Canine Nutrition: Essential Supplements
For this blog series, Canine Nutrition we went over the essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids that dogs require. I also went over carbohydrates even though they aren’t essential to a dog’s diet it is important to know what they are, what they do and how they affect the body…especially since our dogs are diabetic. And since many of us either make homemade treats or homemade food for our dogs, it is important to have a good knowledge base of human-grade foods. Today I am going to go over essential supplements and when you should be adding them to your dog’s diet.
Grab a cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage and let’s get to it.
Multivitamins and Minerals
If you are feeding your dog a commercial diet you should not need to add multivitamins and minerals since they are required to meet AAFCO requirements.
Prescription diets may or may not meet AAFCO requirements due to the reason a dog is being fed prescription diet. Certain diseases that require low protein, when a dog requires very low fat or low phosphorus will not meet AAFCO requirements and this is why they are prescription foods. You should not add multivitamins and minerals to your dog’s diet unless you speak with a certified veterinary nutritionist.
Homemade feeders need to add multivitamins and minerals to dog’s diet to ensure that they are getting all the essentials.
There are several brands of multivitamins and minerals that are diabetic safe, I have gone through all ingredients and inactive ingredients for the following:
- Nupro Gold – powder form.
- Nupro Silver – powder form includes joint and immunity support.
- Vetriscience Canine Plus Multivitamin – chewable tablets only, soft chews contain maltodextrin.
- Vetriscience Canine Plus Senior Multivitamin – chewable tablets only, soft chews contain maltodextrin.
- Dr. Harvey’s Multivitamin + Mineral – powder form.
- Nutrition Strength Multivitamins for Dogs - chewable tablets.
Note: most soft chews have flours that will raise blood glucose levels. Always read ingredients/inactive ingredients and look for flours, sugars, molasses and maltodextrin. These will all raise blood glucose levels, maltodextrin. Maltodextrin spikes blood glucose higher than sugar.
Calcium
Appropriate amounts of calcium should be in commercial dog food since they are required to meet AAFCO requirements.
Prescription diets may be low in calcium due to specific illnesses but this is something that you need to speak with a certified vet nutritionist about.
Homemade feeders should add a source of calcium because typically diet is low in calcium and multivitamins and minerals may not have enough calcium.
There are several calcium products listed below.
- Eggshells – a great source of calcium. One large eggshell has about 2.2 grams of calcium. Eggshells can be ground to a fine powder and added to dog’s meals. Bake eggshells at 300° F for 5 – 7 minutes then grind to a fine powder. General amount to add to food: 1 tsp. per lb of meat.
- Wholistic Pet Organics Calcium Support – powder supplement.
- Gentle Blends Pet’s Friend Fine Eggshell Powder – powder supplement.
Omega Fatty Acids
Omega fatty acids are very important for your dog and should be incorporated into diet whether your dog is being fed commercial diet or homemade. Commercial diets include omega fatty acids but the amounts are typically low unless it is a fish-based food. Prescription diet may be low in omega fatty acids depending on illness so speak with a certified vet nutritionist about adding them to your dog’s diet.
- Here is a list of omega fatty acids you can purchase.
- Grizzly Omega Health for Dogs & Cats, Wild Salmon Oil/Pollock Oil Omega-3 Blend – oil.
- Dr. Harvey’s Health and Shine - Omega-3 Fish Oil – oil.
- Dr. Harvey’s Health and Shine - Salmon & Krill Oil – oil.
- Coco & Luna Omega-3 for Dogs – chewable tablets.
- Vetriscience Omega 3-6-9 for Dogs and Cats – soft gels.
- Wanderfound Pets Omega 3-6-9 Skin & Coat – chewable tablets.
- VetClassics omega 3-6-9 Skin & Coat – powder form.
I want to quickly mention that Balance It is a great company and you can have a nutritionist create a diet for your dog for free, special diets will require approval from your vet. Balance It was created be a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and many nutritionists use it. They also offer multivitamin and minerals that are tailored to your dog’s diet.
A couple of honorable mentions that are not essential supplements but are beneficial to your diabetic dog! The following products are offered by PetTest, are made in the USA and ingredients are human grade.
D-Mannose – a supplement that helps prevent bladder infections by binding to bacteria in the bladder. D-Mannose should be given at night right before bed, this way it sits in the bladder overnight.
USA link: https://shoppettest.com/pettest-d-mannose-supplement-90-capsules/
Canada link: https://pettest.ca/pettest-d-mannose-supplement-90-capsules/
Methyl B12 – at higher doses this has been shown to help with diabetic neuropathy in dogs and cats. I give this to all my dogs with remarkable results!
USA link: https://shoppettest.com/methyl-b-12-supplement/
Canada link: https://pettest.ca/methyl-b-12-supplement/
Joint Support – most of us with diabetic dogs have dogs that are older and they benefit from hip and joint supplements. I have been using this since PetTest announced it and it works well.
USA link: https://shoppettest.com/pettest-joint-support-supplement/
Canada link: https://pettest.ca/pettest-joint-support-supplement/
Ocupet – eye supplement that is packed full of vitamins and antioxidants beneficial to the eyes of dogs and cats. Eye supplements help with the overall eye health of our pets.
For small to medium dogs and all cats:
USA link: https://shoppettest.com/ocupet-eye-supplement-small-medium/
Canada link: https://pettest.ca/ocupet-eye-supplement-for-small-to-medium-dogs-and-all-cats/
For medium to large dogs:
USA link: https://shoppettest.com/ocupet-eye-supplement-for-medium-to-large-dogs/
Canada link: https://pettest.ca/ocupet-eye-supplement-for-medium-to-large-dogs/
And in case you missed this blog series, here are links to them.
Canine Nutrition: Essential Vitamins and Minerals – USA click here, Canada click here.
Canine Nutrition: Essential Amino Acids and Fatty Acids – USA click here, Canada click here.
Canine Nutrition: Carbohydrates and Human-Grade Foods – USA click here, Canada click here.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please start a conversation below.
For a printable version of this blog click here.
Until next week stay comfy, don’t stress and you got this!
Michelle Miller-Matlock
AAHA Certified Diabetes Educator
Founder/Administrator of DDO: Diabetic Dog Owners University
Administrator of Diabetic Dog Owners on Facebook
Want to learn all you can in a simple and easy to follow format? Please join DDO-U: Diabetic Dog Owners University , graciously sponsored by PetTest.
Be sure to join the PetTest family on Facebook and Instagram. PetTest has fun, interactive posts AND they have fabulous giveaways every week!
Do you need a blood glucose meter kit for your diabetes arsenal? There are two meters you can choose from, the PetTest Classic and the PetLink+ meter that has wireless technology and works seamlessly with the Digital Companion App.
USA links:
PetTest Classic Meter Kit: https://shoppettest.com/pettest-meter-kit/
PetLink+ Meter Kit: https://shoppettest.com/petlink-plus-meter-kit-includes-25-test-strips/
PetTest link: https://shoppettest.com/
Canada links:
PetTest Classic Meter Kit: https://pettest.ca/pettest-meter-kit/
PetLink+ Meter Kit: https://pettest.ca/pettest-petlink-meter-kit-includes-25-test-strips/
PetTest link: https://pettest.ca/
If you live in Australia, Wantsa Medical offers PetTest products.
UK residents can purchase PetTest Supplies from Home Health UK.
New Zealand now has PetTest products through VetPost.
Don’t forget to check your email for the latest PetTest promo codes and if you aren’t subscribed to receive PetTest emails sign up now. You can also go to PetTest on Facebook or Instagram for current promo code info.