Monday, February 11, 2013

Diet Supplements and the English Mastiff

Studies have shown that daily supplements of Vitamin C can decrease the incidence and/or severity of hip dysplasia. As puppies I gave my dogs both 1000 mg of Vitamin C each day. At around 6 months of age I increased the dosage to about 2000mg per day. The best thing about Vitamin C is that any extra amount that is not used up by the body is simply expelled through the urine, so you don’t have to worry about a build-up in their system. I have also found it is much easier to give to them if you buy the powdered form.  You can just sprinkle it on the dog’s food instead of trying to give them multiple horse sized pills each day.

There are two other supplements that can and should be given to your dog in my opinion. One is a daily supplement of fish oil or coconut oil.  I give coconut oil in the morning with breakfast and fish oil in the evening with dinner. Make sure the fish oil is all natural with no chemicals added and that the coconut oil is cold pressed.  While Omega fats and oils play many important roles in the body, it helps keep the coat healthy and can aid in joint movement.  I also recommend a daily Glucosamine/Chondroiton Supplement.  This can be given for the life of the dog. I used to give human pill form Glucosamine, but recently switched to a liquid concentrate.  Again, it’s much easier to administer, just a tablespoon or so on the food, plus it’s much more cost effective to purchase it in this form.


Finally, one supplement you should NEVER give a Mastiff is CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS! The use of calcium supplements can lead to bone and joint deformities and electrolyte imbalances, especially as a puppy. All the calcium a dog needs will come from its food, ensuring a proper balance of minerals for its growth.

9 comments:

  1. I am going to double check our fish oil and definitely look into coconut oil this weekend. Thanks, Amanda

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  3. I am also into fish oil and aside from that I think food supplements can rhyme well with proper diet and enough rest and regular exercise.

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  4. Hi,

    The vitamin and fish oil, can this be human suppliments? Can I give my dog the same things I am taking or are there special pet ones?

    Can I give my dog a multi or should it be purely vitamin c?

    Thanks

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    1. The Fish Oil can be human, but it's much more economical to buy the doggie stuff in bulk, especially for the big guys. A multi I would be afraid of using a human supplement, I don't know the nutritional requirements of dogs for all the different vitamins, some multi's have like 50 or 60 things in them, I would really hate to screw up some other level of a vitamin in their system. Their requirements are much different than of humans.

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  5. Yes, I remember puppy hiccups very well. It's all normal and will go away in time. Change you pup over to adult large breed food as soon as possible. There is no reason for this type of breed to be on puppy food at all. As for supplements: I do give a lot a supplements because I have chosen to go raw with my mastiffs. My dogs get on a daily basis, Missing Link formula, Glucosamine, Chondrition (sp?), fish oil capsules, and for my girls they get Cranberry with a small dosage of vitamin C.
    Nootropics

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