Recommended Canine Vitamins

Canine vitamins are a supplement to the nutrition that your dog is already receiving from his food. You may think that your dog is getting an adequate amount of nutrition from his food alone, but this is simply not the case. Many dog foods contain byproducts which can be hazardous to your dog's health. Making sure that your dog has supplemental canine vitamins can help make him healthier and less susceptible to the dangers of those byproducts.

Function of Vitamins

Vitamins are a crucial ingredient to ensure several chemical reactions throughout the body. Chemical reactions are responsible for digestion, reproduction and the growth of bones and muscle. These chemical reactions have to occur in order for the functions of the body to be carried out.

Antioxidants

Whether through food or vitamin supplements, you should make sure that your dog is receiving antioxidants. Antioxidants are what your dog's body releases when he eats the byproducts found in his food. They are a natural defense mechanism aimed at killing anything other than healthy nutrition.

When you supplement with a canine vitamin containing antioxidants, you are helping to give your dog's immune system an extra boost to help him fight off many of the unhealthy culprits found in his dog food. Antioxidants cannot be found as a supplement on their own; however, they are incorporated into many of the canine vitamins available for your dog.

Recommended Canine Vitamins

To help ensure the best quality of health in your dog, there are certain vitamins that should be found in whatever canine supplement you choose. They include:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E

Vitamin A is crucial to structural development and function. Vitamin A is also effective at helping the immune system fight off harmful invaders.

Vitamin B has a variety of subtypes that are important to your dog's health, such as complex, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Together, all of these vitamins help the functioning of the nervous system, maintenance of the skin and hair, protection against the heart, maintenance of the intestines, maintenance of the digestive system and a healthy metabolism.

Vitamin C is a nutrient that the immune system requires to be effective.

Vitamin E protects cells within the body from being damaged by the byproducts in your dog's food.

Selection of Canine Vitamins

The selection of canine vitamins is numerous and wide. You can elect to feed your dog a particular vitamin supplement, or you can purchase more of an all-in-one type vitamin. The selection of supplement for your dog will depend upon his own nutritional requirements, too. If he has a health condition that requires a supplement, you should consider that when deciding which canine vitamin to give him.

Here are some of the recommended canine vitamins available to your dog:

  • Pet-Tab Dog Vitamins - Contains an essential mix of Vitamin A, variations of Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Vitamin E
  • Biotin Supplement Powder and Tablets - Contains variations of Vitamin B
  • BioVet Antioxidant Wafer for Pets - Contains Vitamin C and Vitamin E, includes antioxidants
  • Canine Complex by ActiPet - Contains variations of Vitamin B, includes Vitamin D and Vitamin E
 

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