Can we give food supplements to our animals ?
As for humans, food supplements are real concentrates of vitamins and nutrients that can help your pets stay healthy. So to answer the question: should we give food supplements to animals ? The answer is yes, quite simply ! There are food supplements specially made for your four-legged friends. You will have to ask your veterinarian for advice on which ones to choose and to what extent to give them to your pet.
Is it advisable to give food supplements to your pets? ?
Food supplements for animals are concentrates of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, etc. Just like for humans, they are designed to provide your pet with the nutrients it needs to thrive and promote its well-being. They are sometimes marketed alone, sometimes incorporated into food products.
These food supplements are made from natural products that are very beneficial and safe for animals. They are therefore more recommended than medicines, which are made from synthetic products. For this reason, more and more specialists are advising to giving food supplements to animals.
They are most often used as a preventive measure, to meet the nutritional needs of your animals and protect them from possible diseases. Some of them are indicated in a specific way, at different times of the animals’ life:
- From birth
- During gestation
- During old age, etc.
In any case, the most important thing to know is that these food supplements can in no way replace a healthy and balanced diet. They are simply a reinforcement, to optimize your pet’s health capital in the long term and to help him have a healthy lifestyle.
Why give food supplements to animals ?
There are several reasons why you can give your pets supplements giving food supplements to animals. Indeed, these nutritional supplements can meet different needs depending on your pet’s diet. In this regard, it should be noted that generally, animals fed with kibble or other industrial preparations do not need food supplements.
On the other hand, when you feed your animals with a home-made food, food supplements can be very useful. This is understandable, because with this type of feeding, it will be difficult to provide your pet with balanced meals. The supplements will be used to make up for any deficiencies and to protect him from various diseases.
You should also know that depending on the compound you choose, the beneficial effects on your pet’s health will be different. For example, if you choose a food supplement based on harpagophytum for animals, you can treat inflammation and joint pain in your four-legged friends.
It is also necessary to give food supplements to animals because they act effectively on the upheavals linked to their growth. These compounds can help your pets solve problems such as
- Diarrhea
- Disorders related to old age
- Sleep disorders
- Digestive problems, etc.
What dietary supplements can be given ?
You should know that animals need a high proportion of calcium, phosphorus and trace elements. Unfortunately, in your good home-made meals, there will not be enough of them. You will then have to plan for food supplements containing all these vitamins.
In addition, apart from vitamin compounds, here are several examples of food supplements that you can choose for your animals:
- Amino acid-based supplements enriched with calories for athletes
- Antioxidant-based supplements to fight against aging
- Casein-based supplements to fight against stress
- Supplements based on brewer’s yeast or fatty acids to give suppleness and beauty to the coat and skin of your pets, etc.
How to give them ?
If you choose to giving food supplements to animals, then you must know how to go about it to see the benefits. On this subject, it is important to know that these nutritional supplements are effective in the long term. It is therefore necessary to administer them over a long period of time to measure their real efficiency.
Since they exist in different forms, you will have to adapt the method of administration according to this detail. For pets, supplements are generally chosen in the form of tablets, powders or liquids to be added to meals. They are easier to consume and much more digestible for your small companions.