Are Extra Vitamins Necessary In Your Dog’s Diet?
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The subject of vitamins in your dog’s diet is one that comes up often, and there is some confusion about the necessity of adding such supplement to your dog’s meals.
Some claim that what your dog gets on his plate is enough to provide him all of the nutrients that he needs; while some are of the opinion that vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of pills or capsules are important in ensuring a dog’s continued good health.
As it turns out, while it is true that vitamins, minerals and other nutritional substances are beneficial to your dog, a high quality well balanced dog food preparation is often enough to fill these needs. Commercially available dog food that has been specifically formulated by a reputable company will have adequate supplies of the essential fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and everything else that your dog needs as far as nutritional requirements are concerned.
Take note however that we stress that it must be “high quality” dog food. There are some dog food preparations that are little more than filler with negligible amounts of meat content. The fillers typically used in inferior dog food are often rice, wheat or corn, which provide little to no nutritional benefits to dogs.
With a high quality dog food preparation, all the ingredients are chosen specifically to provide maximum health advantages for your dogs. Therefore, there will be no need for you to have to give them any additional vitamin supplements. In fact, doing so will merely disrupt the delicate dietary balance that the dog food has been designed to achieve.
A good way to determine if the dog food you are giving your pet can sufficiently provide all the necessary requirements is to check for the presence of the seal of The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This is the governing body that regulates the manufacture and sale of all pet foods, and they have set strict guidelines of nutritional adequacy that all dog foods must conform to in order to be approved for sale.
Finally keep in mind that as tempting as it is to give your pet little treats from time to time, they may be enough to offset the benefits that the dog food you give them will provide. It would be best therefore to hold off on these treats in the interests of your dog’s continued health.
