[Nauk]

Hi there.

I have a 3 month going on 4 mini aussie pup. I'm feeding him Orijen right now and am thinking of starting supplements on him. I thought of giving him Calcium but I read about how too much calcium isn't good and also about the calciumhosphorus ratio. So I decided to give him raw eggs instead. I want to start him on Fish Oil + Vitamin E and Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM as well. Any opinions on that? Also, is human grade supplements appropriate for puppies or must I get the pet type ones.

Thank you.
Jacinda.

 

[chubby]

Hi, just make sure you do a lot of research before starting that. There are specific amounts of Vitamin E, Glucosamine, etc. that your puppy should have, and the human grade has much more than what your dog would need.

 

[Kathyy]

I use only human grade supplements for my dog, I don't trust pet grade supplements. Human grade cost less and don't have all the extras I don't want my dog to have as well. I do pay very close attention to the amounts needed, sometimes my 38 pound dog gets as much as I do, sometimes much less, sometimes in proportion to weight.

I use the guidelines here for omega 3 and joint supplements
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html
and the NRC level for vitamins and minerals.

Your pup would rather get the omega 3s and joint support from the source. What about offering fresh or canned salmon, sardine, mackerel or other small fast growing [so low in mercury] cold water fatty fish every once in a while for the omega 3s and a bit of lamb or pork breast with lots of cartilage for glucosamine or chondroitin [I forget which is which]? Trachea is a commercial source for the one or the other but any cartilage contains it.

 

[GreatDaneMom]

why do you feel your dog needs supplements? truthfully you will do more harm than good if your dog doesnt need them because you can over supplement them, depending on what it is. do NOT give vitamin C or calcium.....

 

[Crantastic]

Orijen is already properly balanced. Why would you want to mess with that? I'm all for supplements if a dog needs them -- cranberry to help prevent UTIs in a dog that's prone to them, glucosamine for a dog with joint issues, stuff like that -- but if a dog is healthy and is on a good balanced food, why add anything? It might actually harm the dog.

 

[Loki Love]

do NOT give vitamin C or calcium.....

What is the issue with Vitamin C? I know lots of people (Dane people in fact) who supplement with Vitamin C when a dog is down on their pasterns.

 

[chipinmom]

Orijen is a GREAT food and I would think with feeding it, there wouldn't really be a necessity to supplement. Supplementing can be dangerous for the dog if you do even ONE thing wrong. Make sure you do the proper research and weigh the pro/cons before starting anything!

 

[BlueChaos]

I would not be adding anything, especially joint supplements, theres simply no need for it. As the other poster has said, you could be doing more harm then good. The only think I'd add just for variety is raw egg maybe 2-3 times a week and fish oil.

 

[Nauk]

why do you feel your dog needs supplements? truthfully you will do more harm than good if your dog doesnt need them because you can over supplement them, depending on what it is. do NOT give vitamin C or calcium.....

Hi there. His skin is very dry and flaky. I guess it's itching and bothering him because he scratches and bites himself a lot. I checked for fleas/ticks/lice, and there isn't any on him. He is on a advantage too (he had lice), anyway. I'm just researching about and think of starting him on fish oil but I don't know much so I'm asking from fellow pet owners. Of course I understand that you can over supplement them thus asking before actually supplementing him.

 

[Nauk]

Orijen is a GREAT food and I would think with feeding it, there wouldn't really be a necessity to supplement. Supplementing can be dangerous for the dog if you do even ONE thing wrong. Make sure you do the proper research and weigh the pro/cons before starting anything!

Hi there. My pup doesn't seem to be doing well with Orijen. He's been having diarrhoea and I asked a guy who was formally a vet and he said that it might be of the high protein that Orijen offers. I'm currently transitioning him to Honest Kitchen and he's doing much better. He doesn't have diarrhoea any more. Like I said in the other reply, his skin is really dry and itchy so I thought perhaps fish oil might help. I won't be supplementing him unless I'm sure. I've learned a lot from this forum thus I thought asking fellow pet owners (you guys) would be a wise move.

 

[Nauk]

Hi, just make sure you do a lot of research before starting that. There are specific amounts of Vitamin E, Glucosamine, etc. that your puppy should have, and the human grade has much more than what your dog would need.

Hello. Thank you for replying. So do you think perhaps if I were to start supplementing him, it would be better to use pet grade supplements?

 

[Nauk]

Orijen is already properly balanced. Why would you want to mess with that? I'm all for supplements if a dog needs them -- cranberry to help prevent UTIs in a dog that's prone to them, glucosamine for a dog with joint issues, stuff like that -- but if a dog is healthy and is on a good balanced food, why add anything? It might actually harm the dog.

Hi there.

I found that my pup isn't reacting well from eating Orijen, perhaps from the high amount of protein. He has diarrhoea every time he eats Orijen. I'm transitioning him onto Honest Kitchen right now and he is doing much better. His diarrhoea has stopped completely now. I know that supplementing without a reason is harmful, that's why I'm asking you guys here. His skin is becoming really dry and flaky. It bothers him too because he bites and scratches himself. I checked for fleas/ticks/lice and there aren't any. I want my pup to be comfortable and not itching all the time. He also sometimes limps on his left leg but it's not continuous. I'm just researching now so that if there is a need in future, I would know what to do. Doesn't hurt to be in the know.

 

[Nauk]

I use only human grade supplements for my dog, I don't trust pet grade supplements. Human grade cost less and don't have all the extras I don't want my dog to have as well. I do pay very close attention to the amounts needed, sometimes my 38 pound dog gets as much as I do, sometimes much less, sometimes in proportion to weight.

I use the guidelines here for omega 3 and joint supplements
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html
and the NRC level for vitamins and minerals.

Your pup would rather get the omega 3s and joint support from the source. What about offering fresh or canned salmon, sardine, mackerel or other small fast growing [so low in mercury] cold water fatty fish every once in a while for the omega 3s and a bit of lamb or pork breast with lots of cartilage for glucosamine or chondroitin [I forget which is which]? Trachea is a commercial source for the one or the other but any cartilage contains it.

Hello there. I've actually never thought of the natural sources of supplements. Hmm. Perhaps that would be MUCH safer than giving him supplements. Thanks for your reply!

 

[dannimac]

Itchy skin- maybe he has an allergy?

 

[MagicRe]

itchy skin can mean a few things....allergy to something environmental or dry skin from a lack of dietary fat.

although my dogs are raw fed, they get bioprep II which is spirulina and they get carlson's fish oil from sardines, mackerel and herring.

i also give them nutiva extra virgin unrefined coconut oil....they get it with their food and they also get it rubbed into their fur. i use it on my skin and hair, too. love this stuff.

dogs should not need vitamin c as they manufacture their own. my pug has papilloma warts on his lower lip so right now, he's getting vitamin c and l lysine and it will cure them, as it is doing so now. once the warts are gone, we will stop it.

my older girl gets curcumin/boswellia/ginger capsules plus she also gets a product called connectin for her arthritis.

but i also feed tendon and cartilage and feet and necks for the benefits they give to joint support.

 

[Little Wise Owl]

I wouldn't supplement a "complete and balanced" dog food with any sort of vitamin/mineral but I would supplement it with things like eggs, canned salmon/sardines (in water, no salt), salmon oil, other meaty toppers and probiotic enzymes. Adding fish oils can definitely aid dry, flaky skin.

 

[MagicRe]

I wouldn't supplement a "complete and balanced" dog food with any sort of vitamin/mineral but I would supplement it with things like eggs, canned salmon/sardines (in water, no salt), salmon oil, other meaty toppers and probiotic enzymes. Adding fish oils can definitely aid dry, flaky skin.

just out of curiousity, how do you know a diet is complete and balanced?

i'm not trying to argue, honest, but even with a raw fed diet, i am not always sure it is complete and balanced.

 

[Little Wise Owl]

I put it in quotations because that's what something like Orijen (or most pet food) claims. What I meant by "complete and balanced" was that there were already a certain amount of vitamins/minerals added into the food and adding more of either or could do more harm than good.

I personally do not believe a dog (or any animal) needs to be fed a food that is "complete and balanced" every single meal. No animal on earth eats such a thing and some how we're all still living. I am one to believe balance is achieved over time (with the proper knowledge). If not, I don't think we would have dogs living among us today.

 

[MagicRe]

I put it in quotations because that's what something like Orijen (or most pet food) claims. What I meant by "complete and balanced" was that there were already a certain amount of vitamins/minerals added into the food and adding more of either or could do more harm than good.

I personally do not believe a dog (or any animal) needs to be fed a food that is "complete and balanced" every single meal. No animal on earth eats such a thing and some how we're all still living. I am one to believe balance is achieved over time (with the proper knowledge). If not, I don't think we would have dogs living among us today.

that was really well said and i concur.