Supplements/Vitamins

[Mark33]

Should I be giving my pup suppliments or vitamins? She is fed natural kibble with raw ground turkey and veggies in the mornings and afternoons, and gets a couple raw chicken thighs or backs in the evenings.

If I should be giving her supplements or vitamins, which ones would you reccomend?

Thanks

[spidey]

What is "natural kibble". And how much of her diet does it make up, percentage-wise?

Most of the time, unless your dog has an identified need for a supplement, adding vitamins or supplements to a good-quality commercial diet will not only unbalance the diet and possibly overdose the dog (not all vitamins are benign, the fat-soluble vitamins DEAK are stored, and build up over time, and can cause serious problems if given to excess), it's really just buying you expensive urine. Some do feel that a fully raw diet should be supplemented, but I'm not a raw expert.

[Nico'sMom]

I'll have to let the more experienced people answer the nutrtion questions, but it is probably important for us to at least know what kibble it is exactly. The only vitamins we give are an occasional vitamin C, we feed Canidae and I feel that contains most of the good stuff he needs.

[Dave Brown]

While on this topic, any opinions on the Brewer's yeast from Excel?

[Mark33]

The "natural kibble" that I feed is from a company called Flint River Ranch. All of the percentages are listed on their site.

http://www.flintriver.com/ProductInfo.asp

[MacKenzie's Mom]

My vet has suggested that I put MacKenzie on a supplement for his joints (he is 4). He does not have any problems but she said that it could help him not to develop joint problems. What do you all think about supplements when nothing is wrong.

[mjfish]

New member here with a quick question: I took our puppy (7&1/2 months old) in for a check-up yesterday. The vet recommended giving him a Flintstones Vitamin C once a day. I feed Owen & Mandeville Puppy food, so he is getting vitamin C in that. Will that be too much vitamin C?

[rottnelmo]

Originally Posted by mjfish

New member here with a quick question: I took our puppy (7&1/2 months old) in for a check-up yesterday. The vet recommended giving him a Flintstones Vitamin C once a day. I feed Owen & Mandeville Puppy food, so he is getting vitamin C in that. Will that be too much vitamin C?

I dont think I would feed a flinstone vitamin C. IF I was going to feed a vitamin C, I would feed ester C in VERY limited quanitites. Ester C is the purest form of vitamin C (as I understand it) and should only be fed in small doses.

[leonberger]

Originally Posted by Mark33

The "natural kibble" that I feed is from a company called Flint River Ranch. All of the percentages are listed on their site.

http://www.flintriver.com/ProductInfo.asp

Flintriver is a good kibble that is very high in vitamins and minerals. I would not give any additional supplements while feeding this food.
As for the raw that you are feeding, don't feed just chicken, also give other meats and fish. When feeding raw food you should try to balance out the protiens used.