VITAMINS

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Do dogs need vitamins in addition to their food?  Ginger gets apples, carrots, cheese, bananas, green beans and sweet potatoes

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If the dog is eating a good commercial food, they don't need any additional vitamins, as all good quality commercial foods supply all of the  necessary vitamins and minerals. If you are feeding a home prepared diet, there are some vitamins and minerals that need to be added to the food.

A dog's nutritional needs with regard to micronutrients are surprisingly similar to a human's. Most of what we need to obtain from food, they also need to obtain from food. (Cats are a whole other story. They are obligate carnivores, and their nutritional needs are vastly different, which is one reason it is not a good idea to feed a cat dog food and vice versa.) There are only a few differences between humans and dogs regarding the nutrients we must get from our diets. For example, unlike people, dogs cannot synthesize the amino acid arginine and need to obtain it from their food. This is the only major difference regarding essential amino acids between humans and dogs. Dogs do not have enough of the precursor to vitamin D which is activated by sunlight in humans, so they need to get vitamin D from their diets. On the other hand, dogs can make their own vitamin C; we can't, and need to get it from our diets.

There are other nutrients like essential fatty acids for which no guidelines have been established, either for humans or for dogs; those are the things you might want to consider supplementing in a dog's diet. But if they're eating a good diet, they don't need added vitamins unless there is some health issue.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

I had my fingers crossed that you would chime in.  Thanks for the info.  DK can always count on you for great info

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, keep in mind that most vitamins are water soluble, and any excess above what is needed by the body will go out in the urine. In the case of certain minerals like calcium, only a certain amount can be absorbed at any one time, and the rest will also go out as waste material. (It is also possible to get too much of the fat soluble vitamins, which in extreme cases can cause health problems.) So adding multivitamins to a healthy dog's diet usually results in some very expensive urine. I mention this because I have seen where some breeders have health warranties which are dependent on the dog taking a particular multivitamin, which just so happens to be sold by a company that operates as a multi-level marketing program, and pays commissions to the person whose number you use when ordering. For this reason, I would steer clear of any breeder (or trainer, they recommend and sell them too) who requires that a dog be given vitamins.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Thanks again...the question came to mind, because when I was giving my son his gummy vitamins this morning, I dropped one on the floor and have to rush to get it before Ginger got it.  Then, I wondered if she would be hurt if she got one...Then, I thought...maybe she needs vitamins......dog ones, of course!

Thanks again

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When Jack was so sick a few months ago and eating only a homecooked diet, his internist wanted me to add plain, basic human multivitamins to his food. So human vitamins are okay for dogs that need them for health reasons.

The only thing about a dog getting ahold of a gummy vitamin that would concern me would be if they contained xylitol or other artificial sweeteners.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Karen -  Your comment "results in some very expensive urine" is exact same as one of my cousins (an MD) has said since the 1970's.  This gentleman was a pioneer in human dialysis. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sure I heard it from one of my professors, but it's nice to know that your cousin agrees with me!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Of course that's true if you're getting a well balanced diet and even then it's hard for some of us to get all the calcium and vitamin D etc. "they" say we should. So I do take vitamins and supplements. I'm happy to pee them out if I don't need them so that I can be sure I have them if I do need them. The dogs who primarily get a good kibble, no doubt are getting what they need. I am sure my dogs diet is better than mine in some ways : )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I take a daily multivitamin, too, and I have for more than 30 years. But my meals are not fortified with 100% of all the vitamins and minerals I need like kibble is. And I don't take "megadoses". There are mutlivitamins sold for humans that contain 1000% of the RDA for some of the B vitamins...that's a waste.

My comments above are of course referring to dogs, which is what the original poster asked about, and not to humans. Most humans, with our imperfect diets, can benefit from taking a daily multivitamin, and some of us can benefit from taking extra calcium, vitamin D, and certain other supplements as well. But we need to know what we're doing when we start playing with the individual supplements. Too much of certain individual vitamins or minerals can cause problems if you don't increase certain other vitamins or minerals. Years ago, people started taking extra B6 because it was supposed to help with weight loss, and they ended up causing themselves B2 deficiencies.

I also had a client whose doctor advised her to take 1500 mg of calcium per day, and she was taking it all at once. So of course, she was actually only getting 500 mg of calcium per day.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I completely agree with Karen.  I did have to give Guinness vitamins when I first started home cooking, because the Vet wasn't fully comfortable that I was giving all the right supplements and that his diet contained everything he needed.  I agreed with that, and he took vitamins for about a year.  Now I still home cook but I use the Honest Kitchen supplement which I'm comfortable has the correct nutrients, so I've stopped the vitamins. 

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

Karen, thanks for your wealth of information.  We always watch for your comments on various health topics.  We always wondered about giving our Doodles Vitamins.  Since we switched their diets to Orijen months ago (thanks to your recommendation on the Food Group), they have not had any anal gland issues (knock on wood!!!).  and their stool, even though it stinks more, their poos seem healthier!!!!  They have been on the Orijens Red Meat kibble and we are going to try the Fish Kibble starting this weekend.  As for Sydney, she has had many, many of the symptoms that Jack had.  She would not vomit but actually regurgitate cigar looking food undigested.  This happened a few times (not recently).  Sydney's vet diagnosed her as having bilious vomiting syndrome as a puppy but it seemd to get into what we thought might have been megaesophagus a few years ago.  I message her neck all the time and she seems to get some relief.  I cannot give her any large cookies or pieces of food.  I always break all her snacks into little pieces.

As for her feeding, we now add a bit of wet food to the kibble (mostly protein wet food) and some warm water to moisten the kibble and Sydney has no problem eating her breakfast and dinner.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Gail, I hope Sydney continues to do well and has no further digestive problems. :)