Let's talk vitamins, supplements...

[Jesse Cruz]

hello everyone,

i want to talk about vitamins and supplements. i would like to know are they necessary? if so why? what kind? where to get them.

my husband says bailey is too soft and mushy (chloe is solid) and he spoke to his friend, who by the way has a huge bull mastiff. his friend said we should give him vitamins. so now he wants to do this, but i want to get more info on vitamins because i've heard different opinions.

some say its necessary, others say its not. so what is it? :confused:

[Jill Ramsey]

I think it depends on whether or not you want to give them. Some think if the food is good, you don't need them.
We give Finnegan, wheat germ w/omega 3 fatty acids and garlic tabs daily. Also, he gets a glucosamine,condroit in,msm suppliment daily. due to the fact that labs are prone to hip/joint problems. Our breeder recommended the suppliment and Finn's been on it since about 6 months old. Every couple of months, I give him 1 echinacea tablet a day for about a month, and then he goes off for a couple of months. This is for his immune system.
He also gets oregano drops for his digestive system. I buy the oregano oil and mix with extra virgin olive oil.

Since he started with all of the suppliments, he hasn't had any health problems except the eye thing a few months ago.

[Chris Smith]

Hi Jill,

Why do you give Finn the "wheat germ w/omega 3 fatty acids and garlic tabs daily"?? What is this for? Have you been doing this since he was a pup?

And how do you know what amounts of everything to give? Is it based upon his weight?

Are there any articles or resources on supplements that dogs should be getting that you know of?

I don't give Nalu anything but his Nutro Natural Choice food and have never really thought about supplementing with anything. Maybe I should?? And at what age should things be started?

[Rachel]

Here is a really great website about vitamins, herbs, fruits and vegitables a dog can/should have.

http://www.doberdogs.com/herbs.html

Here is the homepage http://www.doberdogs.com/menu.html they have a lot of really great articles and resources.


Rachel

[Chris Smith]

These links are great, Rachel!

Thanks!!!

[Jesse Cruz]

thanks for the info. i will check out the links and read it through.