If you have pets, then you are familiar not only with the painful feeling of love for a little friend, but also with the feeling of concern for his health and mood. Should I give him vitamins for prevention? Are dietary supplements needed and is the appointment of a veterinarian important?
Svetlana Melnikova – veterinarian, gastroenterologist-nutritionist – talks about everything in order and hugs a smiling dog.
About vitamins – for those who eat food
– Vitamins should only be prescribed by a veterinarian – preferably a veterinary nutritionist. Because this topic has a lot of “buts” and risks of harming your pet.
Let’s say a pet’s diet is industrial, that is, it eats dry and wet food. In the absence of pathologies, including those associated with impaired absorption of useful elements, the animal does not need additional vitamins – there are so many different additives in the feed.
If you add vitamins to your pet’s food out of good intentions, nothing good will come of it. Because hypervitaminosis is treated much more difficult than hypovitaminosis. And when an animal has a shortage of useful compounds, we, as doctors, know about this and add them to the diet.
As for drugs, it is preferable to buy veterinary drugs, because they have a convenient dosing regimen. Although there are some medications that can be used on animals, for example, calcium and potassium, which we give to pets.
About vitamins – for those who eat at home
– If the food is natural, it should also be balanced. Of course, there are foods rich in healthy vitamins and minerals: organ meats, herbs, vegetables, and so on. However, the lack of vitamins and minerals in pets is still not uncommon.
In the home diet, you can enter both complex and mono-supplements, as well as animal fats rich in omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids.
But it is very difficult for a person without a special program and certain experience to understand whether there is a lack of nutrients in a pet. Therefore, I do not recommend buying vitamins without a doctor’s testimony.
The need for various supplements depends on many things: on age, physiological status, the presence of pathologies, and so on. In practice, if necessary, I supplement the natural diets of pets with vitamins and minerals: vitamin E, sulfur-containing vitamins, calcium, and so on.
About bioactive additives
– If you introduce any additive into the animal’s diet, you need to know exactly for what purpose we are doing it.
Supplements will not help fill any deficiencies. This is not a “magic wand” that will somehow have a wonderful effect on immunity, bowel function and the like.
If we talk about what dietary supplements I can still prescribe – most often feed additives, including psyllium (these are psyllium husks, a herbal feed additive that helps pets with intestinal diseases, helps regulate stool). The composition of such dietary supplements contains plants and berries – and it is better to give the animal not the dietary supplement itself, but to introduce natural products into the diet.
About the appointment of a veterinarian
– I think the question is settled – yes, of course, it is needed. It is advisable to contact a nutritionist, because it is he who understands these intricacies.
There are various tests, samples: they can determine deficiencies, but not all elements. Some of the minerals can be viewed by a biochemical blood test and an additional test for vitamins.
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We hope your pets are always smiling too!
The material was prepared by Alexandra Goryunova