A lot people don’t just treat their pets as best friends. More often than not, pet owners take care of their pets just like family members or kids of their own. And what better way to take care of your pets than fostering them with great attention and love. Give them the right nourishment they need to keep them healthy day after day. If people have their own nutritional requirements, so are pets. Vitamins are very vital when it comes to ensuring that they are in good shape. Every pet owner must understand the crucial role that pet vitamins play to make their dogs, cats, and other pets hale and hearty.
Anyone who has a pet or pets at home would want to know what vitamins do. Do vitamins function in the same manner as they do to people? The answer is yes. Indeed, if a person lacks proper nutrition and doesn’t have enough supply of vitamins in his or her body then this will eventually result in several diseases or disorders. The human body will no longer function properly unless it gets proper nourishment. This holds true to animals. Poor diet and vitamin deficiency lead to serious illness and other health problems. Knowing this now should make all pet owners a little more watchful in terms of providing their pets with a healthy diet and right nutrition.
Vitamins are organic compounds that serve as nutrients and are needed by both humans and animal in small quantities. Pets don’t easily obtain vitamins from what they eat unless their owners give them foods that are enriched with essential vitamins. But caution should be observed, too, when giving them vitamins because an excess supply of these nutrients is also risky and can prove dangerous to their overall health condition. So their health all depends on their owners.
Now, let’s learn more about some of the most essential vitamins that our pets need and how each of these vitamins, especially those that are fat soluble, help them stay in good shape.
Vitamin A
Dogs can produce by Vitamin A by converting beta-carotene that is commonly found in plants. Cats, on the other hand, cannot and they need to get pre-formed Vitamin A from the food they eat. Vitamin A aids in attaining normal eyesight and bone and tooth development. It also plays a vital function in reproduction and keeping the epithelial layers of multiple organ systems healthy. Lack of Vitamin A, however, leads to eye problems, poor hair coat, weak bones, and inability to reproduce.
Vitamin D
This vitamin helps pets absorb calcium and phosphorus. It also plays a crucial role in normalizing the mineralization of bones. Proper supply of Vitamin D also boosts pets’ immunity. Rickets among puppies and kittens often result from Vitamin D deficiency. Adult pets can suffer from osteomalacia due to lack of this vitamin.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is known as an antioxidant and guards our pets from damage caused by free radicals.
Vitamin K
Normal blood flow is attained by having the right supply of Vitamin K. It also plays an important role in allowing blood to clot in a normal way. Lack of this vitamin results in abnormal bleeding.
