Vitamins and supplements for your dog - AmericaNowNews.com

Vitamins and supplements for your dog

Research shows that pet supplements account for more than half of America's billion-dollar natural pet and pet nutrition market.

Translation: A lot of people are feeding vitamins and other dietary supplements to their pets.

But is that a good idea? Our pet pro, Luciano Aguilar, says there are a few things to consider before pumping your pooch with pills.

"You want to make sure your dog has a well-balanced diet. Most high-quality pet foods have been formulated to provide all the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins a dog needs. And while eating the same thing every day might not appeal to you, your dog is less picky when it comes to mealtime, so a well-balanced diet is easier to stick to," Luciano explains.

If your dog is getting the right amount of vitamins in its food every day, then taking extra could actually cause an overdose. Too much vitamin A, for example, can result in dry skin, brittle bones and joint pain for dogs. 

But just like humans, dogs can have deficiencies in certain vitamins, and this is when you want to supplement their diet to bring them up to that well-balanced level. Older dogs and picky dogs may not eat as much as the average dog, so a vitamin supplement might be just the thing your dog needs.

"I wasn't a big believer in supplements until my eight-year old dog Ajax hurt two ligaments in his paw. The vet tried all kinds of medication with no success and Ajax was really suffering from pain. When a bone and joint supplement was recommended to me, I thought I would try it as a last resort before I would be forced to put Ajax down. And to my surprise, he made dramatic improvement," Luciano adds. "My vet credits the supplement."

But, Luciano warns, just because vitamins and supplements worked for Ajax doesn't necessarily mean it will work for every dog.  To find out if your dog could benefit from a vitamin or supplement, talk to your vet.

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