Multi Vitamins for Your Dog or Cat

Multi vitamins play an important role in your dog's life at various life stages. Young puppies often benefit from nutritional supplements during periods of rapid growth while older dogs, who tend to eat and absorb less from their food, benefit from the added nutrients they no longer receive from their diet. Other conditions may also indicate a need for multivitamins in a dog's life, including stress, illness, poor appetite, or if your dog is very active. Dogs that are fed home-made foods or a lot of table scraps can also benefit from nutritional supplements.

When choosing a multi vitamin, be sure to choose one that is appropriate for the life stage of your dog: puppy, adult, senior, etc. or a general one that is a designed for multiple stages. There are two basic types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K and are stored in the body meaning you need much smaller amounts of them in supplements. Among the important water soluble vitamins for dogs are Vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. Use caution when mixing supplements unless directed by your vet, as an excess of many of these vitamins could be more harmful than helpful. Taking a pre-formulated multivitamin should not pose any issue.