Should Your Dog Take Vitamins or Supplements?

No matter how diligent you are at researching and sourcing the most well-balanced dog food with essential nutrients, there are myriad issues that could be preventing your pet from absorbing and retaining what they need. Just one day of consuming too much human food, eating grass, or being fussy can cause them to develop a deficiency.

Supplementing is undoubtedly one key to prolonging your dog’s life. Yes, your dog food brand of choice may say “complete and nutritionally-balanced,” but is it balanced for every dog, every day? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

Each dog’s digestion is a little bit different—this is what makes your dog the best dog in the world—and it’s why adding a boost to their diet can help. But what form should that come in: vitamins or supplements?

Not to be pedantic here, but it’s important to point out the differences between vitamins and supplements. Vitamins, even multivitamins, are singular sources of nutrients. Whereas a supplement can provide the vitamins your dog needs and the proteins, amino acids, antioxidants, and probiotics necessary for absorption and overall health.

It’s like a restaurant that only serves one item on the menu (and you get a lot of it), versus one that lets you sample everything on the menu (and they have plenty to try).

This has further repercussions than you might initially think. And we’re talking about the vitamins, not the restaurants…

Let’s start with a basic example: think of a vitamin C pill made of 100% ascorbic acid (another term for vitamin C). You’ve probably noticed that these pills or chewable tablets usually come with enough vitamin C for the next three years. On the bottle, it says 16,667% of your daily recommended value. Why is that?

• Water vs. Fat-Soluble Nutrients – First, specific nutrients are water-soluble, meaning they dissolve in water. When your dog’s body has too many water-soluble nutrients, it gets flushed out through their urine. This is not the case with something like vitamin D, which is fat-soluble and can remain stored in fatty tissue until it reaches toxic levels.
• Absorption Conundrum – Moving beyond the vitamin C example. Most vitamin pills and multivitamins for dogs are synthetic and not organic. Synthetic nutrients, while technically the same at a molecular level, aren’t absorbed like their natural counterparts. This is because digestion is a complex process, and organic foods contain additional micronutrients and proteins that aid in the absorption process. Thus, higher doses are needed to achieve the same results.

You might already see where this is leading…

Two things are occurring simultaneously with vitamins. One, they’re singular sources. Two, their absorption rates are low, so the doses are high. Many responsible dog owners, such as yourself, are keenly aware of their dog’s needs. When they notice that their dog’s mood has been suffering, they might treat them with a B-complex vitamin, as many of the B-vitamins are key for proper brain development and functionality.

Next, their dog also visits the dog park where sharing water bowls and playing with other dogs is going to be a germ-infested (and fun) wonderland. To boost their dog's immune system, they offer them a vitamin E tablet.

And maybe their skin and coat are a little dry—vitamin A!

Rinse and repeat these scenarios, and you’ll find a dog on three, four, sometimes five different vitamin pills. First of all, this is a hassle for the owner to keep track of. Secondly, this is potentially dangerous for the dog.

Vitaminosis is a disease caused by excess vitamins in the body. The most common cause is often the result of offering too many vitamins and supplements in an attempt to treat multiple conditions in the dog.

To avoid this, consider the original reason why vitamins were being considered in the first place—a boost to their diet.

There are several reasons you might consider supplementing. You want them to have a healthy gut, a properly functioning brain, strong joints, and a thick coat. This is only possible with natural ingredients that contain bioavailable amounts of a wide range of nutrients.

• Amino acids – Great for boosting the immune system, promoting hormone production, and for healthy skin, coat, and nails.
• Zinc – Zinc helps with immune system health, thyroid health, and overall digestive health, and it is the second most commonly used mineral in dogs. Zinc cannot be stored in a dog’s body and must be ingested daily.
• Prebiotics and Probiotics – For a healthy gut flora, prebiotics and probiotics support digestive and intestinal health. This helps to lessen allergies and promote overall health by keeping bad system-wide bacteria at bay.
• Fatty acids – Fatty acids reduce inflammation, improve heart health, and lessen skin allergies and issues.
• Antioxidants – To reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, and improve alertness in older dogs, antioxidants are a must-consume.

Consider having all of these in one daily dose.

Sources: 

1. PetMD. Vitamin D Poisoning in Dogs. https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/toxicity/c_dg_vitamin_d_toxicity?page=2