Dinovite

I have never used Dinovite but I have attempted more than once over the years to contact Mr. Ed Lukacevic (developer and president of Dinovite). Each time, I was assured by the representative that he would get back to me but he never did so.

I suspect he made a decision not to respond based on what I told his representative I wanted to discuss. I first meant to ask whether there had been any properly designed independent studies of Dinovite that demonstrated a benefit for dogs (I see nothing of that sort on the website). Other questions I have had about the product’s claims follow.

The testimonials one hears on national radio ads and those published on various comment/rating websites are of little value largely because people make unsupported assumptions as to the benefits of Dinovite. For example, someone will say “I have kept my dogs healthy with Dinovite all their lives” or “my dog’s itching and scratching resolved after using Dinovite.”

Few people realize that testimonials are of little value when it comes to evaluating health claims. This is amply explained in this article titled “Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work” by Barry Beyerstein. (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/altbelief.html)

Now, this is not to say that Dinovite might contain some nutrients that could help a dog that has a deficiency but, apart from deficiency symptoms that are well-documented in the veterinarian literature, it doesn’t make much sense to be providing supplements that cost way more than what one can get at a pet store. Additionally, supplements might do more harm than good in the same way this has been of recent shown for humans.

One of the most irritating things that I have been hearing over and over in Dinovite’s radio advertising is a statement from one of the “testifiers” (the radio ads mostly feature what may be snippets of recorded telephone calls to Dinovite’s customer line as opposed to anything remotely resembling hard science): “Dinovite has the digestive enzymes that are cooked out of regular dog food.” The need for digestive enzyme supplementation in humans is a common misconception that marketers use to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of such supplements. However, according to the below link, digestive enzyme deficiency is very rare. Additionally, vegetable enzymes (these are what are usually sold) are of no value since they are digested as protein.

One would presume that digestive enzyme deficiency is as rare in dogs as it is in humans but a vet would have to weigh in on that to be certain since I am a layman and there is not an animal version of “quackwatch.com” to which one may easily refer.

I suspect Mr. Lukacevic and his wife Cindy may be: 1) lacking in critical thinking skills, 2) willfully blinded by their financial success, or 3) perhaps not really very honest people. Something that makes any of the three options especially repulsive to me is that there is a large sign over the door of their headquarters building in Crittendon, KY inscribed with “Glory to God” (http://www.dinovite.com/contacts). I see this inscription as an advertisement to the world that these folks are evangelical Christians and would seem to have the effect of saying to the public “look, we are good Christians who will provide to you a product with proven value that is well worth the price you pay.”

In light of the above, I would very much welcome Mr. Lukacevic’s response to this comment after so many years of avoiding confrontation (I will also post this to their contact page). I have reason to believe that others, even veterinarians, have attempted to contact him (someone who worked at Dinovite actually told me that vets have called to complain about Dinovite’s claims). Veterinarians of course would have a much better handle on this subject than I, a simple layman in the engineering field.

One last comment. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, having an A rating with the BBB says nothing about the value of a business’s product. The rating speaks only to the way a company handles customer complaints such as billing, guarantees, advertising, etc. If, for example, a product has nebulous claims with a money-back guarantee and they follow their stated policies, there is little chance they will lose their BBB rating even if the product has absolutely no value.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have been feeding my dogs Dinovite for probably over three years to help with paw chewing. It did an ok job, but we never discontinued it.

On a recent vet checkup, they did a blood test and decided that both my dogs have elevated liver levels. We removed the Dinovite from their diet for 23 days, and their liver levels were re-tested and returned to a safe level. Of course, I just bought the LARGE box of Dinovite, and I called them and asked for at least a partial refund, and they said no.

So, this product might not be bad for every dog, but it is bad for my dogs. Unless you have their liver levels tested, it might be too late when you realize you have a health issue for your dog.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Old English Sheepdog, in perfect health, except for itchy skin. 9 years old. Dog had current CBC and chemical panel done in April. Because of itchy skin, I ordered Dinovite in July 2019. Started giving it August 1, 2019. She declined rapidly, went into renal failure September 27, 2019, and humanely euthanized September 30, 2019. I feel certain her renal failure was due to Dinovite, as I’d read reviews of this happening to other dogs. Our second dog was also on it. He quit eating October 3, so we took him in immediately to have CBC and chem panel run. Both dogs did not want to eat any food that had been contaminated with Dinovite! Wish we had "listened" to them...DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT! It will kill your beloved sweet dog! I didn’t want to give it even one star, but couldn’t post without a rating.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I am a veterinarian in South Florida. So we do encounter A LOT of skin problems, mostly allergy/atopy related. Lots of our clients were not willing to keep their pets on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication over and over. After an amazing improvement on Dinovite of one of our patients, who is a golden retriever with severe chronic skin allergies, I started recommending Dinovite as a trial for those who didn't want to go through the expensive skin allergy testing and I do see great improvement in most our patients on Dinovite.

Of course, as with any product, allergy to the product or no improvement may happen as described by consumers above. However, I read through their comments and most of them sound like misrepresented The review with the pomeranian and "severe" anaphylactic reaction to it that responded great to Benadryl is an absolute nonsense. As severe anaphylactic reaction would OBVIOUSLY not respond to oral Benadryl. Seems like most of the negative reviews are written by people with unrealistic expectations of magical cure for their pet's problem and seem like they actually have an underlying problem that has not been addressed and that Dinovite is not a magic cure for all skin issues.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I tried Dinovite on my Westie that was suffering severely with raw skin irritation that I just couldn't get cleared up via multiple vet visits from my local vet. So I thought I'd give Dinovite a try.

I did the first order and saw some improvement, but after the first box, I decided to buy another box and give it more time due to the site's recommendation and phone discussion with customer service. I bought a second box but didn't open it since I wasn't seeing any improvement from the first box. I ended up taking my Westie to a skin specialist. My Westie was given five different prescriptions to get him well. He is still now on a better path under the skin specialist care, but as severe as he was, Dinovite could not fix his skin problem.

I called today to take advantage of my money back guarantee, and I was told that since I purchased another box, the guarantee was null and void, even though it was unopened and not used at all.

Buyer beware. Their guarantee is only good for first purchase, and even then they have other rules that the company will give as an excuse not to refund your money. Like you didn't give it more time, you need to buy more, or you didn't give enough in food or administer correctly, etc.

I recommend you first spend the money on a vet that specializes in skin allergies before you invest any money to Dinovite. Because as much as they say you get your money back, YOU DON'T.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My dog has been using the product for three months now and it has done nothing for him. He's still scratching, and he smells horrible, just like the smell of the Dinovite. The last few days we have stopped putting it in his food because we think the Dinovite is causing all his issues. He's on Blue Basics Grain Free dog food, so we know it isn't because of the food. We will not continue the Dinovite anytime in the future.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS:

Our old coondog/chow mix, MataHairy, has developed a number of health issues in her later years (she is 12), so when she began scratching inconsolably, we weren't sure which issue to blame. Mata has hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease from a tumor on her adrenals or pituitary, and bilateral prosthetic knees with severe arthritis around the R one. Her fur had fallen out in splotches, and the fur she did have looked dull and greasy.

She was shedding profusely. I mean, the chow in her made her especially fluffy and she always shed, but I can't describe how bad it had gotten. Like a llama losing its winter coat, Mata's fur would come out in great plugs when we would pet her.

Her fur has always been thick and long like the chow chow; it's white with the hallmark black spots of the coondog. Her beautiful white fur had become stained from excessive licking and gnawing because of whatever is in a dog's saliva. She looked like she was very ill.

Our vet agreed and said all her symptoms presented like an endocrine syndrome. Because of the cocktail of meds she has to take for thyroid, Cushing's, and arthritis, we couldn't give her steroids. We agonized over our options. Mata's itching had become so severe that we feared she would tear open her skin. She couldn't go even a half an hour - including through the night - without violently "attacking" herself with teeth and claws to try to find relief. It was as if something was eating her from the inside out.

THINGS WE TRIED BEFORE DINOVITE:

Because of Mata's old age, we made the painful decision not to run expensive tests beyond basic current lab work. It really had gotten to the point where we were considering having to put her down as a final act of kindness to put her out of her misery. We researched and made a list of everything we could try first.

(1) We used five different kinds of shampoo.

(2) We tried three different topical treatments.

(3) We made sure we bought dog food that was only grain-free.

(4) We had basic lab work done to rule out anything new - like possible diabetes.

(5) As a last ditch effort to give our Mata girl relief, we ordered a 90-day supply of Dinovite. We were going to give it the full 90 days; at the end of 90 days, we decided that if it didn't give Mata back her quality of life, then was going to be time to say goodbye.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The longer your dog has had allergy symptoms, the longer it will take for Dinovite to reverse the problem. It took about 10 weeks, or 70 days, for us to see our old girl start to improve. She did go through a time when she would turn up her nose at her food dish if we put Dinovite in her kibble. The Dinovite coaches gave me several ideas over the phone, and it worked. They were wonderful.

I've read several negative testimonies here saying nothing worked; I'm not a vet, and I don't profess to understand complex endocrine or dermatological pathologies to be able to explain why this product works for some and not others. I can tell you that being patient, consistent, staying in contact with the Dinovite coaches, and waiting the full 90 days helps. In our case it was easy to be patient because our dog's life hung in the balance. If this product didn't help, when 90 days would come to an end so would her life. By this I mean we weren't in any hurry.

HOW MataHairy PRESENTS NOW:

We are now on our second box of large dog Dinovite. Mata's fur is white again, has completely grown back in - as thick and luxurious as when she was young - and she only sheds minimally. Best of all, Mata no longer scratches or gnaws herself.

I had purchased a special sling-harness with an integrated leash from GingerLead to walk Mata because her arthritis around the rear R leg knee was so bad that she couldn't put any weight on it. I can't prove that it's the Dinovite that fixed the arthritis - she's also on excellent med management by the vet (2x weekly shots plus 5 pills a day). But because she was also on those meds prior to Dinovite and still limped and required the GingerLead, I do wonder legitimately if the deciding factor in her improved gait isn't the Dinovite.

A SECOND DOG'S EXPERIENCE WITH DINOVITE:

Someone abandoned an older Shih Tzu at my husband's office in a busy commercial business park. He is now ours, we named him Mr. Buck. He is blind in one eye and had scaly, bumpy skin under one front armpit and all along that leg to the paw.

We started him on grain-free food and Dinovite. We've only had Mr. Buck about five weeks - his skin allergy has completely cleared up. The skin is soft and pink just like a healthy dog's skin should be.

Finally, Mr. Buck's fur is changing! I don't know the Shih Tzu breed. Maybe curly hair is common? I know that when we found Me. Buck, his fur was long, straight, and stringy. We had a groomer give him a "puppy cut," and now as it is growing out we are seeing it coming in curly like a labradoodle coat. I have no idea if this can be attributed to the Dinovite or not. But it's an interesting correlation.

SUMMARY:

Both dogs appear happier and healthier.

No more insane scratching and gnawing (MataHairy).

Less shedding (MataHairy).

Visually healthier skin (MataHairy, Mr. Buck).

Miraculous fur regrowth (MataHairy).

This was a long review. If you've made it to the end, you're a real trooper! I wanted to make the time to write so much because I am now a fierce advocate for this product and hope that my story may help someone else. Had it not been for Dynovite, we would not today have our beautiful MataHairy.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

It's equivalent to garbage. I tossed the box in the garbage after a week. Read the reviews about the hassle of returning their products. I can't believe this company is still around. Reviews on their websites have to be approved by them; as such all reviews on its site are positive with a few negatives reviews that do not impact readers opinion. An example of a negative review; "product fix not help." Overall; it's no good.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Dinovite for cats caused multiple of our cats to projectile vomit. This was more than a mere stomach upset. I was barely even giving them any, and they were still puking a lot and often. I don't know if it was a bad batch, or if they've changed something in their formula. It was ok a few years back - no issues. But now, it is the only thing that has changed in their diet. And it was no good.

Because I used it years ago, they refused to honor their guarantee. The customer service representative was also sarcastic and snide. I don't know what happened to this company, but it is no good. Avoid them and choose a different/better product for your pets.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My 3 year old Pomeranian had an anaphylactic reaction to Dinovite. That is to say his trachea closed off and he had to struggle to breathe. It was very serious and had I not administered Benadryl, it may have been deadly. I am sure this is an isolated incident, but let this be a warning to anyone considering Dinovite as a supplement to their dogs food regimen. I believe it would be prudent to give a little bit to your pet and closely monitor him/her for any signs of breathing difficulties. Also keep Benadryl or some other antihistamine handy.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have a miniature schnauzer with a skin condition, and all I heard that this product would clear up her skin with good nutrition.

Unfortunately, the supplement tastes so bad she would not eat the product, no matter what I put it on. when we requested a refund we told it is going to 100% refund because it was our first purchase, but we have to send the rest of product back to them and also pay for shipping which was additional $9.

When we got our refund it was only 50 percent what we paid originally. Finally, we were told Dinovite withdraw money for their cost of shipping on the original shipment.

In addition, we were only refunded on the product that was not used. Their 100% guarantee is not true and they do not stand behind the product.

I'm very disappointed in their customer service, very rude and do not stand be hide their products like they promise. This is just another scam. Can't trust anybody anymore.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend