Pet Vitamins provide dogs with essential dietary support. Even high quality, human grade food products may not supply enough pet vitamins and minerals to fulfill a dog’s minimum daily requirements, so why take a chance with your friend’s health? Pet vitamins supplements fill in the nutritional gaps, and of course a caregiver should look only for pet vitamins manufactured with the highest quality ingredients. It doesn’t make much sense to feed a superior dog food product yet supplement with poor quality pet vitamins.
Pet vitamins, minerals and supplemental antioxidants protect dogs from the harmful effects of environmental toxins and the meat by-products, fillers, additives and preservatives so often found in commercial dog foods. These ingredients may even convert to free radicals once they enter the blood stream, leading to cancer, heart disease, arthritis, cataracts or early signs of aging. Pet vitamins help the body fight against these and other debilitating medical conditions. For optimal effectiveness, pet vitamins formulations should include only pure, human-grade, 100 percent natural ingredients. After all, what’s the use of feeding inferior pet vitamins that could trigger the same response in your dog as do poor quality food products?
Beta carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A, is a “must-have” for pet vitamins formulations. When added to pet vitamins, this substance seeks out and destroys free radicals, protects the body against heart disease, stroke, cataract formation and supports skin, mucous membrane and immune system health.
Vitamin B complex pet vitamins, which include folic acid, also supports eye and skin health and carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism and keeps the nervous system functioning normally. Vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 also build red blood cells and antibodies and maintain good appetite and healthy digestion when added to a pet vitamins formulation.
Vitamin C, another of the antioxidant pet vitamins, protects brain and spinal cord cells from free radical damage, stimulates the immune system and boosts production of interferon, the body’s own anti-viral agent. Vitamin E pet vitamins also protect the body from free radical damage by supporting membrane strength.
The best pet vitamins supplements contain more than just vitamins. Certain minerals, such as copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc contribute to good dog health, too. The inclusion of oyster shell in a pet vitamins formulation ensures that your dog will receive a beneficial amount of calcium from that pet vitamins product. These minerals assist with red blood cell production, wound healing, energy production and maintenance, immune system, bone, nerve and joint health and proper cardiovascular and muscle function. Zinc also acts as an antioxidant.
For maximum benefit, dog caregivers should look for pet vitamins that contain alfalfa, blue green algae, brewer’s yeast and chicken liver, all rich sources of Vitamins D, E, K, beta carotene and calcium (alfalfa), trace minerals (blue green algae) and Vitamins A, C and the B-complex vitamins (chicken liver). Paddle dried chicken liver best retains the integrity of these essential pet vitamins.
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