What Vitamins Are Essential For Dogs?
There are numerous myths about dog diets and what vitamins are essential for dogs. As you already know, the market offers a wide variety of pet food products.
However, each pet is unique and may require more of some nutrients than others. That’s why next we’ll talk about the importance of vitamins in dog food.
What vitamins are essential for dogs?
Living beings, particularly animals, require a diet with high nutritional quality. In it, water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals and vitamins must be present. Although all these nutrients are essential for feeding these animals, here we are going to focus only on vitamins.
A little of history
As is known, dogs descend from primitive wolves, these ancestors preferably fed on fresh meat, cutting the tissues of the hunted animal. However, they completely consumed their prey without wasting anything.
Later, with the human-made process of domestication of canids, their diet changed. This caused physiological variations after thousands of years of evolution and adaptation.
In other words, with evolution, dogs started to eat a smaller proportion of meat. Because of this, you should be very careful with diets for dogs, as they can cause nutritional imbalances when you have the wrong idea about their eating habits.
Therefore , a complete and balanced diet requires adequate amounts of essential nutrients. And these essential nutrients include vitamins.
What are vitamins?
Vitamins are food components involved in many biological processes. Its lack or excess can lead to serious problems. However, although they are so necessary, they are not produced by the body. In fact, the body produces vitamin K and D, but in insufficient amounts for the body.
This implies that vitamins must be taken externally through a balanced diet. However, all of these compounds are divided into water-soluble vitamins (B, C) and fat-soluble or fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K).
How many vitamins are there?
As we’ve already mentioned, vitamins are organic molecules that act as essential enzymes in the body’s processes. However, each animal species needs a higher concentration of some vitamins than others.
For example, vitamins that are essential for dogs are not essential for cats. Because of this, we will mention in more detail those vitamins that are essential in a dog’s diet.
Retinol or Vitamin A
Retinol or vitamin A plays a key role in eye protection as well as growth. On the other hand, it collaborates with the living being to fight infectious microorganisms. Foods rich in vitamin A or its precursors that should be included in the diet are as follows:
- Liver and fish liver oil.
- Egg yolk.
- Fruits.
- Green leafy vegetables.
- Vegetables.
Complex B vitamins
Nature has nine different vitamins that make up the B complex. These compounds intervene in energy metabolism, as well as in cell multiplication and the consequent synthesis of body tissues.
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C
With the exception of humans and some specific species of animals, this is one of the vitamins generated by the body. In the case of dogs, they are able to synthesize it themselves.
Therefore, your diet does not have to incorporate the intake of foods that contain this vitamin, which plays an important role in the production of collagen, the main component of connective tissue.
Vitamin E
This vitamin plays an indispensable role in the body’s defense. Therefore, it must be ingested through foods such as vegetable oils, cereals or oilseeds.
Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D
This vitamin is produced by the body when a person is exposed to the sun for a while. However, it must also be incorporated through the diet with products such as:
- Eggs.
- Blue fish (salmon or mackerel).
- Fish liver oil.
By eating these foods, the levels of vitamin D required by the body are restored. This nutrient, along with calcium, is involved in the maintenance of the nervous system.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is involved in blood clotting processes and is produced by bacteria in the body. Therefore, unless expressly indicated by the veterinarian, it should not be included in the diet.
In conclusion, vitamins are essential in the diet of puppies. Even if only in small amounts, they play an important role in the body’s processes. For this reason, it is essential to consult your veterinarian about any dietary changes. Only he can determine which foods are recommended for your pet’s diet.
