As reviewed in my previous post on the status of the pet food industry and regulation, all commercial pet foods are processed to some degree. If you or I were to live off of processed, bagged, or canned foods for our entire lives, we would suffer from even more severe nutritional deficiencies or imbalances than we already do. And for that reason, our pets are certainly no different. With the processing of most commercial pet foods, many vital nutrients can be destroyed or inactivated. Also, many pet foods pass AAFCO standard tests and feeding trials, which are based on minimal nutrients to survive and not necessarily to thrive over the life of our dogs and cats. It’s for this reason I recommend certain basic nutrient supplements for all of our pets. Of course these recommendations should be modified by your veterinarian based on your pet’s specific conditions or individual sensitivities.
All puppies, kittens, adult, and senior dogs and cats should be on a good quality multivitamin. Amongst some of the ones I recommend include Vitachews, Super Vitachews, Canine Plus, and NuCat. Along with a good multivitamin, I always recommend including a reliable Omega-3 fatty acid source such as Super Pure Omega 3, Be Well, and the Missing Link for Dogs or the Missing Link for Cats. A long term favorite of mine is also Nordic Naturals Pet Cod Liver Oil.
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In addition, I always recommend my clients include antioxidants as part of a pet’s preventative supplement regimen, such as Proanthozone, or Vetri-DMG. Cell Advance is also a wonderful broad spectrum antioxidant that I’ve found particularly useful for aging pets with senior diseases of any organ system, and especially in cases of cancer. And as the most important part of maintaining good health in pets, we can’t forget about their immune systems and digestive tracts. Although there are plenty of reliable digestive products for dogs and cats, I’ve found NaturVet Enzymes & Probiotics to work well with my clients. |
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