Do Pets Really Need Vitamin Supplements? This is a question we get often. If pets do need vitamin and mineral supplements, when and what type of supplement is best? These are good questions, and the answers can depend on a number of variables.
In some cases supplements are not needed and, in other cases, supplements could be an absolute necessity.
When to Supplement
A good vitamin supplement used when your cat or dog is healthy may be a beneficial step in preventive care.
Supplementing with vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals has been somewhat controversial in humans, so for dogs and cats there are a lot of questions as well. But really, there should not be much controversy. Rather, it's the context that needs to be considered before you can determine whether or not to add a vitamin supplement to your pet's diet.
For example, if your pet is extremely healthy and happy, it is possible that a vitamin and mineral formula is not needed (or at least not yet). Having said that, even in the case of healthy pets, a good vitamin and mineral supplement can serve as preventative medicine and/or help your pet to achieve optimum health (as opposed to adequate health). For this reason alone, many pet owners will supplement with these a vitamin and mineral formula.
Your Pet's Symptoms Will Give You The Answer
If your pet is displaying signs of poor nutrition, like weight loss, or poor quality of the appearance of the coat - a vitamin and mineral supplement may be absolutely necessary. Additionally, in the case of allergies, there are specific vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (such as fish oil) that could be added to the diet and help control them. Overall, it's just a hard fact that all beings on this earth are challenged when it comes to the modern diet. With the environmental issues, excessive chemical use, and overall pollution, we have a strong argument for the use of vitamins and mineral supplements
How To Identify A Quality Vitamin & Mineral Supplement
To answer that question, we're going to discuss the strategy that Nusentia took for the development of its vitamin and mineral formulas: Spectrin™ for Dogs and Spectrin™ for Cats. Typically, most vitamin and mineral supplements are very basic and dont provide much support. The only advantage for those types of formulas is that usually they are not expensive (you get what you pay for).
Nusentia formulas are very comprehensive and a good value when it comes to price per dose. Such high quality is available because of the liquid platform which allows us to put more of the "good stuff" in.
The Spectrin formula approach was threefold:
- To provide all the key nutrients for proper metabolic function. This really benefits the pet with boosting energy and helping to provide the substrates for many of the organ systems in the body.
- To provide targeted antioxidant support. Antioxidants protect against cell damage and promote healthy aging along with support for allergies.
- Joint Support*. We provide amounts that will really serve to support joint health before damage sets in. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and MSM work in concert to help feed the tissue that surrounds the joints and control inflammation. These effects serve to stop the bone on bone effect that can happen and cause damage over time.
*For advanced age dogs we recommend the more therapeutic joint support formula RJX We address these three areas strongly with Spectrin so that full spectrum support is provided. The result is optimum health plus protection against ailments that can happen as your pet ages.
Spectrin for Dogs
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS Standard Serving Size: 1 ounce Bottle size: 32 fl oz Vitamin A (Palmitate) 1,000IU Vitamin B1 (Thiamine HCI) 2mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 2mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg Vitamin B5 2mg Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCI) 3mg Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) 12mcg Folic Acid 90mcg Choline (Choline Bitartrate) 5mg Inositol 25mg Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate) 480mg Vitamin D3 120IU Vitamin E (a-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate) 150IU Iodine (Potassium Iodide) 300mcg Manganese (Amino Acid Chelate) 10mg Selenium (Amino Acid Chelate) 80mcg Zinc (Gluconate) 4mg Glucosamine Sulfate 750mg* Citrus Bioflavonoids 50mg* Boron (Amino Acid Chelate) 2mg* Horsetail herb 7% silica 65mg* Chondroitin Sulfate 600mg Essential Fatty Acids (Lecithin, Flax Seed Oil) 125mg Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 750mg* Proprietary trace mineral complex 50mg*percent daily
Spectrin For Cats
GUARANTEED ANALYSISStandard Serving Size: 1/2 ounce Bottle size: 16 fl oz (473 ml) Vitamin A (Palmitate) 750IU Vitamin B1 (Thiamine HCI) 2mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 2mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg Vitamin B5 2mg Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCI) 3mg Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) 12mcg Folic Acid 15mcg Choline (Choline Bitartrate) 5mg Inositol 4mg Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate) 60mg Vitamin D3 100IU Vitamin E (a-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate) 50IU Iodine (Potassium Iodide) 45mcg Manganese (Amino Acid Chelate) 2mcg Selenium (Amino Acid Chelate) 15mcg Zinc (Gluconate) 1mg Glucosamine Sulfate 50mg* Citrus Bioflavonoids 50mcg* Boron (Amino Acid Chelate) 50mcg* Betaine HCI 10mg Taurine 120mg Essential Fatty Acids (Lecithin, Flax Seed Oil) 65mg Copper (gluconate) 30mcg* L-Arginine 75mg L-Citrulline 75mg* L-Methionine 7mgL-Cysteine 3mg*
Summary
A vitamin and mineral formula can be of value in helping your pet achieve optimum health. For the pet that appears to suffer from nutritional deficiencies, or from allergies, supplements can be an absolute necessity. Nusentia offers comprehensive formulas, Spectrin for Dogs and Spectrin for Cats to be utilized by pet owners as an effective tool in these contexts.