Does Your Dog Need Supplements?

Does Your Dog Need Supplements?

It really is important that your dog get the proper nutrition. Vitamin plays an important role in the over health of your dog. They help all of the dog’s vital systems function properly. They help your dog’s body renew itself. Areas that include cell reproduction, bone growth, nerve health, energy, vision are just a few that can suffer when your dog does not get the right vitamins, minerals, or amino acids.

Vitamin deficiency in dogs can cause anything from dry skin to seizures Most of the time picking a high quality dog food and occasionally supplement that with things like ‘eggs will keep your dog healthy. You need to make sure the primary diet that you feed your dog has water soluble B an C vitamins and fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A,D,E, and K

Most veterinarians will advise you when you need to give your dog vitamin supplements. Nursing mothers, puppies, dogs recovering from surgery and aging dogs are populations that veterinarians many times will advise to supplement Very active high energy dogs may benefit from supplementing their diet with vitamins such as B2 as well. Dogs with any condition that lowers their immunity can benefit from supplementations. These supplements can help fight free radicals in the blood stream of aging dogs or dogs with compromised immune systems.

Some of the common immunity boosting vitamins your veterinarian may suggest are

B vitamins

B vitamins can help your dog maintain a healthy coat, skin , and liver. Dogs that are taking other prescription drugs that affect the liver or have a skin condition sometimes benefit from extra B vitamins.

B2- B2 promotes the over all immune system of your dog when they are ill or under stress.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C promotes growth in pregnant and young dogs. It can also help promote tissue repair in dogs that have a traumatic injury.

Other people who may want to consider using a multi vitamin and supplement are those who prepare their own dog food. You can increase the nutritional values of the food you create by adding nuts, green vegetables, and whole grains . These items will increase your dog’s intake of the all important Vitamin B.

Adding a supplement will make sure that you are covering all the bases that commercial dog food does by meeting nutritional standards set for most dogs’ food consumption. You should consult your veterinarian before making dramatic changes to your dog’s diet amount of vitamins A and D to your dog’s dietary requirements. Vitamins A and B are vital for maintaining good bone makeup and healthy eyes.

Some veterinarian’s will suggest that older dogs benefit from certain vitamins. Vitamin E and Vitamin K are common one’s suggestions. Adding a bran your pets food or adding a weekly serving of fish or liver can be easy an easy way to accomplish this. Again you will need to know how much to give your dog based on their size and weight.

Glucosamine in supplement form has been shown to help mitigate the effects of arthritis in older dogs. Use of Calcium and Glucosamine should be supervised by a Veterinarian as excessive amounts can be harmful or fatal to your dog.

Dogs when they are ill can benefit from certain additions to their diet. It is important that dogs who experience weight loss due to illness have extra calories. You should utilize a method that allows you to calculate how many extra calories you ill dog may require. A teaspoon of corn oil adds about 45 calories to your dog’s diet and makes food more appetizing for a dog with a poor appetite. Do not give oil based products to dogs suffering from diarrhea as it may worsen to lead to the dog be dehydrated. Cottage cheese and eggs are generally a good way to add nutrients and protein to dogs that may be somewhat nauseated but not having loose bowel movements.

Dogs on antibiotic treatment may benefit from plain yogurt in small amount to replace the good flora in their digestive system . If you dogs are sensitive to dairy products then you should consult your Veterinarian about supplements made for dogs on antibiotic therapy. A gram of brewers yeast per ten pounds of body weight has the B vitamins your sick dog may need and has been shown to improve a poor appetite in some dogs.

Remember when you visit your veterinarian to have any condition treated to ask in supplements can improve or prevent negative effects of the medication your dog is receiving. Since some supplements may effect the way the prescription works in your dog’s body you should always look to your veterinarian to make sure the changes in your dog’s diet will do more good than harm.

Sources

http://www.healthyhappydogs.com/Vitamins

http://www.zootoo.com/dogs_vitamins/

http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/25-Human-Foods-Toxic-To-Dogs/300