Frequently Asked Questions

Two very important reasons that you can trust Ocu-GLO^®:

1. Two Board-Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologists and a Compounding Pharmacist, with over 75 years combined experience in veterinary health, designed Ocu-GLO^® and tested its safety and palatability.

2. The antioxidant ingredients in Ocu-GLO^® are all pharmaceutical grade, which means that they are made under strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines. GMP standards are much higher than those which nutritional product manufacturers are required to meet. The ingredients are of the highest quality.

This is a common question and there are some articles in the literature about this topic. There are two components to grapes that have nutritional benefits. The seeds of grapes are completely safe for all species evaluated so far, including dogs. The seeds of grapes contain proanthocyanidins, a group of antioxidants that benefit eyes and the rest of the body. There have been no side effects to grape seeds known as of yet. However, there are compounds in the skins of grapes and raisins, especially darker varieties of the fruits, that cause kidney damage in dogs.

The shelf life is three years due to the special way in which Ocu-GLO^® is manufactured. Because oxygen can oxidize and break down antioxidants, oxygen is intentionally removed from the inside of the Gelcap during the manufacturing process via a nitrogen gas exchange process.

Ocu-GLO^® comes in 90 count bottles in two convenient sizes:

1. One for Small Dogs weighing 10 lbs or less. They are given 1 Gelcap daily.

2. One for Medium to Large Dogs weighing 11 lbs or more. Dogs between 11 and 30 lbs receive 1 Gelcap daily; 31 to 60 lbs receive 2 Gelcaps daily; 61 lbs and over receive 3 Gelcaps daily. Giant breed dogs over 100 lbs can receive 3 or 4 Gelcaps daily.

Two Small Dog Size Gelcaps equals ONE Medium/Large Dog Size Gelcap.

If the daily dose is more than one Gelcap, it can be given all at once or divided throughout the day. It should be given with a snack or a meal to improve absorption, and, may make it easier to give Ocu-GLO^® to your dog.

Animal Necessity products are 100% guaranteed. Any unopened products may be returned within 30 days after ordering for any reason.

This depends on the weight of the dog:

Both pet owners and veterinarians can purchase Ocu-GLO^® from our website. Pet owners purchasing online receive the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price).

Veterinarians purchasing online receive the Health Professionals' price but must first register and provide state licensure information (which is then verified by Animal Necessity) in order to create a log-in account. Upon being verified, Veterinarians must then log-in in order to obtain the Health Professionals' price when ordering Ocu-GLO^®.

If you are a pet owner, you might wish to ask your Veterinarian if they dispense or will dispense Ocu-GLO^® from their hospital for your dog.

The Ocu-GLO^® GelCaps in the Medium/Large Dog size are 2cm long and 0.5cm wide. The Small Dog size GelCaps are approximately half that size.

1. Because the reddish-orange gelcap contents can stain fabric and carpet, it is best if you can find a creative way to have your pet swallow the Ocu-GLO^® gelcap whole and NOT have them chew it. To help with this, you can hide the gelcap in a soft treat such as peanut butter, cream cheese, Cool-Whip^®, Kraft Cheez-Whiz^®, squirt Kraft Easy Cheese^®, marshmallows, or canned pet food (especially if your dog normally only eats dry food). Other suggestions: A slice of chicken/ham/turkey wrapped around the gelcap; sometimes it is best to use a VERY thin slice of meat to closely wrap around the gelcaps, such as Carl Buddig Thinly Sliced Meat^®. Other suggestions: braunschweiger (liver paste) and pound cake. Try giving a small amount of the food without the gelcap first to lower your pet's suspicions (see #5 below).

2. Use Pill Pockets^®, a specially formulated soft moldable treat designed to hide pills and capsules. There are three flavors for dogs: Beef, Chicken, and Allergy Formula (Duck). Many veterinary clinics and pet stores carry Pill Pockets^®.

3. Slice up a couple of hot dogs (a healthy brand) and put them in a plastic bag with your dog's gelcaps. Refrigerate for 24 hours. When you are ready to give your dog Ocu-GLO^®, start by giving a few chunks of hot dog, followed by the gelcap. The gelcap will smell like the hot dog, so your dog will think that's what they're eating. Do not give the rounded ends of the hot dog without halving them first, as they can be a choking hazard.

4. Try giving Ocu-GLO^® when your dog is hungry, just before mealtime. If you have multiple dogs, give them ALL treats at the time that Ocu-GLO^® gelcaps are given, so that they are all eager to have a treat; this enhances the desire to eat the GelCaps.

5. Immediately after giving your dog the Ocu-GLO^® GelCap, give them another bite of food or treat as a "bite chaser". This will help ensure that your dog has swallowed the gelcaps. Another trick is to give 3 treats instead of 2 - 2 "undoctored" and 1 "doctored" with Ocu-GLO^® : Give an undoctored treat, then quickly give the doctored one, then quickly give the "bite chaser" undoctored one, so your dog is eager to swallow the second treat in order to get to the third one.

6. Some dogs, no matter what, will not take the gelcap whole. If this is the case, some owners will cut the tip off the gelcap (be careful-- it is messy!) and mix with food, and also cut up the capsule into bits and put that in the food too in order to make sure that the entire dose is taken.

7. Try smearing peanut butter (or cream cheese or braunschweiger) in the bottom of your dog's food dish, and then placing a small amount of their regular food and the Ocu-GLO^® on top, with a little bit of water to moisten everything. Many dogs will quickly swallow the food on top ASAP, in order to get to the peanut butter smeared at the bottom of the bowl.

8. Try associating Ocu-GLO^® treat time with a sound reinforcer. You can shake the bottle of Ocu-GLO^® and then immediately start giving the treat(s), so that your dog learns to come running when the bottle is shaken.

9. Professional method: Open your dog's mouth, place the gelcap as far back in the throat as possible and hold the mouth shut for 5-10 seconds to make them swallow. You might also try gently blowing in your dog's nose as this will cause them to swallow. If you are not sure how to do this, have your veterinarian's staff show you how.

Some people have had success in removing the staining from Ocu-GLO^® by rubbing a paste of baking soda and white vinegar into the stain and then applying a liquid stain remover like Folex to finish it off.

The percentages listed refer to the percentage of active ingredient in each powder that we use, not the percentage of that ingredient in the proprietary blend. For example: when you buy Grape Seed Extract it contains 95% active ingredient and 5% inert or inactive ingredient. That means that for every 1000mg of the extract that we use we only get 950mg of the active ingredient. Therefore, if we want to get 25mg of the active ingredient in Grape Seed we will need to add 27.4mg of the extract.

This conversion becomes much more important when we are referring to Lutein 20% or the Omega blend which contains only 55% EPA/DHA. One gram (1000mg) of our 20% Lutein contains 200mg of actual Lutein, the rest is inert ingredients from the plant, so we must include 5 times the amount of the actual active ingredient that we want to include. The Omega blend contains 55% EPA and DHA, so 1000mg of that blend only contains 550mg of actual EPA and DHA. These conversions have have been carefully considered and calculated so that our product contains 100% of what we say it does. Some manufacturers do not do this and may give you 25mg of the Extract, which in the case of Lutein would only provide 5mg of actual Lutein. Some manufacturers do not do this and may give you 25mg of the Extract, which in the case of Lutein would only provide 5mg of actual Lutein.

Many veterinary ophthalmologists advise clients to administer Ocu-GLO^® up until the evening prior to surgery, and then no food, supplement, or oral medications the morning of surgery.

Ocu-GLO^® is to be restarted with dinner the evening of surgery if the patient is eating well -- either at home or if the patient is in the clinic. We always recommend that the owner check with their veterinarian before administering any supplement prior to surgery.

Fecal coloration change with Ocu-GLO^®, which can be normal. Usually you will see more of a hint of yellow because of the strong lutein ingredient that comes from the yellow marigold plant.

We are always concerned because dark, tarry stool can mean digested blood (which is not good). If noticed, we usually ask clients to stop Ocu-GLO^® for 3 days and see if there is a change back to normal stool. If so, then we suggest starting back on Ocu-GLO^® at 1/2 the dose.

For example, if this animal is on one Ocu-GLO^® a day, then we would give one Ocu-GLO^® every other day, as many animals can have sensitive gastrointestinal tracts. Also, any medications that animals are on while on Ocu-GLO^® is very important to know, as the medication alone can cause indigestion which can change stool color (for example, pentoxifylline).

Most multi-vitamins available for dogs have very low amounts of vitamins and minerals and are primarily to complement the diet that they are eating. The better quality foods are supplemented with a variety of antioxidants and vitamins/minerals but if they are cooked at too high a temperature, many of those nutrients may be somewhat depleted. Therefore, supplementing is a good idea.

We put the equivalent of a multivitamin into Ocu-GLO^® so that owners would not have to give a separate multivitamin. However, if you choose to give a separate multi-vitamin, it is unlikely that you will overdose your dog. The bottom line is that if you only want to use one product, use Ocu-GLO^®; but, if you like the multi-vitamin that you use, we are happy to advise you on whether it is too much or just right.

Yes. Both Soybean oil and Soy lecithin raw material used in Ocu-GLO^® for Small and Medium/Large Dog Products are NON-GMO.

Yes. Green tea extract raw material present in Ocu-GLO^® contains approximately 0.3 to 0.4 % caffeine. There is 40 mg raw material per softgel in Ocu-GLO^® which is equivalent to 0.12-0.16 mg caffeine per softgel. This is the trace amount of caffeine present in one softgel.

The following ingredients in each type of Ocu-GLO^® are:

• Ocu-GLO^® Gelcaps: Bovine Gelcap, Omegas from Fish & Beeswax
• Ocu-GLO^® Powder Blend: Omegas from Fish
• Ocu-GLO^® Soft Chews: Omegas from Fish
• Ocu-GLO^® Plant Based Formula: Vegan Formula with no Animal Derived Ingredients, Omegas from Algae

In Ocu-GLO^® Medium/Large each softgel contains 4.02 calories. This is derived by combining together 300mg of Fat (2.7 calories), 220mg of Protein (0.88 calories) and 110mg of Carbohydrates (0.44 calories).

In Ocu-GLO^® Small each softgel contains 2.07 calories. This is derived by combining together 150mg of Fat (1.35 calories), 120mg of Protein (0.48 calories) and 60mg of Carbohydrates (0.24 calories).

The Regular Size Chews are 11.25 calories per chew, and the XL Size Chews are 22.49 calories per chew.

Ocu-GLO^® has an appropriate amount of Omega 3 fatty acids for the weight of your dog, however, some dogs (and humans) can tolerate higher doses if they need to take more for other diseases such as skin problems.

We recommend stopping the extra Omega 3 fatty acids while you begin Ocu-GLO^®, then after a week, you can gradually add in the other Omega product. If your dog develops diarrhea, then the amount of omegas is too high and do not use the extra dose.

Zeaxanthin is a component of the Lutein in Ocu-GLO^® and therefore is a part of the Ocu-GLO^® Formula. The gelcaps include Zeaxanthin in the following amounts:

LARGE DOGS SOFTGELS Zeaxanthin is 3.3 mg (in Lutein) per softgel.

SMALL DOGS SOFTGELS Zeaxanthin is 1.725 mg (in Lutein) per softgel.

Glycerin in the shell of Ocu-GLO^® is a source for carbohydrates but the amount is not high (due to softgel size). No other RM in the product is carbohydrates or sugars. Gelatin is a source for protein and not for carbohydrates or sugars.

The imitation chicken flavoring comes from yeast.

As of June 2024- Animal Necessity is reducing our carbon footprint! As part of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, Ocu-GLO^® Gelcaps are being manufactured in smaller, more Eco-Friendly bottles. Not only is this helping the environment, this new packaging will keep the gelcaps from shifting during transit. The decrease in friction should keep from incidents where leaking may have been of concern in the past.

This was a product which was discontinued in 2020. Any product that remains may no longer be within expiration and should not be purchased or used.

Yes! We offer Auto-Ship Service for all of your pet's vitamin needs. Simply check the Auto-Ship boxes on checkout and select your weekly timeline. If you'd like, please view our Auto-Ship Frequently Asked Questions.

Animal Necessity’s products are made in small batches on purpose. Here are a couple of reasons why:

Ingredients Matter
Every ingredient used in our products are sourced from other small businesses. Which means we get them fresh, and in smaller quantities than the big guys. It also means the ingredients are of the highest quality because everyone involved knows exactly where they came from.

Freshness
Our products are manufactured more frequently to ensure your pet is taking in these hand selected ingredients at their freshest and most potent point. Small batches ensure that your pet's supplements were made within a couple of months of purchase. Can the big brands claim that?

You Aren't Paying for Waste
When purchasing from larger, mass manufacturers- offering mainstream products, you pay for more than just ingredients. You are also paying for unused, damaged goods, unsold products, unneeded packaging, and multiple shipping expenses. When you buy small-batch products, rest assured most of your dollars are paying for the high-quality ingredients, and not much else.

Animal Necessity adheres to the strictest quality control regulations; however, still the color, order and flavor of our chews may change from batch to batch due to the natural ingredients used in our formulas. There is no reason for concern. Our formulations undergo extensive testing before distribution to ensure you are receiving the highest quality product.