Vitamin Supplements

[tweedlap]

Does anyone give their dogs vitamins? Is there a site where some good information on this subject can be found?

I give my lab fish oil, vitamin E, flax seed oil and gluchosimine/chondroitan.

I am not sure it that much but he is a healthy 5 year old.

Thanks for any input.

tweed

[mamohr686]

High quality dog food has everything a dog needs. Some vitamins at larger doses can accumulate and cause problems (like Vit E). Personally I like proplan for most of the year and go up to performance food during hunting season for a faster recovery. Does you dog have some kind of coat problems?

Some people give dogs energy bars during a hunt, to keep them hunting longer.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin suppliments like cosequin are good for dogs with joint problems, but may not be necessary in healthy 5 year old that is kept properly conditioned. Many senior dog foods have glucosamine in them at lower levels.

[tweedlap]

mamohr686,

He has had a bad shoulder for many years. It doesn't slow him down. I just don't want it to get worse as he get older.

As far as the coat goes, I know that looks much nicer, since he has been taking the oils the last year.

Thanks for the heads up on Vit E. I will look into it a little further. I thought that it was a soy oil.

tweed

[311Hemi]

I will preface this by saying talk to your vet and see what they recommend.

With that said, a good quality fish oil (Omega 3's) and glucosamine can be beneficial to joint issues and are often recommended if your dealing with a joint issue (not age dependent). I know if I had a dog with a joint issue (which I do) he will be on a good, quality source of Omega 3's (fish oil) and on a good glucosamine/msm supplement (recommended by a orthopedic surgeon at the U of MN). I would also make sure the dog is getting the proper amount of Vit E with the Omega 3's (fish oil). If you are supplying fish oils to the dog you need to make sure enough they are getting enough Vit E to protect against free radicals. If your supplying fish oil make sure you are also supplying Vit E. Also, fish oils should contain the proper EPA:DHA ratios.

Most dog food do not supply enough supplements to be worthwhile (ie. glucosamine). It's just a sale pitch more often than not. Just calculate how much that are actually getting. Many would require feeding the dog a large amount of food per day to actually supply the needed amounts.

[tweedlap]

Thanks, 311Hemi,

Good information.

tweed

[FCspringer]

I agree 100% in call the vet, I do the same as far as the feed, and the performance but probably mor performance, I run trials and we train all year so I need to keep the weight up more and will mix 50/50 during training and feed performance during trial season and hunting. Some fish oil because my male gets dry skin once and a while. I give him a tab once every 4-5 days or so and that seems to work fine, Some dogs can benifit from salmon based foods too like proplan sensitive skin and stomach salmon based.