Thursday Thoughts: Should You be Feeding your Dog Vitamin Supplements?

It’s no secret that many people take daily vitamins or vitamin supplements to keep us healthy and strong, but what about vitamins for dogs? The other day my dad served my dog  a dinosaur egg of a vitamin saying it’s been known to help with teeth, keep ears clean, and even reduce shedding. I wasn’t quite convinced of the benefits, and was curious as to the safety of feeding dogs vitamins, so of course I consulted good old Google.

According to a WebMD article, over one-third of pets are given vitamins, particularly supplements, by their owners. Typical functions of these vitamins have been to combat arthritic joints or supply fatty acids to lessen intense shedding and better a coat’s shine.

How do you know if your dog needs vitamins?

Well all dogs need vitamins to stay healthy, but several doctors state that most dog foods have the necessary vitamins in them to keep your dog healthy. Thus, vitamins should, in most cases, not be needed. Some joint discomfort or hair loss can be attributed to neurological damage or hormonal problems which many vitamins do not help with. Or sometimes, all completing a well balanced diet takes is some extra fruit and/or vegetables (remember NO GRAPES). If your dog’s health ever appears particularly abnormal, you should always consult a veterinarian or nutritionist.

Could vitamins cause my dog any danger?

According to the FDA and various veterinarians, too many vitamins can be harmful to your dog.

Too Much Can…

Wednesday Woofs of Wisdom: How to Keep your Dog’s Breath Fresh and Teeth Clean

So you’ve just gotten out of the shower, brushed your teeth, and are ready to relax on your bed to snooze into tomorrow. As you tuck yourself in, however, your pup jumps up and says goodnight with a big lick across your face, followed by some panting excitement for you to pet him in return. As much as this experience sounds like a comforting gesture, many of us know that this act can make us want to jump back in the shower, rebrush our teeth and throw our fingers over our nose to avoid smelling our pup’s foul dog food breath. Beyond your personal discomfort, uncommonly bad dog breath can be a precursor for gum disease, which is often seen starting at age 3 in nearly 80% of dogs.

For those of you desiring to avoid associating this ‘icky’ feeling with your dog, here are some mouth care tips for you to try out on your dog:

1. Test the Breath
Granted it won’t smell like a bushel of roses, but if your dogs breaths seems to be extraordinarily off putting, and perhaps accompanied by excessive drinking, drooling, vomiting, urinating or lack of eating you should visit your local vet.

2. What’s under the Hood?
Take a moment to check under your dog’s lips to see that his/her gums ARE pink and NOT white, red or swelling. Also make sure there isn’t a brownish tartar on the teeth, unusually loose teeth, tumors in the gums, or cysts under the tongue.

3. Are My Dog’s Teeth Decaying?
It is important to have regular teeth cleanings performed on your pooch to avoid build-up of plaque and bacteria-forming foods that can harden into tartar, leading often to tooth loss, receding gums and gingivitis.

4. Brush Brush Brush
Don’t feel like taking a monthly drive to the vet for a simple teeth cleaning? Well you can purchase a canine tooth-brushing kit or a soft piece of gauze to wrap around your finger! You’ll only need one trip to the vet to pick up some puppy safe toothpaste because fluoride, as found in regular toothpaste can cause a disruption in the enamel formation for younger dogs. Sometimes vets will even have mouthwash you can take home with you!

5. How to Brush a Dog’s Teeth

Infographic on Helping Your Pup Avoid Heat Stroke!

Quick facts on Dogs and Heat Stroke and how to keep your pup cool as temperatures begin to rise!

Two Cents Tuesday Topic: Dogs Eating Grass?

I could not help but notice that when I take my dog Ellie out for her daily walks, she manages to find a patch of grass and take to a good munching. I pause for a moment and watch her each time because I see how much her tail gets to wagging. I then think to myself how grass isn’t a necessarily common ingredient in dog food so I question its effects on my pooch and call her back to continue our walk.

To find out the facts about grass I decided to investigate!

So WHY do dogs LIKE to eat GRASS?

After my crafty google searching, I found dogs have a history of being veggie lovers for tens of thousands of years. Dogs then resort to plants as a supplemental food source because of its abundance. Medicine Net explains that sometimes dogs who resort to eating unconventional foods have a disorder called Pica, as a result of