It's no mystery why we take supplements. The body is a
complicated mechanism that fights every day to preserve its own
well-being. Therefore, the body needs plenty of nutritional
support that foods can't always adequately provide. Because of
high starch content, bleaching and over processing, many foods
don't contain enough minerals to adequately support the body. A
deficiency of just one or more nutrients can leave the body
vulnerable to disease. Furthermore, we must acknowledge that we
each have biochemical individuality, so our bodies require
different things depending on our age, environment, activity
level and genetic makeup. The same goes for our pets. Every dog
and cat is unique and requires specific increases in nutrients
for many reasons.
Also, our pets' demand for certain nutrients fluctuates.
Vitamin B is great support to the body during stressful periods
and additional zinc is a helpful nutrient for many breeds; such
as, huskies. No matter how well a diet is formulated, there are
always nutrients, which are not in the diet. The body knows what
it needs and it has its ways of communicating these things to
us. It is up to us to pay attention to our animals' behavior as
well as their appearance to make sure they're getting all the
nutrients they need. For instance, is your cat sleeping more
than usual these days? Or does your dog have less of an
appetite? Perhaps they need supplements. It doesn't hurt to try
supplements to see how your pets respond to them. You may see a
drastic change in their mannerisms or their appearance. When we
give our pets supplements in conjunction with healthy
well-balanced meals, their bodies intelligently draw what they
need from the supplements and allocate them properly. Rather
than taking a specific vitamin or mineral in calculated
amounts, herbs deliver many nutrients in various amounts to the
parts of the body that require it.
Chose a dog supplement that contains the rather unusual Ester C
(Calcium Ascorbate), which is non-acidic, rich in calcium and
other minerals and better absorbed than regular Vitamin C. It
is usually not added to dog foods because it was once thought
that dogs don't require C because they manufacture it in their
liver.
This way of thinking about dogs is archaic because we must now
consider the way dogs' eating habits have evolved from years of
domestication. Out in the wild, dogs ate prey that had
intestines filled with grasses that contained C. Now at home,
they eat the foods we give them and they occasionally take a
bite out of the neighbor's lawn. Now, it seems as if dogs
aren't getting enough C. Vitamin C, considered a vital
antioxidant, supports the bone, teeth and gums, blood vessels
and the immune system. Nutritionists consider it a
"conditionally essential" nutrient, meaning that it is needed
in higher amounts during certain times in the animal's life
such as sickness, separation anxiety, stress from shows, visits
to vets and confinement due to long distance trips.
Just like humans, it is recommended all supplements be taken
along with plenty of exercise and proper diet.
About The Author: Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and
wellness. Enjoys writing articles on health for both people and
pets. Please visit www.premium4pets.net
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