Dogs' nutrition has changed even more than human nutrition has in the last 40 years. With the advent of dry dog food (for convenience) nutritional for dogs has changed dramatically. Because of the nutritional deficiencies of dry dog food, dogs have a hard time getting the right vitamins and minerals in their diets. The question of whether or not your dog needs vitamins and supplements will be answered below.
The short answer to this question is yes. Dogs do need additional vitamins and supplements in order to maintain proper nutritional levels. In order for dogs to get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals, they should be either given supplements to fill the gaps, or be provided real food, innards, and bones from animals. Dogs are just like humans in that they will not function optimally unless they have an optimal nutritional intake. The fact is, dogs are not meant to eat grains and other fillers that dog food is largely made up of. They are meant to eat real nutrient dense foods such as; beef liver, soft bones, and hearts. Without these staples in a dog's diet, they end up without essential nutrients and these essential nutrients can only be made up by giving supplements.
Supplements are definitely not the ideal thing to feed your dogs. Just as real food is ideal for humans, it is the same with dogs. Dogs should only be given supplements if it is not feasible to provide them with the necessary building blocks on their regular diets. Although not ideal, supplements will end up being better than nothing. They will help dogs maintain a balance in their diets and allow them to function better than they would without any supplements to begin with.
However, it is very important that the supplements you buy/give are from a reputable manufacturer. Because supplements are not FDA regulated, the market is full of irresponsible companies that are selling bad quality supplements. You need to be sure that you are not one of those people that buys the supplements made from these kinds of manufacturers. You should always do extra research to ensure that the supplements you purchase are made of good quality and come from good sources. In order to do this, you should look at the supplement companies reputation on the Internet. By searching for the reputation of the manufacturer, you should get a good idea on how reputable they are.
Another way you can tell is if you check out third party reviews. By checking out third party reviews, you can see which supplements are the best on the market and which ones do not live up to the proper quality control standards. One of the best websites for this type of information is Consumer Reports. This website has great information on different supplement manufacturers for dogs, and you should be able to obtain enough reliable information to make a better informed buying decision for your dog. Always check with a veterinarian professional before making any changes to your dogs health care routine.
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