Dog vitamins

[aspen]

I have a 6 year old rottie mix and have been looking around for a good vitamin supplement. Does anyone give their dogs vitamins and which brands would you recommend?

[Pomp]

I actually give my dogs a natural supplement that is recommended by Dr. Pitcairn. He is the author of "Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats." The supplement is referred to as "Healthy Powder." I highly recommend the book.

[LuvableLabs]

I really feel that it all depends on what type of diet you feed. If your dog is on a kibble I would suggest talking to your vet first before putting your pup on any supplements or vitamins since you could overdose on certain ones. If she's on the raw diet (you should still discuss with your vet) the only thing I supplement with is Salmon oil and vitamin E. I have just started my dog on Glucosamine/Chondroitin and maybe you might want to look into that since your pup is reaching her senior years. :)

[aspen]

thanks for you advice!

[aspen]

isnt' 6 years = 42 = middle age? many 42 year olds will be mad if you call them seniors, and so will my dog. ;)

[LuvableLabs]

isnt' 6 years = 42 = middle age? many 42 year olds will be mad if you call them seniors, and so will my dog. ;)

At my vet's office dogs are considered "seniors" when they are 7.

[lpollockandrsn]

Yep, senior at 7. That's the line. Adjust for breed of course. Some breeds don't go much past 9. It's all relative but the whole 1:7 year ratio is just a very rough guide. 6 is at least middle age for a rot, after all 12 would be quite elderly for that breed- though not improbable of course, just aged.

My boxer is 6 also and I just started her on Missing Link supplement and Pet Tabs Plus. It kind of depends on what you feed and what condition the dog may deal with. Some are better for skin and coat, others for joints etc.

[Mordy]

most multivitamin supplements marketed for pets aren't of particularly good quality and if someone is feeding a commercial diet already, many components are even unnecessary.

that whole "senior at 7" thing is something the pet food industry is brainwashing people with, to get them to buy yet another specialized food product or supplement. in reality it very much depends on the natural lifespan of a particular breed, and frankly, 7 years is far from being a senior unless a dog is of a fairly large or giant breed with a short life expactancy. a 7 year old great dane is in an entirely different condition than for example a 7 year old toy poodle.

it is also not true that one human year equals seven dog years. as puppies, dogs grow up much faster than humans do, the middle of their lifespan is fairly even, and in the end they "go downhill" much faster than people do as well.

just consider that in the first year of their life, dogs grow up to an equivalent of about 18-20 human years.

antech has a nice chart on their site:
http://www.antechdiagnostics.com/images/petOwners/dogAgeChart.gif

[LuvableLabs]

At my vet's office dogs are considered "seniors" when they are 7.


I should have stated large dogs. Since small dogs tend to have a longer life span. :)

[gaddylovesdogs]

I give my dogs glucosamine, and a mixture of alfafa and some fish basically.

[Pomp]

I give my dogs glucosamine, and a mixture of alfafa and some fish basically.

I do something similar. They get glucosamine...and then I do a mix of nutritional yeast, kelp, a touch of vitamin C, lethicin, and bone meal.