Affiliate Disclosure  “*Every Creature Counts is a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program (and other affiliate programs as identified in the products). WebMD notes too much vitamin D can depress a dog's appetite, cause muscle atrophy and harm bones. Better yet, ask your vet if your dog requires vitamin supplementation and always make it a point to know the dosage. Your email address will not be published. Multivitamins: Never give human multivitamins to dogs. Be cautious about giving human supplements to dogs. I make my dog food… Cooked chicken, rice, carrots (canned salt free), beets, fresh cut apple, canned green beans no salt, do I need to add a vitamin supplement and … Dogs have specific vitamin requirements, which can include: Vitamin K for activation of clotting factors, bone proteins, and other proteins Vitamin B1 (thiamin) for carbohydrate metabolism and the activation of ion channels in neural tissue Riboflavin and niacin (also known as vitamins B2 and B3, respectively) for enzyme functions Simply put, there are possible dangers and side-effects to a diet that is supplemented with vitamins. Most common dog supplements recommended to add to homemade dog food recipes include: Multivitamin supplements Hip and joint supplements Omega-3 fatty acids ( fish oil) Vitamins A & E Calcium Protein supplements Again, it depends. Bauer J.E. Many pet owners wonder if their dogs would benefit from a dog vitamin or dietary supplement. But a 2006 study for the National Institutes of Health Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial concluded that the supplements weren't effective in humans with mild pain. Excess vitamin A can cause joint pain and dehydration. The National Animal Supplement Council also check, By clicking Subscribe, I agree to the WebMD, Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts, Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, Raw Dog Food: Dietary Concerns, Benefits, and Risks. Bill Bookout, president, National Animal Supplement Council. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What’s Special about the Wholehearted Natural Dog Food Brand? can help turn those things around and help improve, not only your dog’s coat and skin, but their overall health as well.. Let’s find out how vitamin A helps your dog, what a case of vitamin A toxicity looks like and what steps should be taken to resolve the problem in your dog. Well, it really depends on the dog and on what type of diet you feed it. Riboflavin and vitamin B12 are good for facilitating enzyme functions in your dog. Check the label to see how much of an ingredient is actually in the food. It actually has the same effect on your dog as vitamin A helps maintain your dog’s vision even as it ages. ConsumerLab.com tests of three probiotic supplements in 2006 showed that only one contained enough viable organisms to be effective. New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 23, 2006; vol. There are some vitamins that dogs need more than others, and they are those that you should include in their diet, be it in their food or with supplements. In other words, there is an increasing number of pet dogs that require vitamins, probably due to how poor their diet is. That’s probably all I would recommend.”. Found in: Tofu, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower (calcium). There is nothing wrong with continuing to use daily vitamins throughout pregnancy but you do not need to do both. When they become pregnant there are other vitamins and minerals that need to be 'upped' to fill momma's need for healthy pups; for example, folic acid and iron. Cats need the following in their diets. Call and ask who formulated the product, what expertise they have, and how long the manufacturer has been in business. It simply means that there really is something as too much. Your dog can get plenty of vitamin D if you let it out once in a while to bask under the rays of the sun. The same can said about dogs and the vitamins you give them. There are plenty of types of B vitamins that are good for your dog’s overall health in the same way as we humans also require several types of B vitamins. Minerals Calcium & Phosphorus surveyed glucosamine/chondroitin supplements for pets and humans. Possibly. Vitamin E. Fatty acids can help coats look better. As stated above, if your dog is in need of more B vitamins, you need to search out higher quality meats and organs from grass-fed animals. If you are talking about supplementation for dogs, you have to make sure that you are giving them vitamins. In a healthy dog, there is probably little or no gain from supplementing a dog’s diet with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means whatever the body doesn’t use is expelled in the dog’s urine. Español Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps dogs regulate the balance and retention of calcium and phosphorus. It is effective at attacking free radicals and in reducing inflammation to make sure that all sorts of toxins are flushed out. American Journal of Veterinary Research, April 2008; vol 69: pp 486-493. Selenium: an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative damage that can cause premature aging, … If you are planning on giving your dog vitamins as a supplement to a diet that does not give them the required vitamins and minerals, you can look at the following types of vitamins and minerals that are essential to your dog’s health: You may remember vitamin A as the vitamin that your parents tell you about to eat if you want to maintain good eye health. Dawn M. Boothe, DVM, MS, PhD, director, clinical pharmacology laboratory, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Keep reading this AnimalWised article to find out what are the best vitamins for dogs and in what foods they can be found. Only healthy dogs with a healthy diet are prone to the dangers of taking in too many vitamins. Check the label of the dog food and see to it that it contains the essential vitamins and minerals your dog needs to function well and stay healthy. Take the Golden Retriever for example. “Don’t forego traditional therapies, especially if it’s a life- or organ-threatening illness for your pet,” says Dawn M. Boothe, DVM, MS, PhD, director of the clinical pharmacology lab at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. The single best way to provide your dog with the vitamins they need is through whole, raw, meats, bones and organs. This vitamin is also responsible for facilitating your dog’s aging process as it may be able to halt some signs of aging to give your canine pal a bit more years in its lifespan. And are they even safe? Susan Wynn, DVM, nutritionist for Georgia Veterinary Specialists, Sandy Springs, Ga.; clinical resident in small animal nutrition, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. It depends on what the supplement is used for and how it is manufactured, veterinarians say. “, Your email address will not be published. Possibly. Do Dogs Need Vitamin C? Vitamin B2 It is water-soluble. All rights reserved. Sixty percent of the pet products failed, compared to 25% of those manufactured for people, says Tod Cooperman, MD, president of ConsumerLab.com. If we mention a product from the site and link it to a third party vendor, please assume it is an affiliate link. “Almost none of them have been tested for long-term safety in dogs,” Wynn says. Meanwhile, too much vitamin A can possibly lead to issues such as joint pain, dehydration, or even damage to the dog’s blood vessels. Glucosamine-chondroitin supplements, commonly given to dogs with osteoarthritis, have shown mixed results in testing in humans and animals. But taking care of dogs requires patience and knowledge on your part because simply giving them the right kind of food and the exercise they need will not always be enough for the furry babies to stay healthy. Welcome to the new WebMD Dog Health Center. It’s an important anti-oxidant found in leafy green vegetables. “We want to use things that are safe long-term,” Wynn says. Be wary of claims that sound too good to be true, such as promises to alleviate diseases like parvovirus. WebMD veterinary experts provide comprehensive information about dog health care, offer nutrition and feeding tips, and help you identify illnesses in dogs. “From an efficacy and safety standard, if it’s in a pet food, I have a greater level of confidence,” Boothe says. The vitamins and nutrients that pets need most are highlighted below. Scientific studies have shown that, when combined with behavioral enrichment, antioxidants can improve memory and cognitive function in … Here are the best vitamins for dogs: Vitamin A. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in carrots, turnip greens, pumpkin, eggs, fish oil, liver, sweet potatoes, and spinach. Freeman, L. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Aug. 15, 2006; vol 229: pp 531-534. But if you rely heavily on cheap dog food and on homemade meals made out of table scraps or cheap meats, you may want to provide vitamins and minerals for your dog. Those with moderate to severe pain may have seen some benefit, but because of the small size of this group the researchers called for more studies. If you look at the statistics, about a third of the dogs in the United States actually receive vitamins and minerals to supplement their diet. Good sources: These include asparagus, bananas, … Many pets will benefit from vitamin supplementation, but not all dogs need extra vitamins. When you always deal with itchy, dry, flaky, crusty or frequent skin lesions, this may be a … “We require companies to do an investigation, find out why that is, and take corrective action.”. That is why they always tell you to eat carrots, which is high in vitamin A. Most of us take some type of vitamin at least once in a while, so do dogs need vitamins to be healthy as well? They actually need some sort of supplementation for their diet. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. McCarthy, G. The Veterinary Journal, July 2007; vol 174: pp 54-61. They are just as good for your dog’s health as they are for you. C.A. Some of the most common ones are multivitamins, fatty acids, joint supplements, fiber, and probiotics. Here are the good B vitamins that play a big role in maintaining your dog’s health: You might recognize vitamin C as the vitamin that you take if you want to keep yourself healthy and safe from all sorts of illnesses such as flu and colds. First off, the one question lingering in your head right now is whether or not dogs really need vitamins to stay in perfect health. It has potentially serious side effects for your pet, including bone damage and even death. In dogs that are already getting enough calcium, giving them more will only lead to problems in their skeleton. Other than that, she limits her recommendations if a dog is healthy. "If you cook for your dog, they may need supplements," explains Dr. Klein. Unfortunately, there isn’t always a clear answer. Cooperman says ConsumerLab.com has found fewer problems with supplements sold at vet’s offices, although they do occur. With a growing population of aging, overweight dogs, the market for dog supplements is expected to increase 37% by 2012, reaching $1.7 billion, according to Packaged Facts, a market research firm. Vitamins and minerals are the building blocks that your dog’s body uses to produce and repair everything from skin cells to neural pathways. And increasingly, they’re likely to give them to their pets, too. Some products, such as garlic, can be dangerous for dogs. “In the pet area, we’ve seen the quality is lower than it is for human supplements,” Cooperman says. Go for whole foods and not of that processed junk if you are thinking of providing table food for your dog. This is essential for maintaining bone and muscle health in dogs. The Feline Nutrition Foundation notes that cats need protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and water in their diet daily. Look for a contact number for the company on the label. In such cases, you will certainly need to supplement your dog with the right kind of vitamins and minerals to complete a diet that is otherwise healthy and nutritious. WebMD teams up with veterinarians to talk about vitamin safety, dangers, and what to look for. How to Relieve Dog Itching. You should never give your dog more than it requires. Tomlyn High Calorie Nutritional Gel for Puppies, (Nutri-Cal) 4.25… So, if you are giving your dog the right kind of commercial dog food that already has plenty of essential vitamins and minerals, you probably do not already need to give your pet vitamins. “It’s hard finding quality evidence for the efficacy, much less the need for these products,” Boothe says. This is the case for phosphorus and calcium, copper and iron, phosphorus and sodium, zinc and magnesium, and more. She recommends fruits and vegetables to pet owners who want to give extra nutrients. — Tastiest High-Energy Nutritional Supplement. If an animal already eats a balanced diet … However: while the various forms of vitamin B need to come from your dog’s diet, vitamin C is produced naturally by their bodies. Adding extra vitamin C to your dog's diet can cause serious health problems, so unless your dog has been prescribed them by a vet, do not give vitamin C supplements. This dispenses the need for you to go to a vet or to a pet nutritionist. Without it, your dog will certainly end up with weaker bones, poor joints, or even deformities. Unlike synthetic vitamins and minerals, whole foods and herbs provide essential nutrients complete with the cofactors they need to make a healthy change in your dog This early research showed scientists that synthetic vitamins don’t always act like their real food counterparts … even with today’s more sophisticated vitamins and research. 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