Are vitamins needed?

yuricamp · 07-02-2011, 06:41 AM

SO I took Kona in for his third round of shots and check up at 12 weeks and told the tech I was feeding him raw. She was concerned that he may not be getting all the vitamins he may need and so suggested that I get some specially formulated for pets and give to him. I try to give him a good variety of OM, MM, and RMB, and he has some plain yogurt, raw or boiled eggs, carrots and apple pieces several times a week. I also decided to start giving him some fish oil pills this weekend. Any advice from other raw feeders on the vitamin issue is welcomed.

By the way, she also said my dog looked excellent and is gaining an appropriate amount of weight. He went from 14.5 to 28.5 in three weeks when I took him in for his 12 week check up.

Jax08 · 07-02-2011, 09:21 AM

I would add a food high in vitamin C to the mix. Are you cooking hte carrots and apples? They need to be processed in some way, cooked or mashed, in order for the dogs to digest them because they can't break down the cellular wall of the veges/fruits.

I give fish oil and vitamin E, vitamin C. But I'm looking for a whole source food high in vitamin C for when the supplement is gone. I've been reading some articles that say whole food source is better because it has all the components of the vitamin so we need much less to get the benefits. I think rose hips and acerola cherries are the highest.

yuricamp · 07-02-2011, 05:41 PM

I just feed them raw. I've experimented with different fruits he may like and mango and pineapples seem to be cool with him as well

onyx'girl · 07-02-2011, 05:47 PM

I also give the same vitamins/supplements as Jax. Green tripe has many nutritional benefits, too. I try to give a heaping spoonful daily.
As far as C goes, don't use EsterC for a growing pup, it has more calcium than recommended. Go with a C with rosehips/or citrus bioflavonoid if you can't find a whole food source. I try to get my supplements at a health food store(human grade)for the quality and availability of better supplements
After the pup is 10 mos to a year, EsterC is ok.

Verivus · 07-02-2011, 05:58 PM

If your pup is getting a large variety of proteins and cuts then the only thing I would supplement is wild alaskan salmon oil.

Jax08 · 07-02-2011, 06:01 PM

Any fruits and veges you feed have to be process. YOu can cook them, freeze them, mash them but you have to do something to get the cell wall to break down or the dogs get nothing from them.

I give tripe daily as well. Other than fish oil, vit e and vit c I don't supplement with vitamins

carmspack · 07-02-2011, 10:03 PM

cellulose is broken down by the digestive enzyme cellulase and by splitting the rigid cellular wall by juicing or by putting through a blender OR allowing the fruit to ferment (autolysis) a complex chemical actions where a cell starts digesting itself .
An apple can be fermented and by letting it go to that state it will be partially digested and easy to digest . Sauerkraut is a vegetable that is "fermented". Actually an excellent source of nutrition and probiotics .
Cooking , heat , destroys delicate digestive enzymes -- so I would always give raw, dehydrated , or fermented.

Meat and bones and natural fat are the macro nutrients .
You still need trace and micro minerals, anti oxidants, essential fatty acids , complex vitamins -- and these you can get from whole food or "greens" formulas.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

07-02-2011, 06:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
yuricamp Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 130	Are vitamins needed? SO I took Kona in for his third round of shots and check up at 12 weeks and told the tech I was feeding him raw. She was concerned that he may not be getting all the vitamins he may need and so suggested that I get some specially formulated for pets and give to him. I try to give him a good variety of OM, MM, and RMB, and he has some plain yogurt, raw or boiled eggs, carrots and apple pieces several times a week. I also decided to start giving him some fish oil pills this weekend. Any advice from other raw feeders on the vitamin issue is welcomed. By the way, she also said my dog looked excellent and is gaining an appropriate amount of weight. He went from 14.5 to 28.5 in three weeks when I took him in for his 12 week check up.

07-02-2011, 05:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 17,600	I also give the same vitamins/supplements as Jax. Green tripe has many nutritional benefits, too. I try to give a heaping spoonful daily. As far as C goes, don't use EsterC for a growing pup, it has more calcium than recommended. Go with a C with rosehips/or citrus bioflavonoid if you can't find a whole food source. I try to get my supplements at a health food store(human grade)for the quality and availability of better supplements After the pup is 10 mos to a year, EsterC is ok. __________________ Jane~ Kept by Onyx, Kacie and Gideon v Wildhaus aka Karlo Last edited by onyx'girl; 07-02-2011 at 05:50 PM.

07-02-2011, 05:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
Verivus Master Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 701	If your pup is getting a large variety of proteins and cuts then the only thing I would supplement is wild alaskan salmon oil. __________________ Chrissy Pookie the Papillon 4/17/09 "Kaiser" aka Exodus z Jirkova Dvora 4/14/11

07-02-2011, 09:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,319	I would add a food high in vitamin C to the mix. Are you cooking hte carrots and apples? They need to be processed in some way, cooked or mashed, in order for the dogs to digest them because they can't break down the cellular wall of the veges/fruits. I give fish oil and vitamin E, vitamin C. But I'm looking for a whole source food high in vitamin C for when the supplement is gone. I've been reading some articles that say whole food source is better because it has all the components of the vitamin so we need much less to get the benefits. I think rose hips and acerola cherries are the highest.

07-02-2011, 05:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
yuricamp Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 130	I just feed them raw. I've experimented with different fruits he may like and mango and pineapples seem to be cool with him as well

07-02-2011, 06:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,319	Any fruits and veges you feed have to be process. YOu can cook them, freeze them, mash them but you have to do something to get the cell wall to break down or the dogs get nothing from them. I give tripe daily as well. Other than fish oil, vit e and vit c I don't supplement with vitamins

07-02-2011, 10:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
carmspack Knighted Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: ontario - Posts: 3,322	cellulose is broken down by the digestive enzyme cellulase and by splitting the rigid cellular wall by juicing or by putting through a blender OR allowing the fruit to ferment (autolysis) a complex chemical actions where a cell starts digesting itself . An apple can be fermented and by letting it go to that state it will be partially digested and easy to digest . Sauerkraut is a vegetable that is "fermented". Actually an excellent source of nutrition and probiotics . Cooking , heat , destroys delicate digestive enzymes -- so I would always give raw, dehydrated , or fermented. Meat and bones and natural fat are the macro nutrients . You still need trace and micro minerals, anti oxidants, essential fatty acids , complex vitamins -- and these you can get from whole food or "greens" formulas. Carmen Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

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