Last Updated on 02/28/2023 by K9 Oil Supplements
Pet Vitamins and Supplements: Maximizing Your Pet’s Health and Wellness
Understanding pet vitamins and supplements starts with learning that a concentrated ingredient that is added to your pet’s diet for nutritional or therapeutic purposes is known as a supplement. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, botanicals, and enzymes are all examples of supplements.
Concentrated ingredients (like the above) that are added to a food, are designed to make it nutritionally complete and balanced. These are referred to as dietary supplements or dietary nutrients. Since most high heat processed pet foods are low in actual pet nutrition values, pet vitamins and supplements can go a long way to keep your pets healthy. Our easy to use pet food topper spray is a convenient choice when it comes to proper pet health supplements.
What are Vitamins and Supplements for Pets and Why Are They Important?
Vitamins are organic compounds needed for a healthy life to strive. The majority are naturally found in food and plants. Pet vitamins and supplements are necessary for healthy growth and maintenance in animals’ bodies.
You probably already know most of the basic vitamins that animals and humans need:
Vitamin A, B vitamins (biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, and choline.
These are commonly found in your local grocery store and are all essential for pets, but it’s critical to remember that when used as animal health products pets require different amounts of these vitamins than humans do.
When it comes to pet vitamins and pet supplements, the proper formulation is critical. Too much can be a very bad thing.
When to Consider Adding Pet Vitamins and Supplements to your Pet’s Diet
Pets develop a variety of illnesses and disorders when they do not get proper pet vitamins and supplements.
Vitamin deficiency in pets can have a number of noticeable and troubling effects. The following are indicators of the most common pet vitamin deficiencies:
• unhealthy skin and coat condition
• large amounts of poop, stinky poop, diarrhea *
• lack of energy
• poor oral health (bad breath)
• allergies and food intolerance
• eating inappropriate things – shoes, slippers, feces, etc.
Pets that are fed commercial pet foods that have been pre-packaged and are of lower quality and contain fewer nutrients may exhibit the above symptoms. If you see these symptoms, it is clear that the pet food is not meeting the required pet nutritional needs and should be a clear indicator of vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
* One of the most clear indicators is your pets poop. Things your pets poop can tell you will answer most questions. If the poop is bad, you should consider adding vitamins to pet food .
Although many advertised pet foods do contain vitamins, minerals, and other necessary nutrients, many of the pet vitamins and supplement ingredients in commercially processed pet foods are synthetic. These synthetic nutrients will not be as well absorbed by your pets body.
Again, refer to your pets poop to see what is actually being absorbed by your pets body.
Untreated vitamin deficiencies lead to many different illnesses and disorders.
For example, if your pet is constantly ill (immune system issues), prone to itchiness and rashes (dry, irritated skin), suffers from nighttime blindness (this can be genetic) or weight loss, this can simply be from the lack of Vitamin A. Source.
Most pet parents go to the Vet and discover these untreated vitamin deficiencies, followed by their Veterinarian recommending prescription medications to get your pets vitamin levels back to more appropriate levels. While this is a good start, the treatment should be continued at home by supplementing your pet’s diet with proper pet vitamins and supplements.
Another example is when pets have weak bones, bone deformities, lethargy, loss of muscles, stunted growth and the like can be a lack of Vitamin D2 and/or Vitamin D3. Source.
Muscle weakness and myocardial degeneration can be attributed to the lack of Vitamin E. Source.
Fainting, eye lesions and sores, dry, flaking skin, weakness, weight loss, and the like can be attributed to the lack of Vitamin B2. Among other important things, Vitamin B2, is responsible for helping produce red blood cells, which deliver oxygen to different systems of the pet’s body. Source.
Unfortunately, vitamin deficiencies in pets can be quite common, especially since there are many factors that could lead up to them, including processed pet foods, forcing human diets on carnivorous animals, fad type diets and more. The benefits from proper pet vitamins and supplements can assist in many ways.
What Are the Benefits of Giving Your Pets Vitamins and Supplements?
As always, speak to your veterinarian before diagnosing or attempting to treat your pet yourself. Your own perceptions of vitamin deficiency symptoms could actually be the result of other underlying issues. Pet vitamins and supplements are important, but it has to be done right.
It is also not recommended to immediately and drastically change your dog’s diet. Too much of a change too quickly can cause upset stomach and more to say the least. Switching diets requires a proper transition.
In addition, just loading up your pet with various pet vitamins and supplements in excess can create a plethora of other health issues that can be just as bad or even worse than the symptoms you are trying to treat.
When it comes to dogs, click here read the common problems that our product can help with.
For cats, click here to understand the common problems that our product can help with.
When you understand the digestive system of a dog and cat, in relation to the types of pet foods that are readily available (lacking proper and natural vs synthetic pet vitamins and supplements), the first idea should be to find a comprehensive immunity booster for pets.
Organic and natural pet vitamins and supplements are some of the essential building blocks of a healthy and happy pet. In addition, feeding your pet a good quality food is complimentary but it has to be a proper diet that ensures your pet is absorbing all the nutrients available in the food. The proof is in the poop regarding proper absorption.
