Important Vitamins For Your Dog's Diet & The Kitchen Foods That Have Them

We love our dogs and want them to have the best. Their health and happiness is key to living a long and enjoyable life, so this makes their nutrition important. As much as we want to fill their health needs, we also don’t want to go broke filling up their dog bowl. Luckily, there are some important vitamins that go into every dog diet, and there are foods in our own kitchen that can help maintain their nutrition. 

Vitamin A

It goes into our body as beta-carotene, but bodies quickly transform it into the well-known Vitamin A. It’s role in growth and the development and maintenance of healthy skin and eyes makes it an important part of every dog diet but, being a fat-soluble vitamin, it is possible to overdo it. The general recommendations is to get 2272 IU of Vitamin A in every pound of dry food consumed, but the fridge offers dog-friendly sources of Vitamin A too. Quality levels of Vitamin A can be found in liver, eggs, and fish oil. It can also be sourced from veggies like carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.

B-Vitamins

This group of important vitamins has an important role in every dog’s diet. They’re used for everything from growth, healing, tissue development, blood cell formation, and even digestion. Depending on the B in mind, Foster & Smith’s suggested intake varies from .00025mg-.12mg per pound of food. When it comes to getting this vitey from kitchen foods, meats and animal organs are usually the best sources.

Vitamin D

Bones need the help of Vitamin D with absorbing calcium. The rest of the body needs it for blood clotting and maintaining heart rate. The sun gets the spotlight for making this vitamin readily available to us humans, but furry coats inhibit pets from having this same advantage. Because of that, it’s important to make sure that dog bowl gets the daily 227 IU per pound of food. Should you desire to use some kitchen creativity to help meet their needs, you can find the highest content in cod liver oil. Salmon and swordfish also offer worthy doses. Tuna can contribute to overall Vitamin D as well. 

Vitamin E

This oily antioxidant plays an important role in matters of the skin, hair, and heart. It also offers protection to cells throughout the body, and helps hormones fend off damaging oxidation. Foster and Smith suggest a daily intake of 23 IU for every pound of dry dog food. Meat can help meet Vitamin E needs as well as vegetable oils. Nuts and seeds also have a great rep for having high levels of E, but it’s wise to avoid nuts in general because they pose digestive problems. Nuts like macadamia are actually one of various foods toxic to dogs.

Some dog lovers have turned to multivitamins and supplements to meet their dog’s needs. This is something that should be discussed with your veterinarian though. Supplements like fish oil come with the canine health benefits of Omega-3's, but selecting and using such an oil could use expert advice because of the variance in dosage and quality. Some vitamins also come with a risk of overdose, so any significant changes in your dog’s diet should always be discussed with an educated professional. Assessing your dog’s current diet and individual needs is the best way to determine how and if supplements and dog-friendly human foods can help meet their nutritional needs, so remember to do your research and get in a good consultation at your next vet visit.