be used in place of high-protein kibble, but it’s nice that they’ll give your dog a little shot of long-lasting energy.

The vitamins inside are fairly basic, but that’s a good thing—they’re the basics for a reason, after all. You’ll find vitamins A, B, and E inside, which should ensure that your pup has a healthy heart, brain, and coat. Still, there’s not much in here that can’t be found in any number of other multivitamins. Dosing them is a bit difficult. Your dog should get one tablet per 20 pounds of body weight, but it’s difficult to split the tablets if your dog falls in between a multiple of 20. You’ll also go through quite a few if you have a larger dog, driving the price up accordingly.

If you want a solid, basic multivitamin that your dog will likely scarf down, then 21^st Century Essential Pet is a good choice. There’s nothing about it that sets it apart enough to rank it higher on this list, though.

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6. Only Natural Pet Senior Ultimate Daily Vitamin

If your dog absolutely refuses to take a pill or a tablet, then Only Natural Pet Ultimate Daily may be a good alternative. It comes in powder form, so you can just dump it in your dog’s kibble, mix in some water, and serve. It has a turkey flavor that dogs can go either way on, so your pup will likely either love it or hate it. The powder has all the basic vitamins and minerals that you’d expect, but it also boasts plenty of probiotics for digestive support. There are also New Zealand green-lipped mussels inside, which are full of glucosamine.

The jar is small, though, so don’t expect it to last long if you’re providing it every day. That causes the price to run up as well, and this stuff isn’t cheap, to begin with. Only Natural Pet Ultimate Daily has its fair share of benefits and shortcomings, but it should be your first choice if your dog refuses to take pills for whatever reason.

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7. Dr. Harvey’s Multi-Vitamin & Mineral Herbal Dog Supplement

Another powdered option, Dr. Harvey’s Herbal is filled with natural ingredients rather than synthetic vitamins. As a result, your dog may absorb the nutrients inside better than they would some other options on this list. You may also appreciate giving them something completely natural. The ingredients list is impressive, with foods like kelp, flaxseed meal, and spirulina inside. There are a variety of natural herbs like ginkgo biloba leaf and dandelion root as well.

While all those dried plants are undoubtedly good for your dog, they probably won’t enjoy eating them, and there’s not really a good way to mix them with food. They’ll stick to kibble, making it clumpy and unappetizing. You’ll also see wasted product stuck to the bowl after your dog’s finished eating. The labeling is a bit suspicious as well. It includes a breakdown of all the ingredients, but not the nutritional value of those ingredients. Unless you research each one individually, you have no idea what it brings to the table.

Dr. Harvey’s Herbal seems like a good supplement, but unfortunately, we can’t say how good.

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8. Pet-Tabs Plus Vitamin-Mineral Dog Supplement

Pet-Tabs Plus has plenty of important nutrients inside each serving, but unfortunately, the recipe also includes unnecessary ingredients. The first ingredient is wheat germ, which is often used as a cheap filler. Most dogs have difficulty processing it, though, and it’s full of empty calories.

The calories don’t stop there, however. The third ingredient is corn syrup and sugar isn’t far behind. This is like candy masquerading as a vitamin. That said, your dog is likely to take it without much fuss (the pork liver meal inside doesn’t hurt either).

It’s an affordable multivitamin so that somewhat makes up for all the sugar. Still, Pet-Tabs Plus is tough to recommend due to all the needless junk mixed in with the valuable nutrients.

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9. Health Extension Lifetime Vitamins

As the name suggests, Health Extension Lifetime is designed to be a vitamin that your dog can take throughout their entire life, from puppyhood to their sunset years. As a result, it’s not completely targeted to senior dogs, but it still has good nutrients that older dogs need. There’s blue-green algae inside, which helps support a healthy immune system. That’s important for older dogs, as they can become more susceptible to disease as they age.

Beyond that, though, there’s not much that older dogs really need. Most of the ingredients are aimed at helping puppies grow up strong and healthy. It contains questionable ingredients, like egg yolk. That will give your dog a protein boost, but many pups have difficulty digesting it. The tablets have an extremely strong odor as well, which may be off-putting for both you and your pup.

Health Extension Lifetime is a good multivitamin, but it’s not the best option for older dogs.

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10. Pet MD Canine Tabs

Pet MD Canine Tabs are a fairly pricey solution, even though the ingredients list is unspectacular. It’s still solid and full of all the basic nutrients that you’d expect to find in a multivitamin. These are especially heavy in B vitamins, so they should give your dog plenty of energy throughout the day.

However, they’re also loaded with sugar—molasses is the third ingredient listed. That’s not good, especially if you have an overweight or diabetic dog. All the vitamins seem to be synthetic as well. This makes it less likely that they’ll properly be absorbed, so many of the nutrients you’re paying for will simply pass through your dog’s system.

These things are supposed to be chews, but they’re incredibly hard. You may want to find another option if your pup has dental issues.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Senior Dog Supplements

Unless you’re well-versed in canine nutrition, telling a good supplement apart from a bad one can be incredibly difficult. In order to help you make a more informed decision, we’ve put together a brief guide covering all the questions that you should answer before making a purchase.

When Will My Dog Be Considered a Senior?

That depends on the breed. As a general rule, larger dogs age more quickly than smaller ones, so a Great Dane will become a senior at a much earlier age than a Shih Tzu. You may start to consider your dog a senior when you notice them slowing down, whether physically or mentally. If they seem calmer and less energetic (less puppy-like) than they used to, it’s a good bet that they’ve entered their senior years.

That being said, you don’t have to wait until your dog’s officially a senior to give them senior vitamins. Many of the nutrients will be good for them at any age, and by giving them proper nutritional support, you can prevent many of the problems that plague older dogs before they start.

What Should I Look For in a Senior Vitamin?

Older dogs need all the same vitamins that younger dogs do, including vitamin A, calcium, iron, and more. However, there are a few nutrients that older dogs need even more than their younger counterparts. These include things like:

Ideally, any supplement that you give your dog should have all of the above.

There are also a few things that you don’t want to see in your vitamin. Added sugar is a bad sign, as it can contribute to weight gain or diabetes, and you want to be on the lookout for anything that could potentially cause digestive issues.

My Dog Refuses to Take Vitamins. What Should I Do?

You have a few options. One is to simply slather the pill with peanut butter, hoping that the odor will drown out any medicinal smell and that the taste will be impossible to resist. This is usually effective, but it will give your dog unnecessary calories.

Another option is to buy a powdered supplement instead of one that comes in pill form. These can be mixed in with your dog’s food and some water, and many have flavors designed to tempt dogs. However, if your dog won’t eat it in their food, there’s not much that you can do to dress it up. You may want to buy pill pockets. These are treats with holes cut in them where you can stash a pill or tablet. This can be an expensive option but it’s incredibly easy. Of course, you could always just hollow out a regular treat yourself and save some money.

There’s no guaranteed way to convince a dog to take their medicine, and your best bet may just be to try different vitamins until you find one that your pooch will tolerate.

Conclusion

Our favorite supplement for senior dogs is NaturVet VitaPet because it’s full of glucosamine, omega fatty acids, and a bunch of other stuff every aging dog needs. They’ll even help cut down on noxious doggy breath. For a cheaper option that’s still fantastic, try Nutri-Vet Senior-Vite. It has a liver flavor that dogs enjoy, and it will fill any gaps that they may have in their diet.

Ensuring that your senior dog stays healthy and comfortable isn’t easy, but it’s well worth it. Having an effective multivitamin or supplement definitely helps, and we hope that our reviews have made it easier for you to find the perfect one to give your dog.

After all, they’ve spent their entire lives taking care of you. The least you can do is return the favor.

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Featured Image Credit to: schubbel, Shutterstock