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Adopting a dog has been eye-opening in a lot of ways. Not only has it opened up whole new depths of paternal love – and at-wits-end frustration too – but I've also learned just how much my pup's life is ruled by his nutrition.
When he was hit with sudden bouts of anxiety or lethargy that seemed to come out of nowhere, the first question our trainer asked was, "What are you feeding him?" And with competing opinions on everything from grain-free food to the raw-vs-fresh-vs-kibble debate, I started to feel like no matter how I answered that question, I was wholly in the wrong. The other perfectionists out there will know what I'm talking about: we sense we could always be doing more for our dogs, but the time and money it takes to fill nutritional gaps starts to feel overwhelming.
Enter Dog is Human: the pet health brand with daily supplements that provide everything your furry friend needs in one easy multivitamin. While it certainly isn’t the only dog supplement on the market, DIH stands out by only using human-grade ingredients (hence the name). Every vitamin, fat and probiotic in the brand’s chews is the exact same quality you'd buy for yourself at the grocery store.
And if you love spoiling your dog like I do, that's pretty great news.
A CULT FOLLOWING
Dog is Human is guided by genuine love and compassion for the pets in our lives, and grew out of a tight-knit Instagram dog community. When UChicago graduates Timothy Chen and Kathan Mally officially launched the brand, their devoted following leapt at the chance to support an elevated standard of care for their pups.
Investors quickly took notice, pouring in seven figures' worth of seed money after just two months, impressed by the disruptive potential for reimagining pet health. Unlike its mass-market competitors, DIH refuses to use cheap fillers, feed-grade ingredients, or artificial flavors. By tapping into the unique bond between dog parents, DIH is marketing its DTC model as a "direct-to-community" experience, as opposed to "direct to consumer."
Frankly, I couldn't have found the brand at a better time. Just a month ago, my Finny boy (short for Finneas) was diagnosed with giardia and went through some brutal indigestion that certainly wasn't helped by rounds of antibiotics. Eager to build his gut health back up, and to see what other perks might lay in store, I ordered DIH's flagship product: the DM-01 Daily Multivitamin ($42 per jar). Considering my little guy was in rough shape, any benefits from this product would be easy to spot. It was time to put my veterinary scientist hat on.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When my jar arrived, the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous, minimalist branding. Unlike most pet brands, which seem to take their design cues from Chuck-E-Cheese, Dog is Human embraces a pleasantly muted, modern color palette. It's an aesthetic you'd expect from a premium health supplement for humans – and that's entirely the point.
Taking a peek at the ingredients, I found familiar properties like Vitamin A, Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil, and Glucosamine, along with other vitamins designed to improve five core health areas: hip and joint; heart health; skin and coat; immunity; and digestion. This gave me my marching orders, the areas that I could keep my eye on to see if Finny really benefited from two chews a day (the recommended dosage for his weight).
TWO HAPPY CUSTOMERS
And lo and behold, when it came to hip and joint mobility, I noticed an improvement everywhere from our morning walks to our afternoon fetches on the field. Finny has always run with a bit of a stiff hind leg – something that our vet has said isn't concerning, but that I've always tracked in case it gets worse. After a few weeks of taking Dog is Human, the opposite was true: his gait was looser, more relaxed and agile.
Admittedly, I wasn't able to observe improvements in his heart health since those are entirely internal, but I was pleasantly surprised to see him itching a lot less throughout the day. That speaks to the skin and coat benefits DIH delivers – alongside a shiny coat (which my boy has been #blessed with from the jump), DM-01 promises less irritated, itchy skin.
Lastly, the immunity and digestion benefits go hand in hand, since better gut health has been proven to lead to a much stronger immune system. The biggest turnaround for Finny hands down was in his digestion, with the daily dosage keeping him healthy and regular in a way I hadn't seen since way before his intestinal bout.
To have all of this bundled into a chew that he finds genuinely delicious is just icing on the cake. No more opening up capsules and trying to hide medicinal powders under his wet food: when I open up that jar of DM-01, Finny comes trotting right over for treat time. With the 15% savings DIH has for monthly subscribers, signing up for a full-time supply was nothing short of a no-brainer.
With Finny in better shape than ever, and all of my neuroses around not giving him optimum nutrition finally laid to rest, we finally found what we can both call a win-win.
FIVE MORE REASONS TO LOVE DOG IS HUMAN
- DIH’s multivitamins aren't just formulated by vets, they're highly recommended by them too: just take a look at the medical testimonials on the brand’s website.
- In addition to the 15% off discount, subscribers also access the ability to text with DIH's vets at any time.
- Every ingredient in DIH’s supplements serves a specific purpose, and the science section of the website points to specific studies illustrating the benefits of each.
- Dog is Human offers free shipping with an average one business day turnaround, along with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
- If you're a fan of the hoodie Finny was rocking, you'll be thrilled to know that Dog is Human gives them as free gifts to dog parents who've subscribed for 3+ months.
