The “Real” Vitamins and Where to Find Them

By: Matthew Gibb, our Managing Partner

We often get asked if vitamins are good for dogs. It usually goes like, “My dog has a health issue, do you think vitamins will help?”, or “I want to make extra sure she’s getting all the vitamins she needs to stay healthy”. These questions about vitamins generally don’t arise after the vet visit, they seem to be a response to the bombardment of marketing in America for vitamins of all kinds, human and alike.

If you’re asking whether your dog should get vitamins, you’re not the only one. In 2021, the value of the pet industry supplements market was $102.5 billion, and it’s projected to keep growing. We are all immersed into that open-ended question, “what vitamins are best for my dog?” But before you pull out that credit card on the next flashy marketing ad, let’s take a realistic look at which vitamins are the best investment you can make in your dog’s health.

Be Afraid of Synthetic Vitamins.

Most people think vitamins are “natural”. Now, if you’ve followed our blog you know our opinion about calling things “Natural”, and just because this is about vitamins doesn’t change that opinion. Being “Natural” doesn’t always mean it’s good. Most of the “vitamins” found in your dog’s supplements or food are made from waste products from the petroleum and coal industries or derive from hydrogenated sugars.

Here are a few examples of the synthetic vitamins “added” to that big bag of food at your grocery store …

Vitamin A: Methanol, benzene, petroleum esters, acetylene, refined fish or palm oils

Vitamin B-1: Coal tar derivatives, hydrochloric acid, acetonitrile with ammonia

Vitamin B-9: Isobutyraldehyde with formaldehyde

Vitamin B-12: Cobalamins reacted with cyanide (yep – cyanide)

Vitamin C: Hydrogenated sugar processed with acetone

Vitamin D: Irradiated animal fat/cattle brains or extracted with solvents

Do these chemicals sound like things your dog should eat? There’s really nothing natural happening here! The truth is, cheap synthetic vitamins are often made from industrial waste products and are used by the big commercial manufacturers because they last longer than the vitamins found in real foods. They can, and do, sit on shelves for months or years and are added to foods in super high doses.

Look For Real Vitamins!

Naturally occurring vitamins and synthetic vitamins are different … really different.  Synthetic vitamins aren’t as “bioavailable”, meaning most of the synthetic vitamins you put into your dog aren’t recognizable by his body so, they’re treated as toxins and released during his potty break. This is hard on your dog’s kidneys and, over time, can cause real health issues. So, synthetic vitamins aren’t a good choice for your dog. That’s obvious.

So how do you avoid giving your dog synthetic vitamins? Follow our most important rule … pay attention to the food you’re feeding your dog. Nearly every commercial pet food, even some raw diets, contain synthetic vitamins. In fact, most kibbles rely on synthetic vitamins, so instead, look for fresh whole foods that don’t rely on synthetic vitamins.

Here is a cheat sheet of some “Real Food” sources:

Vitamin A: Beta Carotene (look for these terms on the label: “from D. salina”, “from seaweed” or “natural”).
Found In: liver, salmon, mackerel, herring, eggs, carrots, kale, spinach, beet greens, swiss chard, sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce, sweet, red, green and yellow peppers, dairy.

Vitamin B-1: Thiamin
Found in: Trout, tuna, mackerel, salmon, pork, venison, chicken liver, pork liver, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, green peas, squash, asparagus.

Vitamin B2: Riboflavin
Found In: Meat and organ meats, eggs, beans and legumes, seaweed and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin B3: Niacin
Found In: Beef, legumes, grains, yeast, fish.

Vitamin B5: Pantothenate
Found In: Trout, salmon, tuna, eggs, lean pork, beef, chicken, turkey, organ meat, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, dairy.

Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine
Found In: Organ meats, Salmon, herring, halibut, tuna, turkey, chicken, lean pork, lean beef, bananas, squash, spinach, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed.

Vitamin B7: Biotin or d (+) biotin.
Found In: Black eyed peas, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, spinach, asparagus,
collard greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, citrus fruits, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, cauliflower, carrots, squash.

Vitamin B9: Folate
Found In: Black eyed peas, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, spinach, asparagus,
collard greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, citrus fruits, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, cauliflower, carrots, squash.

Vitamin C: Ascorbate or dehydroascorbate.
Found In: Liver, kidney, heart, fish, spinach, kale, swiss chard, watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper, brussel sprouts, pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe.

Vitamin D: It’s more of a hormone than a vitamin.
Found In: Egg, sardine, liver, kidney, salmon, tuna, dairy, turnip.

Vitamin E: RRR-alpha- tocopherol.
Found In: Ostrich, buffalo, egg, halibut, haddock, sardine, kidney, liver, brain, kelp, spinach, swiss chard, dandelion, red bell pepper, turnip.

Vitamin K: Phylloquinone
Found In: Egg, halibut, haddock, sardine, liver, kelp.

Try reading a label and finding the clues:

A big bag producer, and the synthetics they stuff their food with…

 

The clean ingredient vitamin sources of a human grade award winning product line.

 

Find more clean products at www.healthydogma.com