B Vitamins for Dogs

While some people think that feeding a home prepared diet, raw or cooked, will provide all the vitamins and minerals a dog needs, B vitamins are not always as available as we might hope. Sometimes we can improve the condition of the dog by making sure the diet is rich in all B vitamins.

B Vitamins for Dogs
provided by:http://www.monicasegal.com courtesy of http://www.i-love-dogs.com
While some people think that feeding a home prepared diet, raw or cooked, will provide all the vitamins and minerals a dog needs, B vitamins are not always as available as we might hope. Diets based on red meats such as beef and lamb usually provide enough Bs but even this isn’t a guarantee. It depends on how much red meat someone feeds as compared to the other food items in the diet. Poultry based diets or those that focus on fish or cheese certainly won’t provide the amount of B vitamins required.
 
Sometimes we can improve the condition of the dog by making sure the diet is rich in all B vitamins. You might be surprised at how behavioral issues can be helped as well. For instance, vitamin B 1 (thiamine) helps appetite. I’ve seen some dogs that were “picky” be far less so once there was enough B1 in their diet.
 
It may be fair to say that at least one B vitamin is related to just about every function we can think of. Here are examples of how critical Bs really are:
 
Vitamin             Function
B1 (thiamine)                brain and heart function, digestion, energy, appetite
B2 (riboflavin)            healthy skin, metabolism of fats, proteins, carbohydrates
B3 (niacinamide)            function of nervous system, healthy skin
B5 (pantothenic acid)     fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism
B6 (pyridoxine)            taurine and carnitine synthesis, promotion of red blood cell formation
B-12 (cobalamin)            cell formation, supports nerve structure
 
Metabolism is defined as chemical processes that happen so that a substance can be
handled and incorporated. In the case of fats, protein and carbohydrates, it’s clear that
without B vitamins, the body would be less able to digest food well much less
incorporate the nutrients required to provide energy. Now let’s take this a few steps further. Consider that key roles of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In a nutshell, they sustain life giving the body brain fuel and amino acids to build new cells and repair itself. Obviously, without B vitamins supporting these critical roles, the dog would be threatened in numerous ways including poor muscle tone, less energy, poor appetite, poor digestion, skin condition, and more.
 
Look at B6 and notice it’s relationship to taurine and carnitine, both being critical to heart health.  If you’re adding taurine to the dog’s diet but aren’t supplying enough B vitamins, you’re doing little good and don’t forget about B1 being important for normal heart function. Look at B2 and B3 and notice their relationship to healthy skin. If you’re adding fat to your dog’s diet in order to improve skin, be sure you’re also providing enough B vitamins because the root cause can be a deficiency of Bs.
 
B vitamins are also play roles in what we sometimes call detoxification. For example, vitamin B1 helps to remove harmful material from the blood.
 
B vitamins are water soluble. Excess is simply excreted through the urine without toxicity being a concern. For this reason, some people ask if they can supplement with just one or two B vitamins rather than a compound. B vitamins are like one big happy family, working together as a group. They need each other in order to do their jobs well. Supplementing with just one B vitamin can throw off the functions of others. It’s best to use a B compound in order to see results and be assured that the group remains balanced. 

Author: Monica Segal

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