Do you give your pet vitamins?
It seems that the debate has died down a lot today and most people are of the mindset that a daily vitamin is, in fact, a great health supportive practice for humans and for our pets.
For many reasons I am one who does believe a good daily vitamin is a good practice, especially with the unique hairless breeds like the sphynx cat, or Chinese crested dog, in consideration of the extra energy demands required by their bodies continually working to maintain ideal body temperature.
However, there are a few points you must consider when choosing a good vitamin for your pet:
1. Most vitamins are not natural sources of that vitamin, but rather synthetic versions made in a lab.
2. These synthetic vitamins can actually in the long-term cause more harm than good as the body doesn’t utilize and process synthetic vitamins the same as natural, whole food sources of vitamins. Over time, this can lead to a strain on the bodies systems, especially the liver and kidneys which are forced to excrete the “left-overs”.
3. Many of these vitamins are also inundated with extra ingredients which can be harmful to your pet; like sugar, artificial sugars, chemical dyes, and preservatives which are all disruptive to the bodies systems and especially the GI tract.
4. Pet vitamins are not FDA regulated, so many ingredients can be sourced from questionable at best places and can be, and have been found to be, contaminated with heavy metals which can build up and become dangerous for your pets.
What you need to find for your pet is a vitamin which is from whole-food sources, which means extracted from actual foods, not synthetic made. Also, look for companies which go through voluntary certification like through the NASC (National Animal Supplement Counsel) or alike.
The pet vitamin that I always use personally on my pets, and suggest to all of my holistic pet health coach clients, is called Nupro Nuggets. These vitamins are available for both cats and dogs, and also come in either a powdered version, or an easy nugget version which your pet will gobble right up like a treat! They have fantastic whole food ingredients, NASC seal, US based company, and yes, even cats love the taste and will eat them. I have seen simply adding these vitamin nuggets to a pet’s daily regime heal anything from chronic skin rash, skin ulcerations, wounds, to chronic infection, and diarrhea; impressive for some little vitamin nuggets, and best of all they will not cost you an arm and a leg. You can purchase them online on Amazon, or find at your local holistic pet food store.
If you need personalized holistic health help for your pet simply click here to schedule an appointment with your HolisticPetCoach today.
"Give your Pets the Best of the Natural Life!"