Are Dietary Supplements Right for Your Dog?
Friday, December 20, 2019 13:33:00 PM America/Los_Angeles
Many people use vitamins and dietary supplements- and increasingly- more and more are also giving them to their pets. According to WebMD, as many as one hundred million Americans may be giving dietary supplements to their dogs currently. Here are a few important considerations to make when deciding whether or not vitamins and other nutritional supplements are right for your four-legged friend.
Does your dog need vitamin supplements?
If your K9 pal is getting a well-rounded diet, supplements are probably not necessary. If your pet has some sort of medical problem and is confined to the house, the best thing to do is to make their time of infirmary the best it can be. Provide them with a nice place to potty such as puppy pads, fake grass, and consider special accommodations like the Bark Potty.
Are supplements dangerous for dogs?
Possibly. Animals with an already balanced diet may be harmed by excessive supplementation. Too much calcium, for example, can cause musculoskeletal problems in large dogs, and an excess of vitamin A can damage blood vessels. Additionally, some vitamins, such as Vitamin C, can act as a diuretic, causing your dog to "go" more than usual. In this case, it may be helpful to use an indoor dog potty to help avoid any accidents.
What does my vet think?
Ask your vet before giving your animal anything he or she would not normally ingest. Forcing them to take pills can be traumatic and degrade their quality of life- and their trust in you- especially if they really don’t need it.
Do supplements work?
There is some controversy over this topic in the area of human use. When it comes to dogs, even less is known. So, again, unless your dog has a disorder that calls for special nutritional supplementation, you should probably forgo it.
What is prescription dog food?
If your dog is diagnosed with a nutritional problem, a specially formulated dog food is probably the best idea. Such a product will be researched and tested for safety and nutritional value for your pet. Introducing a new food into your dog's diet can be tricky. While you learn how the food affects their potty schedule, we suggest setting up an indoor potty area, like Bark Potty, to cover any emergencies.