"Why Your Pets Need Vitamin and Mineral Supplements"

© 1995 by Martin Zucker


We live in a polluted world full of toxic chemicals.
We eat highly processed food, all too frequently missing vital nutrients.
No wonder chronic illnesses are at unprecedented levels.

...now consider our dogs and cats.dboypup

They too live in a polluted world full of toxic chemicals. Moreover, they live closer to the ground, closer to pollutants that emanate from synthetic carpets, or to cleaning solvents used on the floor, or to the herbicides and pesticides sprayed in the yard.

They too eat highly processed food, possibly the most highly processed on the planet. Often the ingredients are of questionable origin. Many pet foods are loaded with chemicals. Such as artificial colors that make the dog or cat food look pretty to your eyes. Dyes with names like Yellow # 5 or Red # 40. Some of them are banned in other countries. Dogs and cats are sensitive to such chemicals. The food may look good to you but it may be causing grief for your pets.

Did you know that advertising claims of "complete and balanced" pet diets are based on uncertain minimum nutritional requirements designed for maintenance of adequate health, not optimum health? Many vitamins and minerals are lost in the processing or missing to begin with. Dogs and cats need vitamin and mineral supplements along with good, nutritious food to live a long healthy life.

Can you faithfully pin your hopes for your animal's health on products like this?
 
dabcatHopefully, you buy (or better yet, prepare) your dog or cat a premium quality food. Food that has no preservatives or artificial colors. Hopefully you share some nutritious extras with your pups and kitties -- things like carrots, broccoli, whole grain rice, yogurt, etc. (click on "recipes").

Veterinarians agree that if you want to improve your pet's health you need to provide better than adequate nutrition. That translates to more than what is available in those bags of pet food. You need to fortify your dog's and cat's diet with canine and feline vitamins and minerals, fish oil and digestive enzymes.

That will help strengthen your pet internally so it can fight off the effects of contaminants and stress. Supplementation may also help your pet compensate for possible genetic defects that are becoming increasingly common, particularly among pure breed dogs and cats.

The effects of inadequate nutrition, pollution and genetic defects take their toll on our pet population. That is why dogs and cats become sick and die before their time. There are estimates that one-third of our dogs and cats suffer with allergic symptoms. The veterinary costs of dealing with genetic defects are estimated at $1 billion a year!

We can do something to help our pets. Medical research is continually showing that supplementation helps people. Dog and cat breeders supplement their animals with vitamin and mineral supplements. They will tell you that pet food is not enough to protect animals or enable them to achieve optimal health.

dchidogWell-meaning pet owners who supplement their animals' diets may, in fact, be helping them very little, and possibly causing problems. This is because many pet supplements contain low-quality vitamins and potentially allergenic ingredients such as brewer's yeast and artificial flavors and dyes.

Dr. Goodpet Laboratories has created unique vitamin and mineral formulas for different stages of your pet's life. These formulas boost resistance to flea and other allergies and help correct imbalances and nutrient deficiencies in the diet.

Unlike other dog and cat vitamin supplements, they contain the same high-quality vitamins and trace minerals that are used in human products.

They contain NO yeast, beef, milk, wheat or harmful additives. Many dogs and cats are sensitive to these ingredients, used widely in food and supplements. Many can develop allergic reactions to these ingredients, such as scratching, skin problems, and diarrhea.

dsiamcatOur formulas are fortified with some 70 different trace minerals. Minerals are vital to digestion, growth, repair of tissues, to strong bones, teeth, claws, skin and hair coat. Normally you will find only major minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium in supplements, but not trace minerals. Trace mineral compounds contain such essential minerals but also rare-earth elements that are present in "trace" or minute amounts. In many cases, their need in sustaining mammalian life has not yet been defined. According to Natural Pet Magazine, "it has been found that supplementing pets' diets with a trace mineral combination can show tremendous improvements in coat and body weight maintenance as well as controlling food allergies, flea allergy dermatitis, and endocrine-immune imbalances."

Dr. Goodpet supplements are PACKED with trace minerals.

We also feature high levels of zinc and vitamins C and E, well-known for their many beneficial properties.

dbullterrierMost dog an cat vitamin supplements do not contain vitamin C. The reason: dogs and cats, as do most mammals, produce their own vitamin C internally. However, dogs and cats are minimal producers compared to other animals. Vitamin C is a marvelous substance that performs many tasks in the body. It is a natural pain reliever and detoxifier. It is a major contributor to immune function. And it plays a major role in the building of collagen, the connective tissue that literally holds the body together.

For years, holistic veterinarians have found that when you supplement pets with vitamin C they are healthier, and better able to withstand the stress and pollution in their lives. Dr. Wendell Belfield, a San Jose veterinarian, pioneered the use of vitamin C for pets. His clinical research has shown how vitamin C supplementation helps for problems ranging from common viral illnesses to disc disorders. He has reported using vitamin C to prevent hip dysplasia, a crippling condition in many dogs."

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