What we put on our label, and why

Short answer: CanisWell publishes every active in its Skin + Coat Soft Chews and its exact milligram amount — nine actives, nine numbers, no proprietary blends and no combined "total omega-3" figure. This page sets out what that commitment forced us to change during development, the marketing tactics we have ruled out, and what is still unfinished.

We started CanisWell because we spent a long time reading pet supplement labels and kept running into the same wall: the numbers we wanted weren't there.

Not hidden exactly. Just absent. A list of impressive-sounding ingredients with no amounts attached, or a single combined figure that could mean almost anything.

What did we decide?

One rule, applied without exception: every active, and its amount, printed on the label.

No proprietary blends. No combined figures standing in for individual ones. No percentages where milligrams would be clearer.

It sounds like a low bar. In this category it currently isn't. The result is on the Skin + Coat Soft Chews page; if you want the general version of the argument rather than ours, start with how to read a pet supplement label.

What did that change about the product?

Committing to publish every number changes how you develop a product, because you can no longer rely on ambiguity to cover a weak spot.

A few examples from our own development.

The omega-3 problem. An early supplier specification listed 250 mg of omega-3. When we asked for the EPA and DHA split, it turned out most of it was ALA from flaxseed oil. Accurate label, but not what we wanted to sell. We changed the oil to an 18/12 marine concentrate and now declare EPA and DHA separately. The mechanics are in why EPA and DHA matter more than total omega-3.

The zinc question. We asked three times whether the stated 5 mg was elemental zinc or compound weight, because the difference is fivefold. The answer is 25 mg of zinc glycinate providing 5 mg elemental. Both figures now appear on our specification, and chelated vs non-chelated minerals explains why the form matters as much as the number.

Vitamin E. An early sheet listed synthetic all-rac-alpha-tocopherol. We asked for natural d-alpha instead and had the form written onto the specification, not just agreed verbally.

An ingredient we removed. A supplier proposed honeysuckle at 10 mg. It isn't in the AAFCO ingredient definitions, and at that level it would do essentially nothing. We took it out. A longer ingredient list is not a better product.

What won't we do?

Some of these are legal for us and common in the category. We've decided against them anyway.

• No before-and-after photos. For a supplement, these imply treatment of a condition. We don't make that claim.
• No countdown timers or false scarcity. If we have stock, we have stock.
• No incentivised reviews. When reviews appear on this site, they'll be from people who bought the product and weren't paid to say anything.
• No condition claims. We support skin and coat health. We don't treat, cure or prevent anything, and we won't write copy implying otherwise.

What is still unfinished?

We'd rather tell you what isn't finished than let you assume it is.

Batch certificates of analysis will be published as production batches are tested — and what "third-party tested" actually means sets out the standard we're holding ourselves to. Oxidation values — peroxide, anisidine and TOTOX — will be published once we have real results, not before; fish oil freshness explains why those three numbers are the ones we care about. And we're arranging an independent formulation review; until that's complete, you won't see the phrase "vet-formulated" on this site, because it wouldn't be true yet.

Why do it this way?

Partly because it's the right way to sell something a dog eats every day for months.

Partly because it's the only durable advantage a small brand has. We can't outspend the large brands in this category. We can be the one that publishes the numbers.

Further reading

• How to read a pet supplement label — the seven checks behind every decision on this page.
• Why EPA and DHA matter more than "total omega-3" — the oil problem, in full.
• Chelated vs non-chelated minerals — the zinc arithmetic, in full.
• What "third-party tested" actually means — what we expect a certificate to show.
• Fish oil freshness: why some omega chews smell — the values we've committed to publishing.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is a supplement for supplemental feeding only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your veterinarian before use.