Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins?

• 05-13-2008 7:13 PM

  BTmomma Joined on 12-07-2007 Groves, Texas Posts 870 Points 320

  Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact Bailey has been having some brittle nails lately (last few months)... we keep them trimmed the shortest we can, and yet they still tend to crack and break.  In fact we went for a routine check up at the vet today and I showed him the nails, he said nothing is wrong with them, he said some dogs are like humans and have more brittle nails than others.  He said maybe I could start her on a multi dog vitamin and that could help strengthen them. Do you give your dog one and if so - any suggestions?

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• 05-13-2008 7:14 PM

  In reply to BTmomma

  jennie_c_d Joined on 09-10-2007 Southeast Georgia Posts 9,126 Points 75	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact If they're like humans, gelatin would be more likely to work. Emma takes a good bit of MSM, and her nails are gorgeous. They grow ridiculously fast, too.  Mischeif N Miracles, CGC, RE (PRT, 10/13/2003) Libby's Monkey N The Middle (Chinese Crested, 1/26/2008) Teenie Weenie at the Bridge (Dachshund, ???-12/28/2007)
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• 05-13-2008 8:22 PM

  In reply to jennie_c_d

  BTmomma Joined on 12-07-2007 Groves, Texas Posts 870 Points 320	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact do you use a particular brand?
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• 05-13-2008 9:40 PM

  In reply to BTmomma

  HoundMusic Joined on 09-01-2007 Bronx, NY Posts 496 Points 0

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact      I always use vitamins and supplements, no matter what food I'm using. At the moment, I'm giving them Pet Authority liquid vitamins, and they are EXCELLENT! I've spend a fair bit of $ on vitamins, and so far these seem to be the best. They've all got great coats and very strong nails. BTW, I would have to second the MSM suggestion - I give this to my oldest Beag, and I also notice how rapidly his nails seem to grow ... and the groomer always has a difficult time clipping them, they're so hard. Could very well be from the supplementation ... ETA: This is the brand of vitamins I use: http://www.dynamichealth.com/pa/sof.asp      I'd recommend them without hesitation! This has taken the place of about 3-4 different supplements for us. Also noticed on their website that the company makes a special Bone & Teeth Formula ... which may be helpful for a brittle nail problem as well.

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• 05-13-2008 10:18 PM

  In reply to BTmomma

  jenn52 Joined on 08-11-2007 Ventura County, CA Posts 401 Points 80

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact I use N'Zymes Antioxidant Treats.  It's a daily vitamin.  I think they've really helped boost Rory's immune system.  I got them as a trial when I ordered the N'Zymes product for Giardia (from the greatdanelady website).  I don't know if they have enough of certain vitamins, I'm not sure how much dogs should have, but I like them and am going to order more.  http://www.nzymes.com/index.htm  http://www.nzymes.com/product-pets.htm

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• 05-13-2008 10:40 PM

  In reply to jenn52

  Liesje Joined on 03-02-2007 Grand Rapids, Michigan Posts 7,441 Points 850

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact I give Kenya raw eggs sometimes and will give dogs a probiotic (yogurt) if there's a need.  Other than that, I prefer to focus on giving them a balanced food diet so I don't have to supplement.  Both dogs will probably get something like glucosamine/chondroitin eventually. vankelderdogs.dutchbingo.net U-CH Alta-Tollhaus-Krieger Lamb Chop RA CL1-F CL1-R TT HIC TDI CGC ("Kenya", GSD) VPC's Coca-Cola CGC ("Coke", All American) Alta-Tollhaus' Bono ("Nikon", GSD)

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• 05-14-2008 9:17 AM

  In reply to Liesje

  KarissaKS Joined on 06-01-2007 La Crosse, WI Posts 679 Points 795	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact Luke gets Solid Gold Seameal at least once a day with his food.  It's an all around vitimin/mineral supplement. Luke -- Lab/Shepherd (1-1-04) Open Versatility, EAC, EJC, TN-E, TG-E, HP-O Kaiser -- Alaskan Klee Kai (12-30-07) Future Agility Star!
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• 05-14-2008 9:37 AM

  In reply to KarissaKS

  mudpuppy Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 5,621 Points 100	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact nope. There's just as much harm to be done by over-supplementing as by under-supplementing. Most commercial dog foods are over-supplemented already- except for things like omega-3's which are unstable. Try some fish body oil.
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• 05-14-2008 4:58 PM

  In reply to mudpuppy

  jennie_c_d Joined on 09-10-2007 Southeast Georgia Posts 9,126 Points 75

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact No, I don't use any particular brand of MSM. I just buy the powder at the health food store, and mix it with her water. I started using it because a friend of mine uses it this way, and Emma walked around her house, one day, and drained all of the water bowls. She loves it! I just use about a teaspoon per gallon of water.   Emma doesn't eat a commercial food, so I don't know what kind of balance or unbalance that sort of thing would add to your dog's diet (now that mudpuppy mentions it....). I do know that plain gelatin won't hurt them, though. You can make meatballs with gelatin powder in them, and use them for treats. Em LOVES that! Mischeif N Miracles, CGC, RE (PRT, 10/13/2003) Libby's Monkey N The Middle (Chinese Crested, 1/26/2008) Teenie Weenie at the Bridge (Dachshund, ???-12/28/2007)

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• 05-15-2008 8:38 AM

  In reply to jennie_c_d

  BTmomma Joined on 12-07-2007 Groves, Texas Posts 870 Points 320	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact Fed Bailey and egg last night - no shell - and she LOVED it... it was gone in like 2 seconds!
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• 05-15-2008 5:16 PM

  In reply to BTmomma

  samshine Joined on 09-10-2007 Denver, CO, USA Posts 408 Points 0

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact I was going through some old copies of DogWorld a couple nights ago, and there was an article about various conditions that could cause nail problems. Apparently it's hard to diagnose, but at least two of the possible causes could be helped by adding gelatin to the diet. So I would definitely try it. A cheap place to get it is Walmart, a 100 capsule bottle is $3. I'd give three per day. As far as supplements, I think every dog should be getting additional omega-3s like fish oil. They are not stable and probably don't do any good if they have been added to the kibble. Have you noticed how fish oil capsules always come in a dark bottle to protect from light? And if you get it by the bottle instead of capsules you are supposed to refrigerate?

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• 05-15-2008 5:34 PM

  In reply to samshine

  BTmomma Joined on 12-07-2007 Groves, Texas Posts 870 Points 320	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact What exactly is gelatin?  Sorry if thats a dumb question.
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• 05-16-2008 8:15 AM

  In reply to BTmomma

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,781 Points 330

  Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact BTmomma: What exactly is gelatin?  Here is the Wikipedia link on gelatin.  Jell-O is gelatin, plus water, flavoring, and coloring. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question557.htm The gelatin in Jell-O is what lets you transform it into all sorts of different shapes. What exactly is gelatin? Gelatin is just a processed version of a structural protein called collagen that is found in many animals, including humans. Collagen actually makes up almost a third of all the protein in the human body. It is a big, fibrous molecule that makes skin, bones, and tendons both strong and somewhat elastic. As you get older, your body makes less collagen, and individual collagen fibers become crosslinked with each other. You might experience this as stiff joints (from less flexible tendons) or wrinkles (from loss of skin elasticity). The gelatin you eat in Jell-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. To make gelatin, manufacturers grind up these various parts and pre-treat them with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. After pre-treatment, the resulting mixture is boiled. During this process, the large collagen protein ends up being partially broken down, and the resulting product is called gelatin. The gelatin is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture.­­

  Filed under: collagen, Jell-O, gelatin Post Points: 0

• 05-16-2008 3:39 PM

  In reply to janet_rose

  dogforever_1234 Joined on 05-05-2008 Posts 7 Points 100	Re: Do you feed your pup/dog vitamins? Reply Contact Sometimes i feed my pups vitamins.  Rate My K9
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