Why Dogs Need Supplements Beyond "Complete & Balanced"

Most commercial dog foods are formulated to meet AAFCO's minimum standards for "complete and balanced" nutrition. That baseline matters, because it helps prevent deficiencies that can seriously impact a dog's health. But there's an important difference between meeting the minimum requirements for survival and supporting long-term health, vitality, and longevity. Minimum nutrition isn't the same as optimal nutrition.

And that's where supplements can play a meaningful role.

What AAFCO Guarantees — and What It Doesn't

AAFCO standards ensure dog food contains the required minimum nutrients for a given life stage. That's a good safety net, but those standards are built around avoiding deficiency, not necessarily improving resilience, supporting digestion, or helping a dog truly thrive over a lifetime. They also don't account for individual variation. Two dogs of the same age and weight can have very different needs depending on activity level, genetics, stress, environment, or gut health.

If AAFCO defines the floor, it's up to us — as dog owners and brands who care about longevity — to ask whether there's room to safely and thoughtfully raise the ceiling.

Minimum vs Optimal Nutrition

Feeding a complete and balanced diet means your dog is getting enough to get by. Optimal nutrition asks a different question: What does this individual dog need to feel their best and stay healthier for longer?

The Most Common Nutritional Gaps in Dog Diets

Active dogs often need more high-quality protein
Working, athletic, or high-drive dogs burn through amino acids and energy differently than sedentary pets.

Modern diets can lack meaningful omega-3 fatty acids
EPA and DHA from marine sources can support joints, skin, and inflammation — but they're not present in meaningful amounts in many dry foods.

Gut health varies widely between dogs
Probiotics aren't essential for survival, but a healthy microbiome is tied to digestion, immune strength, and even skin health.

In each of these cases, the dog isn't deficient — they just may not be getting the optimal level for their biology and lifestyle.

The Role of Whole Food Nutrients

Another challenge is bioavailability, or how well a dog's body can absorb and use a nutrient. Many kibble-based diets rely heavily on synthetic vitamins and minerals added back in after high-heat processing. Those nutrients can meet the AAFCO minimums, but they don't always offer the same absorption as nutrients that come from whole-food ingredients.

For example, synthetic vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol) is only about 50% as bioavailable as natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) from whole foods. Your dog gets the same number on paper, but very different results in their body.

Whole-food sources of omega-3s, antioxidants, amino acids, and probiotics can be more recognizable to the body — which means a dog may get more benefit from the same nutrient amount. Learn more about why bioavailability matters in dog nutrition.

So, Do Dogs "Need" Supplements?

Not every dog needs one. And supplements should never cover for poor-quality food, lack of exercise, or deeper medical issues. But for many dogs, supplements can play a smart, targeted role in:

• Supporting digestion and gut health
• Reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
• Promoting healthier skin and coats
• Supporting joints and mobility
• Filling nutritional gaps in heavily processed diets

It's not about piling on products. It's about giving the body a little more of what it needs to function at its best.

How Watts Fits In

Watts is being built around a simple belief: dogs deserve more than the minimum. We're made from grass-fed beef and organs — real food, not synthetic powders. That means nutrients like heme iron, taurine, and vitamin A from beef liver come in their most bioavailable forms, the way your dog's body evolved to recognize and use them.

We focus on whole-food, highly bioavailable nutrients that complement a complete and balanced diet and support long-term health through small, daily habits. Our goal isn't to replace dog food — it's to help more dogs reach their full potential through thoughtful nutrition that supports them over a lifetime. Learn more about the benefits of organ-based nutrition for dogs.

The Bottom Line

AAFCO gives dogs the baseline they need to avoid deficiency — and that matters. But many dogs can benefit from optimized nutrition based on their individual needs, activity level, and biology. Supplements, when chosen carefully and rooted in whole-food ingredients, can help bridge the gap between adequate and optimal, supporting better health over the long run.