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Dog Food
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Benefit Your Dog
The proper balance of vitamins and minerals in your dog's diet is essential to maintaining health and vitality in your pet. However, too many dog owners assume that a manufactured dry dog food will provide their pet with everything that they need. Unfortunately that's not true. Additional supplements will more than likely be necessary to round out your pet's nutritional needs.
Vitamins & Minerals That Your Dog Needs
There is a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that your dog requires in their daily diets. However, proper balancing of these nutrients is also important. Too much or too little of any of these nutrients can be detrimental to your dog's health. Below is a listing of these essential vitamins and minerals:
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Riboflavin
Niacin
Pantothenic Acid
Folic Acid
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Minerals
Calcium
Chlorine
Copper
Iodine
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Phosphorus
Potassium
Selenium
Sodium
Zinc
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Providing your dog with a good, chewable multi-vitamin will help to balance out some of the vitamins and minerals he or she may not be getting through their food consumption. The Cooking and extruding processes when making dog food destroy many of these essential nutrients. Manufacturers will add these vitamins and minerals back, however they break down quickly when exposed to light and air. By the time you reach the bottom of the bag of dog food, there may not be any vitamins or minerals left, so it is a good idea to supplement your canine with a multi-vitamin for long term health. Do your research and be sure to find a multi-vitamin that meets your dogs size and nutritional needs, depending on what foods he/she receives at home.
Essential Fatty Acids To Promote Health
If your dog has skin problems, arthritis and/or inflammatory pain, you may want to consider supplementing their diet with fish oil or flaxseed oil. Even if your dog doesn't appear to have any problems, supplementing their diet with these essential fatty acids seems to do animals a world of good. It helps strengthen bones and keeps your pet's fur silky and soft. It may also help prevent skin and/or joint problems from occurring down the road.
As in humans, dogs also cannot produce omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These are usually acquired through diet. Unfortunately, just like humans, a dog's diet seems to consist of a higher concentration of omega 6 fatty acids. It is therefore very important to try increase the consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids, as it helps to reduce inflammation in the body, allow the proper formation of cell membranes, aid in cardiovascular functions, plus provide nourishment to the digestive tract, skin and hair. Cold water fish oils such as salmon oil or cod liver oil are the best sources for dogs. Plant oils such as flaxseed oil are not as easy for animals to convert into fatty acids, although it's better than nothing.
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are found in every vegetable, fruit and meat food source. It is nature's way to provide live enzymes that help break down food into small particles before the food reaches the large intestine. This is also how the body absorbs vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. When there are not enough enzymes consumed, the body cannot break down the food properly and the larger food particles are absorbed into the bloodstream. This can lead to allergies and chronic health problems in your dog, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and other such disorders.
Unfortunately, the heat and processing used to make dog foods destroy these enzymes. Although nature does provide a way for the body to remake these enzymes once cooked food is consumed, it is an imperfect process and often causes digestive problems, allergies and immune disorders. If your pet does not receive raw or very low temperature cooked foods (temperature of cooking needs to be less than 118 degrees F) each day, then you need to provide your dog with a digestive enzyme supplement with each meal. This will aid in the digestion process and absorption of nutrients. It will also help with body odor, dry skin, excessive shedding, and flatulence.
Glucosamine For Your Dog
Glucosamine is found in the cartilage and synovial fluid and helps to provide lubrication for the joints and ligaments in an animal (humans included). Without it, stiffness and immobility will occur.
Providing your dog with a daily Glucosamine supplement will help your pet maintain healthy joints, keeping theme active and mobile, especially as they reach an older age. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is very beneficial for animals that have arthritis (all kinds), bursitis, disc degeneration, tendonitis, inflamed discs, sciatic nerve, and inflamed joints due to aging. It has also been shown to aid in the repairing of cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and skin wounds.
Author: Rose Smith - http://www.caringforcanines.com
| View(382 Time) - - Post Date: 2007-01-15 07:09:05 |
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