Vital Nutrients

Herbal and marine remedies to promote nutrition and whole body wellness in dogs and cats.

Nutrition plays a major role in bone, teeth, skin and coat health and is the result of a well-functioning, synchronized effort by the immune systems and tissues and organs in the body. Plant botanicals support the process of free radical scavenging, the skin’s ability to withstand the effects of environmental exposure to toxins, antigens and microorganisms by maintaining proper liver, adrenal, immune, and intestinal function; protect the skin and connective tissues in the joints, reduce inflammation in the joints, acidify urine, improve immune function and build resistance to allergies.

Nutrients are substances obtained from food that are used by your pet for energy, metabolic health, maintenance and growth. Because our pets largely eat commercial diets, even if it includes a high quality food, cannot obtain enough nutrients from their food.

The following seven nutrients are essential for health and wellness in dogs and cats:

1. Water is the most important nutrient. Essential to life, water accounts for between 60 to 70 percent of an adult pet’s body weight. While food may help meet some of your pets water needs (dry food has up to 10 percent moisture, and canned food has up to 78 percent moisture), pets need to have fresh clean, filtered water available at all times. A deficiency of water may have serious repercussions for pets: a 10-percent decrease in body water can cause serious illness, while a 15-percent loss can result in death.

2. Proteins are necessary building blocks for cells, tissues, organs, enzymes, hormones and antibodies, and are essential for growth, maintenance, reproduction and repair. Proteins can be obtained from a number of sources. Animal-based proteins such as chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish and egg (not raw eggs) all provide amino acid profiles.

(FYI, raw egg white contains avidin, and is an anti-vitamin that interferes with the metabolism of fats, glucose, amino acids and energy.) Protein is also found in vegetables, cereals and soy, but these are considered incomplete proteins. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and are divided into essential and non-essential amino acids.

Essential amino acids cannot be synthesized by the animal in sufficient quantities and MUST be supplied in the diet. Essential amino acids include arginine, methionine, histidine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, threonine, leucine, tryptophan, lysine, and valine. Non-essential amino acids can be synthesized by your pet and are not needed in the diet.

3. Fats are the most concentrated form of food energy, providing your pet with more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates. Fats are essential in the structure of cells and are needed for the production of some hormones.

Fats are required for absorption and utilization of fat-soluble vitamins and provide the body insulation and protection for internal organs. Essential fatty acids must be provided in a pet’s diet because they cannot be synthesized by a dog in sufficient amounts. A deficiency of essential fatty acids may result in reduced growth or increased skin problems.

4. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in healing inflammation. Replacing some omega-6 with omega-3 fatty acids can lessen an inflammatory reaction, whether it is related to the skin due to allergies); the joints related to arthritis; the intestines related to inflammatory bowel disease) or the kidneys related to progressive renal failure).The optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids for dogs is between 5 and 10 to 1.

5. Carbohydrates provide energy for the body’s tissues, play a vital role in the health of the intestine, and are important for reproduction. While there is no minimum carbohydrate requirement, there is a minimum glucose requirement necessary to supply energy to critical organs, such as the brain.

6. Fibers are kinds of carbohydrates that modify the mix of the bacterial population in the small intestine, which can help manage chronic diarrhea. For dogs to obtain the most benefit from fiber, the fiber source must be moderatelyfermentable.

Fiber sources that have low fermentability, such as cellulose, result in poor development and less surface area of the intestinal mucosa. Highly fermentable fibers can produce gases and by-products that can lead to flatulence and excess mucus.

Moderately fermentable fibers, such as beet pulp, is commonly used in dog food, helps promote a healthy gut while avoiding the undesirable side effects.  Foods that are high in fiber are not good for dogs with high energy requirements, such as those who are young and growing are catalysts for enzyme reactions. Tiny amounts of vitamins are essential to dogs and cats for normal metabolic functioning. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body, and therefore are essential in the diet.

7. Vitamin supplements - When feeding a complete and balanced diet, it may not be necessary to give your pet a vitamin supplement unless a specific vitamin deficiency is diagnosed by a veterinarian. However, if your pet is eating a grocery or non-holistic commercial food, supplementation is likely necessary.

Balanced supplementation is vital as excess supplementation an result in negative results. Excess vitamin A may result in bone and joint pain, brittle bones and dry skin. Excess vitamin D may result in very dense bones, soft tissue calcification and joint calcification. In general, minerals are most important as structural constituents of bones and teeth, for maintaining fluid balance and for their involvement in many metabolic reactions.

Herbal Remedies:

Pet supplements help provide proper, balanced nutrition for dogs and cats; provide all necessary vitamins, enzymes, amino & fatty acids & trace minerals required for healthy dogs and cats, often lacking in a modern diet; help support all bodily systems; support immunity and to help prevent disease and conditions in dogs and cats.  

Baby Love Bits – (learn more) helps to build, promote and support muscle, joint, bone, cartilage and tendon health, mobility and flexibility, as a powerhouse Probiotic Vitamin B complex, supports the Central Nervous System, stimulates immunity and healthy metabolism, aids digestion and promotes whole body microbial balance, improves liver function and liver health, purifies whole bodily systems, keeps the skin, hair, eyes and mouth healthy, for dental disease, gout, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), for infectious diarrhea, including rotavirus diarrhea, for nervousness and fatigue.

The Daily Paws – (learn more) is used as a multi-system nutritive for daily maintenance of all body systems, with emphasis on a healthy endocrine system, promotes healthy skin and shiny, glossy coats due to its high mineral and vitamin content, and is used to maintain body temperature, (important in immuno-compromised animals), and for a multiplicity of conditions and diseases including for allergies, arthritis, cognitive disorder and cancer, for urinary disorders to alkalinize (higher Ph) acidic urine and for blood purification.

I AM A ROCK STAR - (learn more) supports adrenal gland health and response to stress and metabolic demand, supports glandular ability to rebuild and regenerate, promotes hormonal balance, regulates stress on liver, kidney and digestive functions by reducing thirst and excessive elimination, promotes cognitive function and memory performance, balances blood sugar levels, for natural energy in young and geriatric pets, increases muscle use, ability and stamina, provides anti-inflammatory and immune support, helps maintain healthy adrenal, central nervous, digestive, immune and reproductive systems.

Yelp for Kelp - (learn more) provides critical trace nutrient support for the endocrine system, to energize the body, for building and toning enzymes, tissues, hormones and bones, for enhancing natural cleansing and detoxification, as an osteoporosis preventative, to promote immunity and for metabolic disorders, including the thyroid gland and other glands and tissues that affect the thyroid, for thyroid disorders, to cleanse the lymphatic system, to maintain healthy levels of TSH, T3 and T4, and for metabolic disorders.

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