# vitamins and supplements



## rshkr (Feb 9, 2012)

can you guys give me recommendations on supplements and vitamins to use when feeding raw? 
how many times a week and dosage?

TIA


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

This explains it in detail.
DogAware.com: Supplements for Dogs
I just got Feedsentials and the oils from Carmen, and feel good knowing he is getting everything he needs from sources that are food-based. Plus, he devours the stuff! I'm serious, he eats it so noisily with lips smacking, that I just laugh at mealtimes now!

Carmspack Working German Shepherds, Feed-Sentials


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

If you're feeding your dog a good variety of QUALITY meat, there may be no need for supplements unless you're trying to combat some illness. 

There are many school of thoughts on this. Knowledge is power. Feed with an informed mind.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

It all depends on what is lacking in your dog's diet. You shouldn't supplement anything that he doesn't need.


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## rshkr (Feb 9, 2012)

i think my pup has a variety of meats, from the commissary alone, rabbit, bison, beef, chicken, i get my green tripe a bit expensive at $5 a #, i feed 1 # of tripe per week.
also feed him sardines, bluefish, mullets (fresh from the ocean).

and am also supplementing grizzly oil 1x a day- (do i need it per meal?)

i was asking because i've read that if i supplement fish oil, i also need vitamin e to counteract the fish oil.


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

rshkr said:


> i think my pup has a variety of meats, from the commissary alone, rabbit, bison, beef, chicken, i get my green tripe a bit expensive at $5 a #, i feed 1 # of tripe per week.
> also feed him sardines, bluefish, mullets (fresh from the ocean).
> 
> and am also supplementing grizzly oil 1x a day- (do i need it per meal?)
> ...


You're one serious raw feeder! Grass fed beef has vitamin E. Sardines have omega 3. Turkey, chicken, pork has omega 6. Not sure if you really need grizzly oil unless you think the dog needs extra doses of it for something. Or you can just feed it real cooked salmon. It also doesn't need to have salmon oil every meal or day. Dogs can thrive without it on a daily basis. It really depends on what your dog needs. If it doesn't have a special deficiency/sickness and you already feed it a good variety of quality meat, there's very little reason to add extra stuff. I'd invest the money for supplements to getting better food. Supplements aren't fresh. Raw meat is.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Bear L said:


> . Supplements aren't fresh.


Depends on what supplement.


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> Depends on what supplement.


I meant it in the sense that it's fresh if you get it directly from the source rather than something put into a package for use after the source itself has been long gone. For example, fish oil. Fish itself is not going to last for months but fish oil sold on a shelf will. It's freshest if you eat the fish oil along with the fish. It still works when it's packaged, just not as potent as when the fish first died. 

From my understanding, science still has a lot of catching up to do with mother nature. There are now articles written about how food is meant to be eaten in its original form as it includes all the right nutrients packaged in that piece of plant to be taken together. When men take it apart and taken alone, it's not as effective or absorbable. Scientists also admit that there are many more vitamins that has not been discovered and more are being discovered as science progress. Science can only recommend what they know and is limited in my opinion.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

I also wrote some articles for my blog on my favourite supplements.

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: The benefits of COCONUT OIL for dogs!

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Enhance your dog's coat condition and colour naturally with diet and supplements.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

While I do agree that it's better to get the vitamins/oils straight from the source, I believe there are benefits of feeding certain additional supplements. 

I feed fish oil everyday (3 pumps of Grizzly Salmon Oil) because of the antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties- and add vitamin E (400IU 5x week).
I also give Ester-C (1000 mg/day) because it's an anti inflammatory and can help with arthritis and hip dysplasia.
And I give a glucosamine/chondroitin/green lipped mussel supplement (1000mg gluc, 700mg ch, 1000mg glm, and 500mg vitamin c and 3000mg psyllium) to help with joint function.
I am a big believer in an anti inflammatory diet because inflammation is linked to cancer.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Bear L said:


> food is meant to be eaten in its original form as it includes all the right nutrients packaged in that piece of plant to be taken together. When men take it apart and taken alone, it's not as effective or absorbable. Scientists also admit that there are many more vitamins that has not been discovered and more are being discovered as science progress. Science can only recommend what they know and is limited in my opinion.


That is correct. But supplements can be made from whole foods, too. They are not all processed pills.

Please see the one I use.
http://www.animalsensepetproducts.com/Products/Dogs/Organic_Food/Feedsentials.html


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Another vote for Carmen's Feed Sentials and Shemp oil. I love the results I see. It's a whole food supplement. Jax's coat is shiny, her skin is good. Same with Banshee.

If you feed whole food "supplements" you shouldn't need extra vitamins/minerals. First, these are "whole" vitamin/minerals and not components in pill form. Second, this rounds off the dieat with vitamins/minerals they need from plant sources.

As far as he O6 to O3 debate, yes we do need to add fish high in O3 and O3 oils to our dogs diets. If you ever look into how much O6 is in our meats because they are grain fed, you will easily see a 20:1 or even 50:1 ratio. I did the spreadhsheet and the ratio on that. Jax needs at least 1000 mg per day in her diet, in addition to the fish she gets, to bring that ratio down to 5:1.


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> Another vote for Carmen's Feed Sentials and Shemp oil. I love the results I see. It's a whole food supplement. Jax's coat is shiny, her skin is good. Same with Banshee.
> 
> If you feed whole food "supplements" you shouldn't need extra vitamins/minerals. First, these are "whole" vitamin/minerals and not components in pill form. Second, this rounds off the dieat with vitamins/minerals they need from plant sources.
> 
> As far as he O6 to O3 debate, yes we do need to add fish high in O3 and O3 oils to our dogs diets. If you ever look into how much O6 is in our meats because they are grain fed, you will easily see a 20:1 or even 50:1 ratio. I did the spreadhsheet and the ratio on that. Jax needs at least 1000 mg per day in her diet, in addition to the fish she gets, to bring that ratio down to 5:1.


A spreadsheet! That is a sign of a perfectionist.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I have posted this many times, but this is the best spreadsheet by far, done by Batman's mama. This is ridiculously easy to follow.
I follow Dr. Becker's supplement mix. 
How to Make Dr. Becker's Vitamin Mix in 6 Steps | batmanimal


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Josie/Zeus said:


> I have posted this many times, but this is the best spreadsheet by far, done by Batman's mama. This is ridiculously easy to follow.
> I follow Dr. Becker's supplement mix.
> How to Make Dr. Becker's Vitamin Mix in 6 Steps | batmanimal


I've never seen that before, thanks for posting!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Bear L said:


> A spreadsheet! That is a sign of a perfectionist.


Here ya go. I like this one. Click on the link in the first post.

PERSONAL RAW FEEDING GUIDE (New and Improved) - Raw Food Diet Forum


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Bear L said:


> A spreadsheet! That is a sign of a perfectionist.


It's a sign of something! :rofl: There is a website that lists nutritional values, as well as O3/O6 content and I figured out what she was actually getting based on those values and what meats I was feeding. The research shows that our meat is at least 20:1 O6:O3 ratio because of the grain feeding vs. grass fed and should be lower then 5:1. It takes alot of fish oil to bring that ratio down.


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