As Treasure Coast temperatures climb into the brutal summer stretch, a veterinary rehabilitation specialist is urging pet owners to separate genuine wellness tools from trendy marketing — and to know the real warning signs of heat stroke in dogs.
Dr. Kelly Fishman, DVM, CVA, CCRT, founder of Strut Animal Mobility Specialists and a veterinary advisory board member at MYOS PET, said she's noticed a surge in pet supplement marketing aimed directly at dog owners.
"I am seeing an explosion of supplements, believe it or not," Fishman said. "Constantly getting Instagram target[ed] for something that's promising to make my dog live longer and be strong."
But Fishman said most healthy young dogs don't need supplements beyond a quality dog food. Dogs with specific conditions are a different story.
"If you have a dog that has special needs — so for example, a dog that has allergies — I would put them on something like an omega-3 fatty acid," she said. "Oils are really good for their coat. And then doing things like probiotics and keeping their gut healthy is a good idea."
For senior dogs slowing down with age or arthritis, Fishman recommends strength-building supplements alongside fish oil.
"Starting things that help to build strength like Fortetropin, which has been clinically proven to build muscle in dogs that are slowing down because of old age and arthritis," she said.
Fishman said pet owners should be skeptical of flashy packaging and instead look for scientific backing.
"Look on the website and see if there is any studies of that supplement in dogs," she said. "Not studies in rats, not studies in people, not studies of cells — studies of that product in dogs. Most of them have absolutely no evidence that it actually works in their dog."
Fishman said popular streaming water bowls aren't a necessity and come with a maintenance catch.
"A lot of times people forget to clean them every week, to change the water on them," she said. "And then suddenly their dog is refusing to drink water and you have no idea why, and they avoid the $100 fountain you just bought."
Cooling pads, she said, are useful for keeping a healthy dog comfortable — but they are not a treatment for heat stroke.
"If your dog is overheated ... their tongue is hanging out of their mouth, they can't stop panting, they sit down, they're refusing to walk, they can't catch their breath — that dog is probably too hot and maybe suffering from heat stroke," Fishman said. "A cooling pad will do nothing."
Instead, Fishman recommends soaking a dog's entire coat with a hose, moving them into air conditioning with a fan, and calling a veterinarian.
"You have to do it for a long time. You just can't do it for one minute," she said. "Always, always check in with your vet because it's really, really tough to know how hot that dog got."
Fishman, who specializes in canine physical rehabilitation and sports medicine, said a daily walk doesn't provide the cardiovascular or strength benefits many owners assume it does.
"It's a nice exercise, but it's not truly going to build cardiovascular strength," she said. "It's not going to build muscle strength. You have to lift weights. We have to do the bike or other types of things to really be fit."
For summer walks, she recommends heading out early morning or evening, avoiding hot pavement, and using booties or sticking to grass when needed.
Fishman said the veterinary field overlooked muscle health for years in favor of joint-focused care.
"No one ever talked about the muscle," she said. "The muscle is just as important, because yes, we should keep our joints healthy, but the muscle is surrounding the joint. It's keeping it stable. It can act as an anti-inflammatory mechanism. It helps prevent injury."
As for a simple, budget-friendly wellness tip:
"Keep your dog skinny," she said. "We have studies that show that will add ... days to their life by keeping them thin. It also keeps them more active. Also keeps them more heat tolerant. And it saves you money because you're not feeding this much."
Fishman said many owners underestimate how quickly dogs can develop heat stroke, particularly in Florida's humidity.
"Dogs pant, they don't sweat," she said. "It's very difficult for dogs, when it's humid in Florida, to release their heat versus if it was hot in an area that was less humid ... your dog is more at risk [of] getting heat stroke than the dog on the West Coast."
Fishman recommends yearly veterinary visits for healthy pets, even without obvious symptoms, to catch issues like dental disease or early ear infections. For senior dogs or those recovering from surgery, she suggests checkups every six months.
"We have a better opportunity to catch certain diseases that are popping up, like kidney disease, as they're aging," she said.
More information on supplements and dog fitness equipment Fishman recommends is available at strutanimal.com and on Instagram and Facebook @StrutAnimal.