It is unfortunate for people feeding raw that so many people have jumped on board to make their fortune by selling you
unnecessary vitamins, supplements, and other such bits and pieces. Some of these people genuinely mean well, but most don't. They already know the supplements and vitamins won't do anything for your dog (or cat, or ferret), but will be more than prepared to take your money.
How did this situation develop?It's a combination of a few things happening including:
When supplements and vitamins are added to commercial dog products via the manufacturer they are invariably transformed by the cooking process, and ruined. It's a bit like buying a fantastic pair of shoes, then putting them in a furnace for an hour, then bringing them out, expecting them to give you the same level of satisfaction as before they were cooked. Just as it would be ludicrous to expect your shoes to be fine after a cooking process, the same goes for vitamins and supplements. There is little evidence, if any, to suggest that adding supplements and vitamins is of any benefit to your dog. In fact, the benefit comes from giving the illusion it will make your dog healthier, or cure it's health problems.
Let me be clear, the best way to provide a solid platform for the health of your pet is to feed it an appropriate raw diet. This is a diet that is designed for a carnivore. Any diet that comes from a can, a packet, or is designed for an omnivore (and if you think dogs are omnivores, it's time to wake up to yourself!), is inappropriate for your dog.You need to feed a diet which is based on the "prey model". A dog in the wild would feed on whole raw prey, or scavenge parts thereof.
Any person who states that the digestive tract or the needs of the "modern" dog are any different from that of a wild dog, is either deliberately trying to deceive you, or needs to quickly update their own education.There is no excuse for deception of the public.
Supplements that your dog doesn't need:
Are Supplements Harmful?They can be. On many occasions, I've been emailed by people new to raw feeding who have found their dogs not improving, or indeed, their dogs being in worse condition than before. I always ask them what they are feeding. Invariably they include a plethora of supplements and vitamins. The first thing I tell them to do is remove all supplements, vitamins, etc from the diet.On most occasions it becomes clear to the pet owner within a week, that one of the causes of their current problems is this supplementation which they have provided. Not only have the supplements cost them a small fortune, but they have made their dog's condition worse! Don't let this happen to you!
Supplements are processedFeeding a raw diet is all about feeding naturally. Any processing of food is absolutely discouraged. 99.9% of supplements and all vitamins are processed. This means they are rendered in a way which changes their form, making them almost impossible for the body to use. In some instances, the supplement can actually cause a health problem in your dog.The best "alternative" is to feed your dog a natural form of that particular substance. For example, rather than feeding fish oil (and expecting some amazing result!), feed your dog fish. And some supplements are completely wrong. For example flax seed oil, which some claim is a fantastic supplement, is grain based, as well as being highly processed. Dogs do not have a digestive system designed to eat grains or associated products. As such, feeding this sort of thing, can actually cause health problems in your dogs.
In summaryFeeding supplements and vitamins etc is not recommended. In some instances it causes its own set of health problems.If your vet recommends such, there's a clear indication that he/she needs more education. You can recommend they join the vet email list which covers such subjects. Remember, people everywhere make a living out of gullible pet people. Save your money, and use it to buy better quality food for yourself and your pets.
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This site last updated March 09.
visitors to this page since 24th May, 2004