Multivitamins for Dogs: What Your Pet Actually Needs

By S G March 1, 2022 Dog Diet, Dog Health, Dog Nutrition, Multivitamins & Minerals, Supplements for Dogs, Vitamins 0 Comments

Over the course of the past decade there has been a huge spike in the use of multivitamins for dogs. The rising interest in dog supplements has mirrored the explosion in the use of human vitamins, perhaps due in large part to pet owners’ tendency to treat their four-legged friends as they do their own children.

As a pet owner, you want to do all you can to help your dog lead a long, healthy life. But before you decide whether or not your dog should take vitamins, you need to fully understand their nutritional requirements.

In the following article we will examine the benefits of taking multivitamins for dogs, as well as provide a realistic idea of what you should expect the nutritional supplementation to achieve.

Table of Contents

What Is the Distinction Between Vitamins and Multivitamins?
Do Dogs Need Multivitamin Supplements?
- Vitamin A
- B Vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Choline
Considerations When Choosing Multivitamins for Dogs
How to Choose Vitamin Supplements for Dogs?
Are There Risks Associated with Dog Vitamins?
The Takeaway
Nutrition Strength Multivitamins for Dogs

Check out our Nutrition Strength Multivitamins for Dogs here.

What Is the Distinction Between Vitamins and Multivitamins?

Vitamins for dogs are organic substances that are required to sustain life. Most are found naturally in food. Animals’ bodies need vitamins for growth and existing.

You are probably aware of most of the vitamins that human and animal bodies need:

Vitamin A.
B vitamins.
Vitamin C.
Vitamin D.
Vitamin E.
Vitamin K.
Choline.

Dogs need these vitamins, too, although we must realize they may need them in different amounts than people do.

Multivitamins aren’t just vitamins, even though they’re called that. They are, in fact, a healthy mix of vitamins, minerals, fibers, and other essential nutrients. They give nutrition that can’t or won’t be found in the food you eat.

There are a lot of different ways to get dog multivitamin supplements. They can come in the form of pills or powder. You can also get them in fluid form.

Do Dogs Need Multivitamin Supplements?

Having the proper vitamins and minerals intake provides considerable benefits to our dogs, such as strong bones, shiny fur, good skin, energy, and healthy teeth. In extreme cases, not enough vitamins can expose your pup to various illnesses like anemia, canine hepatitis, or diabetes.

Vitamin A

If you’ve ever wondered, vitamin A is the vitamin in carrots responsible for that excellent vision we all have. This fat-soluble vitamin is also reliable for growth, fetal development, immune function, and cell function. It is essential for the dog’s life, and we have to be careful with its intake.

B Vitamins

The B vitamins are a group of essential vitamins that play a role in your dog’s health.

Thiamine helps control energy and carbohydrate metabolism and triggers ion channels in neural tissue.
Riboflavin, B12, and niacin help facilitate enzyme function.
Vitamin B6 is incredibly vital. This vitamin is responsible for glucose generation, blood cells and nervous system function, hormone regulation, immune response, niacin synthesis, and gene activation.
Pantothenic acid helps with energy metabolism.
Folic acid is related to amino acid and nucleotide metabolism. It also has a role in mitochondrial protein synthesis.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an important antioxidant. It scavenges potentially damaging free radicals in the body and can help reduce inflammation and cognitive aging. Dogs can actually synthesize vitamin C on their own in their livers, but in some cases, supplementation may present health benefits.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D, or the “sunshine vitamin,” lets your dog’s body balance minerals like phosphorous and calcium for healthy bone growth. Without it, your dog would not develop properly or maintain healthy muscles and bones.

Vitamin E

You can protect your dog’s body from oxidative damage by supplementing it with vitamin E. Besides cellular function and fat metabolism, this fat-soluble vitamin is needed. Obstacles to conception, muscular atrophy, and eye and muscle degeneration are all possible side effects of deficiencies in the body.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps activate your dog’s blood’s ability to clot. Ingestion of specific rat and mouse poisons inhibits dogs’ ability to use the vitamin K in their bodies, which leads to hemorrhaging and death if not treated.

Choline

Choline is a vital component of the phospholipid cell membrane. It helps healthy brain and liver function and is sometimes used as part of a treatment plan for pets with epilepsy.

Your dog gets his vitamins from food. Commercial dog food diets tagged as “complete and balanced” are specially developed to contain all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your dog needs.

Foods catered toward different life stages, like puppy food, and contain different levels of specific vitamins, depending on the requirements of that life stage. This is especially important as these breeds can develop diseases, such as hip dysplasia, if their food contains vitamins and minerals, like calcium, that make them grow too quickly.

Dogs fed a suitable commercial diet should not require vitamin supplements unless recommended otherwise by a veterinarian. Dogs fed a homemade diet, on the other hand, may need multivitamins to ensure that they are getting enough vitamins with their meals.

However, these vitamins should be given to fit the diet. Simply feeding these dogs a vitamin with dinner is not sufficient.

Considerations When Choosing Multivitamins for Dogs

Formulation

The majority of multivitamins for dogs come in tablet structure. More often than not, these are chewable pills with a meat flavor to encourage dogs to eat them. Otherwise, ensure the needed nutrition is already contained in your dog’s food or in a high-value treat. You can also find powdered and liquid dog multivitamins designed to be mixed with food.

Vitamin and Mineral Content

Check what vitamins and minerals are contained in any dog multivitamin you’re considering. Some are tailored toward dogs with special needs, such as senior dogs or dogs recovering from an illness, but others contain a blend suited to dogs of all life stages.

Other Beneficial Additives

In addition to vitamins and minerals, some canine multivitamin tablets have more healthful ingredients. Standard extras include probiotics, digestive enzymes, omega fatty acids, and antioxidants. It makes sense to select a multivitamin with some of these ingredients instead of giving your dog multiple supplements.

Features

Palatability

What’s the benefit of a multivitamin for dogs if your four-legged friend won’t eat it? Choose a palatable option, preferably with a meat taste or similar. Otherwise, you may struggle with getting your dog to eat it on time.

Dosage

Always check the dosage before you start giving your dog an unknown multivitamin supplement. Since dogs differ widely in size, so does dosage. With multivitamin tablets, you may provide your dog anywhere between half a tablet and two tablets, depending on their size.

Dairy-Free

Lactose intolerance is widespread in dogs. Dairy ingredients — milk, whey, or lactose — can induce unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. Choose dairy-free multivitamins unless you’re confident your dog doesn’t struggle with dairy.

Price

Multivitamins for dogs can cost anywhere between $5 and $75, depending on the quality and the size of the pack. It’s best to compare the cost per pill or per dose (if not in tablet form) to get an idea of the value for the money.

How to Choose Vitamin Supplements for Dogs?

Canine supplements are, by definition, not medication. They are not tested and controlled in the same way as drugs. This means that supplements are far more available to pet owners, as they usually can be purchased without a prescription. However, it also means that they do not necessarily address specific health concerns the same way, and their use comes with a certain amount of risk.

Pet owners should always talk to their vet about what, if any, supplements are needed for their pet’s health. Ingredients in vitamin dog supplements can differ widely, and they aren’t always listed accurately on the packaging. Some components can interact with medications or other drugs, and you should be aware of that.

Veterinarians will often suggest specific products that they trust based on experience and, when available, peer-reviewed studies. In addition, here are some essential tips for choosing vitamin nutritional supplements for dogs:

Look for trademarks that have commissioned clinical studies of their products.
Read labels carefully to ensure quality and safety.
Look for a lot number on the product. This is a signal that the company uses quality control checks.
Choose brands with confirmed expertise.
Be careful of claims that sound too good to be correct. Vitamin supplements are not cure-alls or medications.
Do not give human supplements to dogs, as they may contain harmful ingredients to dogs.

The takeaway about vitamin supplements for dogs is that you should always talk to your vet first. Regardless of how you choose your products, be confident to monitor your dog during use. See your vet immediately if you notice that your pet’s health worsens or new problems appear.

Are There Risks Associated with Dog Vitamins?

Vitamins are absolutely vital to life. It should not amaze us that something so essential could also be potentially dangerous in large quantities.

You already know that too much mineral calcium can cause skeletal problems in large breed canines. But you might not know that vitamins can induce problems, too.

Too much vitamin A can provoke dehydration joint pain and can even harm your dog’s blood vessels. On top of that, very few studies have tested the long-term safety of dog vitamin supplements. Some supplements contain other ingredients, like herbs that interact with certain medications.

You can avoid these troubles by working out a nutritional plan with your veterinarian.

The Takeaway

The best way to select a dog vitamin is to talk to your veterinarian about what, if any, dog vitamin supplements your dog needs. There are exceptions to this rule.

Suppose your dog needs vitamins to complement his homemade diet or because of a medical condition or deficiency. In that case, you need to make sure that your dog gets a suitable vitamin supplement.

Human vitamins often have various concentrations of vitamins than vitamins specifically made for dogs and may even contain harmful additives. This means you should stick with a veterinary vitamin supplement or one specially made for dogs.

You should always check the label to ensure the vitamin contains the appropriate amount of the vitamins your dog needs. Your vet may even recommend supplementing your dog’s menu with specific fruits and vegetables rather than vitamin supplements.

Vitamins are some of the construction blocks of dog health. Feeding good quality dog food is the best way to ensure your dog is getting all of the vitamins he needs, but if you have any questions about vitamin supplements, make sure to talk to your veterinarian.

Nutrition Strength Multivitamins for Dogs