subject: Natural Sources for Dog Vitamins [print this page] Natural Sources for Dog Vitamins Natural Sources for Dog Vitamins
By domesticating the dog we have slowly and drastically changed their everyday lifestyle in terms of the way they eat and exercise. Just as in us humans the lack of physical activity, departure from nature, more reliance on chemicals, synthetic nutrients, and processed foods has made it difficult for our dogs to maintain a healthy body. In general the amount of calories they need from their natural environment has decreased which means we have to figure out how to supply them with all the nutrients they need to maintain a healthy body from less food. Unfortunately this is happening as the dog food industry is using more food processing, packaging, and storage techniques that are depleting many of the nutrients that are dogs need. It would be optimum to return to natural, fresh and raw foods that are dogs are genetically prone to but in most instances this is just not feasible. Most of us do not even do it for our own diets so we cannot expect to do it for our dogs. This dictates that for your dog's best possible health, it is necessary to provide nutrients via dog supplements.
Just as in our choice of whether we eat natural whole fresh food or processed prepared food, we have a choice in the type of supplements we use in provide needed dog vitamins and nutrients. There are natural vitamin supplements and synthetic supplements. The latter are manufactured in laboratories from bio-chemical processes that produce the same molecules and organic substances found in nature.
Natural vitamins on the other hand are derived from food sources. This underlying fact is crucial in the effectiveness of the vitamin supplement. Vitamins are a critical element of the essential body metabolism that supports life. They do not act alone but in conjunction with other nutrients that occur in their natural food environment. Much of this interaction is still not understood. There actually could still be nutrients and vitamins that have not even been identified in this complex molecular structures. Therefore as the synthetic vitamins are chemically the same as natural vitamins and can supply any basic deficiency in the body for that vitamin your dog does not get any of the whole food catalytic processes which initiates the body's chemical reactions or enables it to proceed under different conditions.
In addition synthetic supplements are usually packaged with filler which can contain preservatives, starches, glutens, coloring, or other additives. Vitamins obtained through natural whole foods are "packaged" by being bonded to proteins, carbohydrates, and bioflavonoids. This is also why it is suggested that if you provide dog vitamins in supplement form you do so with their normal diet. This could supply the necessary other natural enzymes that are needed by your dog's body to effectively absorb the maximum benefit of the vitamins.
The following gives both natural food and herbal sources for the 13 identified vitamins:
Vitamin A
(Animal sources contain significant more than other sources)
