Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Health Supplements for Your Dog are Important

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Lots of people have pets and love them. As a nation we spend billions of dollars every year on dog food, dog training, essential vaccines, and even clothing for them. The question that needs to be asked is if I take a multi-vitamin is there any reason my dog shouldn’t get one?

Of course yoru pet should get vitamins. Most pets would greatly benefit from having a multi-vitamin. While good pet foods have a lot of nutrients and vitamins, they are usually not enough. By giving your dogs a vitamin you can help keep them healthy and help them to live longer.

When purchasing a multi-vitamin for your dog look for supplements that contain vitamins A, C and D. Other important vitamins include B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, calcium, and zinc. Make sure you also consider whether your dog needs something special because large dogs like German Shepherds will need a larger dose.

Fish oil is also beneficial for dogs. As you probably know, omegas are good for people so it makes sense they are good for dogs. Recent studies have shown that omega 3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of kidney and heart disease in dogs.

If your dog is getting older look for vitamins or dog food that contains glucosamine and chondroitin. These supplements are taken by humans to help with arthritis and they can also help your dog. Glucosamine helps your body to create new cartilage while chondroitin neutralizes the enzymes that erode cartilage away.

Many dogs like to eat grass but unfortunately most of grass has been treated with chemicals to keep either weeds or insects away. A better source of nutrients to boost their immune system, reduce allergies, and increase energy would be healthy green foods. Foods that contain green foods like barely grass, spirulina, and any other naturally green food should be loaded with nutrients that most commercial dog food doesn’t have. Also a study done in China showed that giving your dog spirulina when it was undergoing cancer treatment protected the dog from damaged caused by the chemotherapy and radiation.

When you are buying health supplements and vitamins for your pet, sticking with name brands is usually best. The last thing you want to do is buy the cheapest thing. You can, however, look at online sources of vitamins to save money and still get high quality. Also make sure to follow the dosage instructions on the back of the bottle. As mentioned above, larger dogs may need larger doses. Giving your dog a multi-vitamin can not only add time to his life but also make that life more enjoyable.

Dog Health – Avocados: A Surprisingly Healthy Fruit

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When dealing with dog health, feeding your pet dog a diet consisting of only cuts of lean meat, chances are he would have severe nutritional problems.

While a dog is a carnivore – meat eater – he cannot live on protein alone. Just like his owner, a dog needs a balanced diet including fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Few of us could afford a predominantly steak diet for our pets, but even if we could, our dogs would be a lot healthier with a cheaper cut of meat. Less expensive meats are better for dog health because they have a higher fat content.

Fats provide dogs with energy and heat and help keep his skin healthy. Not enough fat in a dog’s diet can cause scaly, dry skin. His coat may become coarse and lifeless. A diet low in fat may also cause a dog to become highly nervous and more susceptible to many types of illness.

There are three fatty acids in fats which a dog needs. These are: linolenic, linoleic, and arachidonic. Linoleic acid can be found in meat products, suet, butter, and corn oil. It can also be found in avocados.

The Avocado

Avocados are one of the few fruits that most dogs love. One reason for this is that these fruits add palatability and texture to food, especially dry meal. It is also a nutritious supplement of fats to the canine diet. This pear-shaped fruit contains sixteen percent of rare oil seldom found in fruits as well as an unusual amount of protein for fruits.

One medium avocado contains about 35 grams of fat, mostly monounsaturated. This fruit also has more potassium than bananas. Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, vitamin K, and the B vitamins.

When the nutritional requirements of adult dogs were compared with the composition of avocados, particularly California avocados, this fruit also proved to be a good source of vitamins and minerals. One half of a medium avocado provides a mature dog with all his daily requirements for magnesium, potassium, and niacin. About half of his requirements for thiamin, manganese, and vitamin A, are also provided with this awesome fruit.

Compare what the avocado offers a dog nutritionally to some of the other foods often added to a dog’s diet to improve his skin tone and coat. A half of avocado supplies thirteen grams of fat. There is one gram of linoleic acid in half of the fruit.

An egg has half the amount of fat grams and only a trace of linoleic acid. One half cup of cottage cheese only offers five grams of fat and a trace of linoleic acid, while one tablespoon of corn oil has fourteen grams of fat and seven grams of linoleic acid but none of the vitamins and minerals that the avocado offers.

So, avocados are an important source in dog health.

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