Why are Vitamins so Important for Dogs?
Studies show that vitamin supplements are excellent for humans. It improves deficiency and boosts health, especially among the elders. But can you feed vitamin supplements to your pet dog?
The answer is, no. you cannot give the same supplements that you consume. However, your dog can always use some additional vitamin intake in the form of supplements that are meant especially for dogs. Let us learn more about how can you give vitamins to your dog.
Essential Vitamins for Dogs
Essential vitamins are divided into two classes-water soluble and fat-soluble. Water soluble vitamins include vitamins B and C and fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins D, E, and K. both these are essential for dogs as both play different roles in maintaining their health. Each type of vitamin has its unique role such as:
- Vitamin A: maintains the dog’s vision
- Vitamin B: helps in energy production and intermediary metabolism
- Vitamin D: helps in regulating calcium, building strong bones, and maintaining a healthy immune system
- Vitamin E: works as an antioxidant
- Vitamin K: helps blood-clotting proteins
Where can your Dog get the Vitamins from?
The primary source of vitamins for your dog is its balanced diet. However, if you prepare your dog’s food at home, then there are chances that the food can lack a few vitamins. In such cases, you can run a few tests on your dog to check its vitamin levels and give it supplements if needed. But the supplements are necessary to be prescribed by the vet as self-prescription can bring more trouble for your dog.
All Vitamins are Necessary Except Vitamin C. Why?
The reason why vitamin C is not required for dogs is that their bodies are naturally capable to produce it. Therefore, dogs do not need to rely on external sources to gain vitamin C. That is also the reason why vets ask you to avoid giving citrus fruits to dogs.
A great way to fulfill your dog’s nutrient requirements is by feeding it healthy pet food from Paws Food Express in Houston, Texas. Contact us now for more information.