Puppies should come with warning labels.

Warning: This small fluffy creature will convince you that time is moving normally until suddenly you realize that they’re 11 years old.

One minute, you’re carrying them home because their legs are too small to trot up the stairs on their own. Then comes their first birthday, laughing about the way that they gobble up all their food, wondering how anyone could possibly have wanted you to believe that the years would pass you by in a flash.

When you finally do notice it, it’s in the way your fluffy friend walks down the stairs a little slower. Maybe they sleep a little longer after a walk. Or maybe the wild zoomies across the garden turn into a trot.

There’s nothing wrong with them; they’re just getting older.

This is one of the strangest forms of loving a dog. We spend so much of their lives trying to keep them safe from the obvious dangers such as traffic, chocolate, and other mysterious objects that they might encounter on their walk. But the biggest danger of all is slowly playing out in the background.

Aging.

For many pet parents, realizing that aging is slowly approaching brings up a new list of questions. Instead of asking what to do when a dog starts slowing down, what if wellness could be part of the routine long before the signs of aging become obvious?

What Would You Give Your Own Dog?

Roots Pet began with something far more personal than an interest in the pet supplement industry.

Founder Eetu’s interest in supplements began with his own family, after a health challenge led him to explore the science behind supplements for people. Later, their family dog became ill, and he naturally started looking for pet products that were made with the same level of care and attention to ingredients.

He wanted more.

During this time, cofounders Callum and Mikko were slowly watching as the senior dogs got older. Mikko’s story started with Kublai, who is an 11-year-old rescue dog who has already been through two surgeries and a long journey of recovery. The concern is no longer about recovering from something that happened; it’s about all the days that come after, such as the daily work of helping an older dog stay comfortable and supported.

Wellness is not supposed to be about fixing something. It’s about paying attention in the early stages so that you can make supportive habits a part of their everyday life. The founders of Roots Pet questioned why so many supplements contained so small amounts of ingredients surrounded by fillers when the ingredients themselves had been selected because of their potential value. The founders’ answer was to build a formula around clearly identified ingredients and stated doses, rather than relying on a long list of ingredients whose individual quantities are difficult to see.

They wanted to tackle one simple question: If an ingredient is there for a reason, shouldn’t there be enough of it to actually matter?

A Daily Chew Beats a Daily Negotiation

If you’ve ever cared for an aging dog, then you understand that good intentions can quickly become something complicated. There is food, walks, medications, vet appointments, special treats, and their favorite blanket that cannot be taken away because they’ve grown some sort of emotional attachment to it.

But then, there are supplements.

Soon enough, the kitchen counter can start looking like a small pharmacy: one bottle for joints, another for digestion, another promising support for skin and coat. Here’s the kicker: your dog doesn’t think that any of these things are remotely relevant.

The appeal of a simpler daily routine is easy to understand. The goal isn’t to turn wellness into a complex schedule; Roots Pet created Longevity & Vitality as a singular daily chew that was intended to bring a number of aspects of everyday wellness into one formula.

Rather than building a cupboard full of bottles for every possible aspect of a dog’s well-being, the formula takes a more considered approach, bringing five active ingredients together in one daily chew. The formula contains 600 mg of dual-extracted Turkey Tail Mushroom, standardized to at least 40% beta-glucans, alongside 75 mg of Curcuvet® Curcumin and 40 mg of Quercefit® Quercetin, both using phospholipid-based delivery systems. The formula also includes 275 mg of Fibalance® prebiotic fiber for digestive balance and 50 mg of EpiCor® postbiotic, a whole-food yeast fermentate. The thinking is refreshingly straightforward: rather than filling a label with a long list of ingredients in tiny amounts, the formulation gives each ingredient a stated purpose and clearly identifies its dose.

According to Roots Pet, the chews are manufactured in the United States at an NASC-certified facility and undergo third-party testing, with individual ingredients and doses listed on the label. And because it comes in a natural beef bone broth flavor, the daily routine doesn’t have to feel particularly medicinal from the dog’s point of view.

Sniffing, Sleeping, and the Science of Aging

Researchers have spent years examining how nutrition may interact with aspects of canine aging and health.

A 2025 systematic review published in GeroScience looked at research into enriched diets and nutraceuticals for age-related cognitive changes in dogs and cats. The review findings suggest that some nutritional approaches, specifically those involving omega-3 fatty acids, showed potential beneficial effects in aging pets, although the authors noted that more standardized research is needed. [Study link]

Research into pet nutrition may be promising, but it doesn’t mean that every ingredient, supplement, or chew will produce a specific outcome. Aging is a complex thing, and it’s important to remember that every dog is different.

Earlier canine research has looked at how nutritional interventions containing a combination of antioxidants as well as other nutrients may be associated with measures of cognition and brain aging. A three-year longitudinal study in aged dogs reported cognitive benefits associated with an antioxidant-enriched diet, although the research involved a specific dietary intervention rather than a commercial supplement. Evidence from a particular dietary intervention cannot automatically be applied to a commercial supplement simply because some of the ingredients overlap.

This doesn’t mean that your dog’s nutrition should be dramatic. It could be that nutrition is one piece of a bigger puzzle that also includes appropriate exercise, veterinary care, mental stimulation, sleep, and time spent doing the things that dogs deem important, such as sniffing the same patch of grass over and over again.

They Grow Up Too

It’s a sad reality, but you cannot negotiate with time. Unfortunately, this applies to your furry friends too.

One day, there’s a small puppy racing around the yard, and then suddenly there’s a dog who sleeps beside you at your desk all day. The energetic adult dog turns into a senior one who takes their steps a little slower. And you’re left wondering where all the years went.

For Roots Pet, supporting healthy aging means daily wellness support built around clearly identified ingredients and stated doses.

You can’t stop the years from passing, but you can pay a little more attention to them.