Whats the concensus on vitamins?

[robin langlais]

Curly's breeder gave him vitamins but I have held off becuase I am nervous about negative side effects, primarily kidney issues.  I am curious what those of you "in the know about puppy nutrition" think.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If your dog puppy is eating a good AAFCO approved food, (and just about every premium dog food sold these days is AAFCO approved) there is no need for additional vitamins. The food contains everything he needs, and it's not advisable to get excess amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. There is no reason for any healthy puppy who is eating a good quality commercial food to get vitamin supplements.

Hopefully, your breeder is not one of those who participates in the Nu-Vet multi-level marketing program; I know some breeders who do participate in this pyramid scheme have it in their contracts that you must give the Nu-Vet vitamins or the warranty is voided.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I can't even remember to take my own vitamins, not alone the dogs.  Their monthly flea, tick, and worm medicine is enough for me. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree. The need for vitamins depends on what you're feeding. A good quality kibble is all that's needed. I'm not sure what kidney issues you are concerned about though. A multivitamin should not cause kidney problems nor any toxicity even if the pup gets enough vitamins without it. The therapeutic window for vitamins is not that narrow. Which means that even for fat soluble vitamins you'd need a lot more than a daily multivitamin, in addition to what is in the food to have any problem.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I did give vitamins when I was feeding 100% home cooking just to be "safe"...now that they're on half Honest Kitchen and half HC I no longer give them.

[Suzanne & Jack]

Not the popular answer, but we do give vitamins and supplements to our boys.  They take a multi-vitamin, gamma vitamin E, Omega 3,6,9 , Biotin, Beta Glucan 1,3, CQ10, D3, Glucosamine Chondroitin.  Our Moose also gets vitamin B5 for his anxiety.  We started this after our old Jack developed cancer.  The Beta Glucan is a natural immunity booster.  DH takes it as well.  The two oldest are 6 and have never had any health issues and their stools are always firm.  They are always complimented on their beautiful coats.  They also eat Fromm food. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

My understanding is that the AAFCO just sets minimum standards for some nutrients in animal food. This may be different than the optimal amount of nutrients needed given any particular animal's, even puppies, specific circumstances. I home cook for Tara and supplement her meals but if I fed her kibble, even high quality kibble, I would continue to supplement her food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

AAFCO's standards are that the food meet the minimum required amount of all nutrients for whatever lifestage the food is intended, just like the RDA for humans.  Obviously, if an animal is ill or has some type of deficiency, they need more than the minimum amounts of certain nutrients.

But keep in mind that like us, dogs can make most of the vitamins and nutrients they need when fed an adequate diet. There are very few nutrients that they cannot make themselves and must get from their food. For example, dogs make their own vitamin C and don't need to get it from their food, unlike humans. Conversely, dogs cannot make vitamin D as we can, and have to get it from their food. There are surprisingly few differences between dogs and humans in this respect.

As F said, there's no harm in giving multivitamins as long as you don't overdo it. I would strongly caution against supplementing with individual vitamins or minerals, i.e. increasing just one of the B vitamins, for example, unless advised to do so by a vet because of some illness. Multivitamins contain the correct proportions of nutrients in relationship to each other. You can cause a deficiency of certain nutrients by increasing others that work with them in the body. And I would be very careful with Omega 6 fatty acids; some forms are beneficial, others are detrimental, particularly when the Omega 6:3 ratio is too high. And Omega 9 is not an essential fatty acid and doesn't need to be supplemented, in humans or in dogs.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree with using caution in supplementing individual nutrients unless there is a known deficiency. I give Tara whole food supplements such as wheat grass powder, kelp, etc. to boost her overall nutrient base.

Yes, even the RDA is for a "daily ingestion of an idealized normal person engaged in average activities in a temperate environment..." so there is room for a lot of variables there too.