Are Vitamins and Supplements Necessary for Cats and Dogs
We as humans, try to get fairly well balanced diets. If you are like our family, you gulp a few vitamins and supplement pills every morning in expects of staying healthy.
Since our pets no longer head for the woods to find their source of food, they too, require additional “health insurance” by means of vitamins and supplements.
Not even the very best canned or dehydrated food made for cats and dogs is ideal. There is not a 100% balanced and complete meal to be found anywhere, no matter what the label says. Pet meal for the most part is processed by warm and as we know heat destroys vitamins and enzymes. Even frozen and freeze-dried pet foods are not the “100% perfect food” to feed your pet.
What are some of the options you should be looking for to assure your pet’s health? I am not suggesting that you give your pet a hand full of pills to ingest. I am conscious of how much fun it is to give a cat a pill. Even have the scratches to confirm it.
No, I just want you to be conscious that there are areas of health to think when planning your pet’s diet and that their food should comprise certain elements. If the food you are serving does not supply these things, then it is a good idea to consider this list and perhaps add these supplements.
- Digestive enzymes – Mother Nature in all her magnificence awarded every vegetable, fruit and animal food source with enzymes that break down food into particles small sufficient to be processed by the body. Most processed pet meal is lacking in these enzymes as they are basically obliterated by temperature.
- Our pets need these digestive enzymes to aid in their absorption and absorption of the nutrients in their food. The lack of these enzymes can be accountable for such things as prickly skin, flatulence, body odor and excessive shedding to name a few.
- Essential Fatty Acids – Our pets need these greasy acids to help in their cardiovascular functions and for sustenance for their skin and coats. For many years pet owners have given their pets fatty acids for the above reasons, but now veterinarians have found that they play an essential role in the control of allergies, irritation and the function of other body organs in cats and dogs. Granted they can be found in the foods we nourish our pets, but once again food processing limits the amounts they are getting.
- Multi Vitamins – they are necessary for us to take and they are just as momentous for our pets. Look at it as “health insurance” for your pets. Going back to the same old story, much of the vitamins and minerals in our pet’s food are once again obliterated by the heat in processing the food. Even if they are added as an after thought later by the pet food companies, the vitamins and minerals slowly dispel when depiction to air and light. The first bites are the best diet wise.
As in all things concerning to your pet it is best to talk to your Vet regarding what supplements you should add to your pet’s diet. Doing a little study on the internet and talking to friends that have animals can also give you a wealth of information.
One very significant thing cat caregivers should keep in mind is that cats need the amino acid called “taurine” in their meals. I have found that Hartz makes a vitamin for cats that are not only filled with most things a cat needs, it is a great cause of “taurine.” Our cats willingly eat the vitamin pill, it is rather big, so I smash it up and they seem to enjoy it. It can be found in most grocery stores and is sensibly priced.
Since I am on the subject of cats for the moment, I would like to comprise a recipe that I have used daily for several years and credit it to saving our Smokey’s life and making him well and strong. It is an outstanding source of vitamins and minerals; it will do wonders for your cat’s coat and its inner well being. A friend lent me the book that this was in and unluckily we do not know the writer or the name of the book. It is well worth the attempt it takes to put it jointly and it will benefit your cat in many ways particularly if your cat is a fastidious eater like ours is.
It is rather like building a mouse: (a cat’s best source of food)
11/2 cups of Brewer’s mushroom (acts as something living, lifts the quality of protein and assists put back some B vitamins and amino acids)
1 cup lecithin (to blend fatty wastes and supply a good coat)
ΒΌ cup kelp powder (provides minerals and fiber, the diet found in a mouse’s hair and contents of its stomach)
2 cups wheat fiber (provides minerals and cellulose, as does the kelp powder)
2 cups bone meal (helps bone construction)
Mix jointly and keep in an airtight jar (peanut butter jar works well) and keep in the refrigerator. Mix or shake over 1 teaspoon in your cat’s foodstuff at mealtime, total of 2 teaspoons per day. If you nourish your cat more than a few times a time adjust the amount and spread it for that reason. You may have to try a little bit at a time to get your cat used to the flavor. You can buy the elements at the health foodstuff store and it lasts for a long while. Just maintain it in the refrigerator. I had problem finding kelp powder and as a result bought pills and ground them in a small coffee grinder, which I keep to grind up things our cats are fastidious about and I then can slip them in their food, etc.
As our pets grow older, it is essential to be sharp-eyed regarding their performance. If your dog or cat is approaching 8 or 9 years of age keep a judgment on its mobility, watch for rigidity in the joints. This might be a good time to initiate giving Glucosamine, which is joint supplement. Again check with your Vet before starting any new health systems.
CoEnzyme Q 10 is another helpful supplement that will help protect your pet’s health and chewing gums.
The list of supplements that are good for your cat and dog is long. It can be an overpowering. Use the Internet as a investigate tool, talk to your Vet, ask a holistic veterinarian, and talk to friends with healthy pets, read pet food labels and most of all watch your pet.
Take a long look at your pet’s coat and skin, are their eyes bright, do they have plentiful energy, are their teeth and gums healthy? A good long look will give you an idea of what your pet needs. Keep in mind that what is good for one animal is not of necessity good for another.
Some pets need more of one thing while others may not need it at all. Just like their human caregivers, pets come in all sizes and shapes and they, just like us have certain health needs and necessities. Be mindful of your pet, be observant, talk to your vet and use the tools and services that are available in today’s world to make certain your pet has all the health benefits available.
I wish you and your pet a long and healthy life. Good luck.
