Many people ask me whether they should add a multivitamin and mineral supplement to their dog’s food. This seems to be of particular concern for dog parents who are feeding a homemade diet.
Vitamins and Mineral Content in Homemade Dog Food vs. Commercial Dog Food
Natural dog food diets offer a range of fat- and water-soluble vitamins, along with minerals and other compounds (think essential fatty acids in fish, or antioxidants in fruits and vegetables).
Commercial pet foods, however, generally have these things added to them in supplemental or artificial form. This helps “cover the bases” in some ways, however if you are feeding commercial food simply for the vitamin and mineral profile, you are better off feeding a natural diet and tacking on a multivitamin and mineral supplement. This is because whole foods have nutrients in their natural forms and intended ratios.
Homemade Dog Food = Healthy Dog Food
That said, feeding a homemade diet does mean you should serve a range of healthy foods. Meats, fish, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables and organ meats offer great nutrition. Slow cooking meaty bones offers minerals, along with the nutrition found in marrow and gelatin. Never feed your dog hard bones though. Try making a bone broth using slow cooked bones, and pouring some of the broth over your dog’s food.
Adding a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement Helps Broaden Your Dog’s Nutrition
If you are feeding a homemade diet, serving a variety of foods helps ensure your dog is getting the widest range of nutrients. That said, I do add a multi to my dog’s diet, and I always include this as part of my diet reviews and consults. During our time together, we will discuss specific options and which ones might work for you and your individual dog. After all, dogs are indeed individuals and they have varying needs.
Adding a quality supplement to your dog’s diet can help put your mind at ease, so when people come up to you and tell you homemade dog food “isn’t balanced,” you will know better!
Please visit my Services page to book an option that works for you.
If you do decide to include vitamins or other supplements into your dog’s meals, it is extremely important to make sure you get a quality product – not a knock off or one with questionable handling. Read more about this on my Supplements page.
Also, here is one option for you. It is from a company called Thorne, which is well known in the supplement industry. They have both human and veterinary product lines. You can order this through me when you log into my Fullscript store.
~ Sarah
PS – Do you have a golden retriever? Visit my other site, GoldenRetrieverDiet.com.