[Sara J]

If they’re vegetarian/vegan that would be a bonus?

[jakes mom]

Not sure what your question is. Do you want vitamins to supplement a vegan/vegetarian pet food? No dog should be on such a food in my opinion. They need protein from meat. They may survive on veg based food but they will not thrive.
A healthy dog eating appropriate food does not need vitamin supplements.

[Sara J]

Well yes, just recommend vitamins in general but I am curious and slightly disagree as calcium I’ve been recommended calcium supplements for my pets on more than one occasion but I was looking for a multivitamin

Idea originated from an article here on the lack of nutritional value in dog food that I can’t link unfortunately

[Sara J]

/red-flag-ingredients/dog-food-preservatives/

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Sara J.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Sara J.

[Sara J]

http://m.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2014/03-04/food-or-foe-pet-food-safety.html

[DogFoodie]

What are your dog’s age? If you have puppies, what breed / size? What are you currently feeding them?

[Sara J]

They are ‘young adults’ and are Italian greyhounds, I was feeding them Prima-Edge switched to ACANA

[anonymously]

Anyone who takes supplements or gives them to their pets should see this recent Frontline Special: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/supplements-and-safety/

[Bobby dog]

Just an FYI for anyone who supplements or is thinking of supplementing their dog’s food with a human multi vitamin. Dr. Susan Wynn, DVM used to have a homemade food recipe posted on her site. She took it down because it called for a human multivitamin supplement to balance it. Her explanation from her FB page 8/18/15: “For those of you who have asked – the homemade diet on my website was taken down for a good reason. As it turns out, human multivitamins have, almost across the board, increased their vitamin D contents to a level that approaches the upper safety limit for dogs. So I can’t recommend a generic diet with human multis anymore. There are options, but they are more limited if you want to do this correctly. Make an appointment to discuss the right strategy for you and your dog!”

[Carrie P]

I reccomend FidoActive for your dogs. You must try it. Its well proven.

[Jenn H]

DOGS NEED MEAT PROTEIN.
People please stop pushing YOUR beliefs onto your dogs. Even if your dog could care about the animal in its food, it would still eat it if his/her survival was on the line.
Plant based protein is not good enough. Their bodies will be deficient in amino acids. (At the very least.) Supplementing what’s missing is not as good as them getting it from their actual food.

[Jenn H]

In order to avoid nutritional deficiencies put your dog(s) on a rotation diet of high quality foods meant for their size, activity, age, etc.
The only reasons you would have to supplement their food is if they’re fed low quality food, you home cook for them, they need it temporarily (due to low quality diet or illness), have a health issue that prevents them from absorbing/producing that particular nutrient, etc.

[Carrie P]

I recommend Fido Active Supplement for your dog. This is Very EFFECTIVE and very well proven. Try it now!

[veronika w]

The oldest dog we know of was eating a vegan diet. People will have to justify their own cruelty towards non-humans if even dogs thrive on vegan diet, that’s all.

[veronika w]

The oldest dog we know of was eating a vegan diet. People will have to justify their own cruelty towards non-humans if even dogs thrive on vegan diet, that’s all.
You will find a variety of supplements for a vegan homecooked diet, I enjoyed vegedog.

[Cannoli]

Human supplements are not regulated by the FDA and over 60% of human supplements ingredients are grossly mislabeled on purpose.

Imagine how much worse dog supplements are..stay far away from them…Unless the company can provide you with DNA testing to verify what indeed is in their supplements.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Cannoli.

[anonymously]

@ Cannoli
Exactly, I agree. Save your money for vet visits and specialists if you need them.
See my link for the Frontline special in a previous post in this thread.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by anonymously.

[Cannoli]

Or better yet have your vet do blood tests. I get blood tests done once a year and my doctor tells me what vitamins I am lacking in. So I then research the whole foods that have those vitamins and immediately add them to my diet.

We should do the same with our pets before we just start throwing supplements at them.

[Jamie H]

Green Dog Naturals. And Veronika, you are insane. A vegan diet for a canine is biologically inappropriate and irresponsible to recommend. First of all, you cite Bramble as an example. That has been disputed by a number of people because first of all, Bramble was a rescue and no one knows exactly how old Bramble was because she was a rescue (also, was she a “vegan” prior to being placed in her forever home?). Second, this is going on solely what the owner says. Third, sometimes it’s just in the luck of the draw, just like with the people who drink and smoke and eat red meat all their lives and live to 100. One dog having an inordinate life span is hardly enough evidence to start endorsing vegan diets for dogs. What do wolves in the wild eat? Coyotes? Sure a certain percentage of their diets are probably plant based, but I’d be willing to bet the house that the majority of their diet is meat. And by the way, Bramble actually wasn’t the oldest dog on record. That was actually Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog who lived to be 29 years, 5 months and ate kangaroo and emu.

[Jamie H]

Jake’s mom and Jenn H., I applaud you. You two are right on the money. I do not buy any dog food manufactured by a company that also markets a vegetarian diet unless it’s some sort of prescription diet (and there are very few of those and not that sort of diet is not that common). This is my opinion, but to me that says that they really don’t care about dogs at all if they would market a biologically inappropriate diet to cater to this delusional mindset.

[jakes mom]

Thank you, Jamie. I personally do not eat meat but I feed it to my animals. I believe they need that type of protein to thrive. I have a house full of geriatric animals, a 12 year old dog and 4 cats between the ages of 15 and 20. I have to think I’m doing something right.

[Rick Dunn]

No disrespect intended here but unfortunately Jakes_Mom “A healthy dog eating appropriate food does not need vitamin supplements.” could not be more wrong.

Even the best researched, sourced and prepared foods either commercially available or homemade (which includes raw diets) fall short in all of the essential vitamins, minerals, metals and nutrients that a dog is intended to have in it’s body by nature. Subsequently their bodies become out of balance which in turn compromises their immune systems. This is a proven fact and just can not be disputed, justified or excused away by anyone.

Proper supplementation brings the body back into balance and allows the immune system go back to its normal level. You can deny this all you wish… my statements are factual, backed by scientific research and proven in dogs for more than 30 years.

What is a Supplement?

Pet supplements are defined as either dietary or therapeutic supplements. Dietary supplements (also called dietary nutrients) are substances added to pet foods to make them nutritionally complete and balanced. Therapeutic supplements (also called nutraceuticals) are foods or food nutrients that are taken orally to provide a health benefit, either for prevention or treatment of disease. To have this therapeutic effect, a nutraceutical is usually taken in a larger dose than the daily requirement of that same food when used as a nutrient.

What is Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

It is the only complete supplement on the market, covering all aspects of a dog’s health. Dr Kruger Pet Supplements naturally correct commercial, home made and natural pet food’s deficiencies in three crucial ways by adding essential vitamins and minerals, important digestive enzymes for complete food absorption, and beneficial intestinal bacteria to supercharge the immune system. Each formulation has additional ingredients to focus on those particular areas of the pets health that it is deficient in.

Our formulas meet the specific needs of your pet through each stage of life. Whether your dog is a puppy, adult or senior; one that is active, in show or spends most of his time indoors, there is a Dr Kruger Pet Supplements formula that is just right for his needs.

Why use Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

Since 1986 our supplements have been alleviating gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, loose stools, vomiting and gas as well as itchy skin, hot spots, shedding and allergies. Our Supplements will help with both occasional and chronic digestive problems such as bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS), toxic gut syndrome (TGS), torsion, sensitive stomach, inflamed bowel, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Other conditions helped by our supplements include allergies, arthritis, inflamed joints, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and a host of others.

Dr Kruger Pet Supplements, when used daily provide the necessary vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, digestive enzymes, microbes and other probiotics for the health of your pet. Made from all natural ingredients, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements provide a holistic approach to your pets health helping your dog or cat absorb more nutrients from their diet. When used in combination with a healthy, organic food, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements ensure better health through better digestion… naturally!

Dr. Kruger’s approach was to address the “Whole Dog” not just a symptom, this is why our supplements work so well. Everyday Health Formula is in ALL of our Formulas as the foundation; we then add specific elements to address and make up the additional Formulas we offer. The final reason our Formulas have worked for so many years is Dr. Kruger knew that a dogs health requirements will change over it’s lifetime. He developed his Formulas to address those changes from the beginning of life through the twilight years.

Puppy & Pregnancy Formula
Everyday Health Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
High Performance Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
Healthy Joint Formula
Senior Health Formula

All of our ingredients are:

Human Grade
Non-GMO
All Natural
Sourced in the USA Only
Manufacture in the USA
There are NO Fillers in our Formulas; our Formulas are dosed by the dogs food intake as that is the only true way to know how much supplementation should be administered.

The importance of healthy digestion is critical to overall health of your pet. That is why we recommend that at least the Everyday Health Formula to be a consistent supplement to your pets food every day!

We prove this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

[Cannoli]

Rick D,

Do you provide DNA testing for your formulas that conclusively proves what is exactly in your supplements along with the exact amounts?

[theBCnut]

Or for that matter do you custom make formulas for each individual animal so that some ingredients are not provided in overabundance.

And why not provide links that prove all your facts.

[jakes mom]

No disrespect intended, Rick, great sales pitch but I’m not buying.

[JeffreyT]

Rick, I checked out your website and it does look like an excellent product. I’m always on the look out for supplements that are gmo-free, no fillers, sourced in US and not synthetic. The added enzymes, probiotics and minerals from Utah’s earth beds are a huge plus. It seems like a very pure ‘all in one’ type of supplement, and I’d consider adding to their rotation.

Thanks for posting.

[Mike Sagman]

Rick D,

Thanks for sharing this information.

However, as we state in our Commenting Policy, “those with a vested interest in any product must publicly disclose this fact and post using their real names.”

In the future, please follow these guidelines when posting.

Thanks for your understanding.

[Rick Dunn]

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the information; I apologize for not following the rules in my earlier replies. I have made the corrections you suggested and will follow those rules from this point onward.

Thank you.

[Jenn H]

Jamie H I agree with your thoughts as well. Because the humans buy the food, companies market to them. They will try to make foods that follow their fads. If you notice dogs don’t fall for fads. It’s not them putting stupid dresses on themselves or trying the latest diet (not per their request anyway) or watching TV and asking for what they see in commercials.
Unless your animal has a medical reason for needing supplements, all of their nutritional needs should be met with the food they eat. Just like people.

[C4D]

I don’t think supplementing with vitamins, especially if you are feeding a food that’s complete and balanced, is a good idea. If you must supplement for a specific condition, that would be different. An example is, in a dog with arthritis, fish oils may be beneficial to reduce inflammation. Here’s a link which shows that several studies have found that humans taking multivitamins has actually caused a shortened lifespan and some medical issues in others:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/

[JeffreyT]

C4D, it depends on what kind of supplements. Pharmaceutical companies generally use isolated, synthetic vitamins in their studies, as opposed to whole food supplements. This is very misleading but not surprising.

The author of the article you posted, Dr. Paul Offit, is on the board of trustees of the American Council on Science and Health – they describe themselves as a consumer education group – but they are a front group for corporate interests. Their funding is from pharmaceutical, oil and chemical companies, and they’ve defended DDT, asbestos, agent orange and various other pesticides, saying they do no harm.

Here is an excellent article on the difference between synthetic and whole food supplements.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/01/19/whole-food-supplements.aspx

[JeffreyT]

Hi Jenn, theoretically I think you are correct. However, soil depletion, food and environmental toxins and issues with absorption can all cause nutrient deficiencies.

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/why-you-need-supplements/

[alexis w]

http://www.nuprosupplements.com/nupro-dog-supplement.html
is a great supplement for kibble, wet or homemade diets. It isn’t vegan but it is a great supplement and my dog loves it.

[Author]

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