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I hear this regularly from owners of dogs and cats with chronic gastrointestinal complaints.

And by “all sorts of things” they really do mean all sorts:
🌿 Bach flower remedies
🟤 peat extract or humic acids
🥄 clay minerals or detox powders
🦠 several pre- and probiotics at the same time
🌱 herbal blends, colostrum, slippery elm, digestive enzymes and sometimes a little something extra “for immunity”

Often all with the best of intentions. When an animal has had inconsistent stools for months, seems nauseous, appears to have abdominal pain or is eating poorly, you want to do something as an owner.

But it is precisely in a gut that is already out of balance that more is not always better.
Every product comes with its own ingredients, excipients, flavourings or carriers. And every new product is therefore yet another stimulus for a gut that often needs exactly the opposite: rest, predictability and simplicity.

That does not mean supplements are never worthwhile.
A well-chosen probiotic can be highly appropriate in certain situations.
A specific fibre source can be a well-founded component of microbiome-supportive therapy.
Omega-3 fatty acids, cobalamin or electrolytes can be genuinely necessary and relevant for some patients. But used with purpose. With a clear rationale. And preferably not all at once.

In gastrointestinal cases, recovery rarely starts with a shelf full of jars. It usually starts with a well-chosen base diet, matched to the patient, the presenting signs and the likely underlying cause.

A calm gut often calls for a calm feeding plan as well.
Less is more may not sound as exciting as a new supplement with bold claims. But in practice, it is often exactly what a sensitive gut needs.