Proper Growth
Optimum Health
Disease Prevention
Studies suggest, and many veterinarians agree, that nutritional supplements help facilitate proper growth in puppies, maximum health in adult dogs and can contribute to disease prevention in dogs of all ages.
The proof is in the dogs, so we advocate gaining your own experiential knowledge, which requires a time commitment of no less than 1 month of consistent supplementation, and more realistically 6 to 12 months of consistent supplementation before the full range of benefits can be revealed by your dog, as the following quote articulates:
“Vitamin therapy does not produce results overnight. Regeneration or the alteration in body chemistry necessary for repair takes weeks and sometimes months before the full benefits are felt.”
Kirschmann, Gayla J. and Kirschmann, John D. (1996). Nutrition Almanac, Fourth Edition. New York, NY. McGraw Hill p.28
Apart from experience, we have gathered a few quotes from published scientific studies to collaborate our position on daily nutritional supplementation for canines:
“The approach of preventative nutrition is to remove nutritional risk factors from an animal’s diet to maintain optimal health and well-being and prevent the onset of disease. Providing an animal with the highest-quality diet is important but will not always accomplish this goal. Studies of nutritional supplements have shown the effectiveness of using well-designed nutritional supplements to overcome subclinical deficiencies and health problems during times of growth, lactation, heavy stress and work (Mauchlin, Sauberlich, 1994). Nutritional supplementation has also been shown to increase life span. Essential nutrients in levels exceeding the basic requirements may significantly reduce degenerative conditions and increase the healthy life span of animals (Cutler, 1991). Nutritional supplements increase the efficiency of cellular regeneration, enhance the elimination of waste products and toxic substances, and decrease the damaging effect of free radicals (Halliwell, 1994; Sies, Stahl, 1995) all of which have been linked to the aging process.”
Shoen, A. M., & Wynn, S. G. (1998). Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Missouri. Mosby. p.34
“Nutritional Supplements not only enhance recovery from stress, illness, and injury but also helps prevent the onset of many degenerative diseases, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, gastrointestinal problems and skin disorders.”
Shoen, A. M., & Wynn, S. G. (1998). Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Missouri. Mosby. p.24
“Nutritional supplementation should be used in conjunction with a high-quality basic diet. The use of nutritional products and daily supplements (such as multivitamin/mineral formula) raises the nutrition availability of essential nutrients in the animal’s overall diet. The purpose of incorporating supplements into the diet of work and companion animals is to provide a full spectrum of essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other food factors that may be deficient in the animal because of biochemical individuality or low-quality food.”
Shoen, A. M., & Wynn, S. G. (1998). Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Missouri. Mosby. p.24
“Biochemical and nutritional research and clinical observations demonstrate the qualitative and quantitative benefits that result from combining high-potency, individualized nutritional supplementation with an animal’s basic diet.”
Shoen, A. M., & Wynn, S. G. (1998). Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Missouri. Mosby. p.24
“… greater attention must be paid to the quantity, quality, and bioavailability of nutrients in an animal’s diet if a higher degree of health, fitness, and performance is to be realized.”
Shoen, A. M., & Wynn, S. G. (1998). Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine: Principles and practice. St. Louis, Missouri. Mosby. p.24
“The nutrient content of the soil that our food is grown in affects the quality and the quantity of the vitamins that are in the food we eat. Insufficient nutrient levels result in nutrient-deficient foods. Other problems of vitamin loss in foods that we eat today include processing and storage of foods for convenience as well as loss of nutrients through cooking.”
Kirschmann, Gayla J. and Kirschmann, John D. (1996). Nutrition Almanac, Fourth Edition. New York, NY. McGraw Hill p.28
