When it comes to giving an animal the dietary nutrition they need, especially animals that normally live and eat in the wild, human attempts at properly nourishing them can fall flat, to say the least.

Providing domesticated diets to animals can even cause some animal species harm if they aren’t careful to provide the animals exactly what they need, in the ratios they need it, and in the form that it is most readily used by their bodies.

That’s a tall order, but The Missing Link has strived hard to develop products that meet those needs, both for domestic pets as well as for captive zoo animals that would normally consume a wild diet.

When animals in the wild eat, they instinctively eat foods that will provide them with almost perfect nourishment. It’s just the way animals are designed, and it is what makes it hard for humans to emulate.

For humans to mimic that, one must study the animal's diet, study their body composition, (and other factors too), and then come up with solutions that can meet those nutritional needs best. The Missing Link is a leader in dietary supplementation for animals, providing them with all the benefits of whole food nutrition, even when their overall diet may not be the most ideal.

So, what makes The Missing Link Products so special? The short answer is that they are packed with superfood nutrition. Superfoods are foods that are dense with vital nutrients and wonderful for helping an animal to gain and maintain optimal health.

The nutrients from superfoods are naturally sourced from veggies and fruits that are packed with high levels of health-benefiting antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Superfoods are the best of the best when it comes to nature and what it offers. When animals are supplemented with The Missing Link products, their bodies are flooded with all the nutrition that can be found in superfoods like flaxseed (an excellent source of omega-3, vitamin B, manganese, fiber, and micro nutrients), kelp, blueberries, eggs, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, fish oil, salmon, and apple cider vinegar.

Animals that are given The Missing Link supplements on a consistent basis often times enjoy a stronger and healthier immune system, healthier, more elastic skin, a shinier and softer coat, increased and sustained energy levels, a properly functioning digestive system (which is vital for good health), and even improved soft tissue, joint, and muscle function and mobility. This is all because of the beneficial superfoods and how powerful they are. With their Zoo and Rescue initiative, The Missing Link has donated over 1600lbs of superfood pet supplement to animals in captivity and endangered species that are desperately in need of a healthy, balanced nutrition.

This includes animals like the Black Rhino, whose numbers are dwindling due to habitat encroachment and poaching. The rhinos are benefiting from The Missing Link products and improving their health because of the balanced ratio of fatty acids the supplements provide, ratios that are now being found based on new studies, to be necessary for optimal health.

Essential fatty acids contribute to a wide range of body functions, and new studies have revealed that it’s not just about getting “enough” fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 in an animal’s diet, it’s about getting the right ratio of those fatty acids, and getting them from a quality source, such as flax. When animals get the correct ratios of EFA’s that their body’s need, then their levels of health and vitality improve remarkably. The Missing Link products help make this happen, and are benefiting zoo animals living in captivity everywhere. Some of the animals given The Missing Link superfood pet supplement include:

• The Black Rhino
• Gelada Baboon
• Chimpanzee
• Jaguar
• Lion
• North American Black Bear
• Sierra Nevada Black Bear
• Golden Lion Tamarin
• Black-Handed Spider Monkey
• Orangutan
• Masai Giraffe
• Gelada Baboon
• One-Horned Rhino
• Red-Tailed Mustached Monkey

And many more! As you can see, The Missing Link is making great strides in helping wildlife that’s in captivity become healthy and even thrive, despite a less than ideal diet. Feeding them food they would eat naturally in their home habitat is best, but it’s not cost efficient over the long-term. The Missing Link is stepping in and providing solutions to these problems, and helping to make animals that may be on the endangered list healthier and happier. *This article is for informational purposes only. Please see a vet if your pet shows any symptoms.

References:

Kirk Suedmeyer, Wm & Dierenfeld, Ellen. (1998). Clinical experience with fatty acid supplementation in a group of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis). Proceedings of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-exotic-and-zoo-animals/overview-of-nutrition-exotic-and-zoo-animals

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-exotic-and-zoo-animals/nutrition-in-zoo-carnivores