Should your dog take a multivitamin?
It’s been reported in studies that 56% of consumers take vitamin supplements and 44% of those take them daily. We know that this is true for the humans species, but can the same be said for canines? Unfortunately there is limited data available on the supplements given to dogs, but it is estimated that 1/3 dogs receive vitamin supplements, the most common being a daily multivitamin. Marketing and advertising do a great job promoting the benefits of canine multivitamins, but are these really needed for health and wellness? Dogs have essential requirements for vitamins, but it is important to understand what vitamins are required and the sources that a dog receives these vitamins from. Likely if a dog is consuming a balanced and complete diet there is no need to supplement with additional vitamins.
Vitamins are classified as essential for physiologic functions. They act as cofactors in enzymatic reactions, play a role in DNA synthesis, energy release, bone development and many other important functions. Vitamin A is essential for functions like vision, growth, reproduction and immune function. Vitamin D provides benefits in intestinal absorption and mobilization, while Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. Vitamin K functions in normal blood clotting, Biotin works in metabolism of fats, glucose and amino acids, and Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. These vitamins among others are essential, but the way a dog obtains these doesn’t come through a daily pill or powder.
There are numerous vitamin supplement products available on the market targeted towards canine health. Multivitamins being one of the larger product markets available. Before choosing to add a multivitamin to your dog’s diet, it’s important to know what nutrients they are already getting from their diet and if a multivitamin is truly needed. If dogs are eating a commercially produced diet that is complete and balanced, further vitamin supplementation should not be needed. Providing an additional vitamin supplement could in fact be harmful since it would provide an excess of vitamins in the diet, which in some cases could cause toxicity. Commercially produced pet foods have added vitamins at the level appropriate for a dog’s specific lifestage (i.e. puppy, adult), as well as to account for processing and storage losses. Adding additional vitamins disrupts this carefully calculated balance.
That being said, there may be some cases where providing a high quality vitamin supplement is recommended. For dogs who have been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency, dogs who are fed a home prepared diet, and dogs who eat very little may require a vitamin supplement to meet their unique needs. It may also be recommended to provide vitamin supplements for dogs who have been diagnosed with a disease that affects how they metabolism vitamins. Although supplements in these cases may be recommended, a daily multivitamin is not the solution. When providing any supplement, it should be specific to target the needs of the diet, deficiency or disease.
There are additional issues with providing multivitamins and questions around efficacy. There are limited clinical trials conducted on canine multivitamins and therefore limited data on actual efficacy of these products. Given the limited trails and data, there are many unanswered questions concerning efficacy, safety and appropriate levels of nutrients within multivitamins. We recommend focusing on providing your dog with a high quality complete and balanced diet first, rather than relying on a multivitamin to provide essential nutrients. There are great supplements available on the market that can enhance your dog’s health and wellness, but they are specific to the need and lifestage of your dog. We will be sharing more on the supplements we believe are amazing additions to your dog’s diet, but in the meantime avoid providing a multivitamin that your dog really doesn’t need.
