Tag Archive for: animals

The Bottom Line on Cats and Dogs and Supplements

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One of my all-time favorite movie lines is by Bill Murray’s character in the original Ghostbusters. He goes on a rant about the coming plague of ghosts and says “…dogs and cats living together…” It’s the delivery more than the words, but it still makes me laugh. I often blurt it out when people talk about all the things that could go wrong if X happens.

I decided to search the literature for specific supplements that can benefit cats and dogs, whether they live together or not. There’s no research on multivitamins-multiminerals per se, although there’s some info on the use of vitamins and minerals as additives to food.

Cats and Supplements

There are two primary areas of research on supplements in cats. The first is the amino acid taurine and the other is joint issues. The lack of taurine in a cat’s diet can result in compromised immune systems, eye problems including blindness, deafness, cardiomyopathy and heart failure, and reproductive issues. Researchers have found that taurine supplementation can increase the taurine level in a cat’s cardiac tissue. One more thing: soy interferes with taurine absorption or utilization, so make sure that the food you feed your cat is soy-free.

The other issue is joint problems such as arthritis. In research on cats, the same blends used in humans that consist of glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and fish oil help alleviate pain as assessed by owner and veterinarian pain evaluations.

Dogs and Supplements

The big issue with dogs is joint problems such as osteoarthritis. Research shows that the same nutrients recommended for cats and humans are appropriate for dogs: glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and fish oil. When it comes to amino acids, dogs require 10 essential amino acids to be healthy. While they can get that from vegetarian protein, research shows that dogs can smell it when meals don’t contain all the essential amino acids and will avoid them. That’s some sniffer dogs have!

In the category of interesting research, the amino acid l-arginine together with antioxidants has been shown to benefit dogs with memory issues. Also medium-chain triglycerides are being tested in epileptic dogs to see if the supplement can help reduce seizures. Maybe a teaspoon of coconut oil every day can benefit these dogs—there’s no harm in it while waiting for the research to be completed.

The Bottom Line

We love our cats and dogs and want them to being as healthy as they can be. Targeted supplementation for specific issues is certainly warranted, and it’s probably good to use the same recommendations for us humans and for our best friends: eat better, eat less, and move more. You’ll both be healthier for it!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Vet Med Sci. 2019 Aug;5(3):325-335. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1822.
2. J Nutr. 1995 Nov;125(11):2831-7. doi: 10.1093/jn/125.11.2831.
3. Am J Vet Res. 1992 Feb;53(2):237-41.

Do Cats Need Vitamins?

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Absolutely no way I could write about dogs without talking about cats as well, and there’s good reason: my daughter-in-law is an ardent cat advocate. She and our son act as foster parents for kittens from their local animal society until they’re ready for adoption so that when they join a family, they’re accustomed to being around people. When you have grandcats, even only for a few weeks, you want to see how they’re doing and what Matthew and Kerri have named the latest pair. I also want to see that they do well, so the topic was relevant: can cats take vitamins and minerals?

When the National Academy of Sciences put together the report on dogs, they also did the same type of brochure for cats, and again the quantities seem proportional to body weight.

One difference I noticed about cats is that they require the amino acid taurine to be healthy. As a result, while dogs could do well on a vegetarian diet with enough protein, cats require animal protein. You can check out the entire PDF to get additional information.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: www.nap.edu/resource/10668/cat_nutrition_final.pdf

Do Dogs Need Vitamins?

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I recently got a question from a long-time listener who asked if it was okay to give the dog a partial serving of their multivitamin-multimineral. I didn’t have a clue—I don’t deal with supplements and animals, with the exception of glucosamine and fish oil. Both are good for dogs, but what about the rest of the supplements?

One supplement I know they don’t need is vitamin C, because dogs can make their own vitamin C. In fact, only humans and one variety of bat can’t make their own vitamin C; all other mammals can. While too much C can be hazardous, the amounts found in most multis for humans should be fine for dogs. But what about the rest of the vitamins and the minerals?

Wouldn’t you know that the same organization, the National Academy of Sciences, that establishes the Dietary Reference Intake for humans has done the same for dogs. In examining the list, they’re in proportion for what humans would take, but proportional based on body weight. The document also goes through the entire nutrition lifecycle of a dog. If you have a dog or dogs, just download this PDF.

And before you ask, we’ll talk about cats on Thursday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: www.nap.edu/resource/10668/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf