Exactly What Does a Multivitamin Do?

Supplementing your dog’s diet with vitamins and minerals is essential if you are feeding him a home-cooked diet and/or processed pet food.

Research has found that vitamins and minerals can be beneficial at levels more than the minimum daily requirements, so even if you feed your dog a balanced diet, he can still benefit from supplementation, helping to ensure optimum health for your dog.

This is especially important for your dog’s coat, since he doesn’t get all the vitamins and minerals he needs to keep it glossy from his food. But i Love Dogs Multivitamin with Green Tea & Reishi contains Vitamins B-3 (Niacin) and B-7 (Biotin), Linoleic Acid (Omega 6), Zinc and Reishi provides him with the nutrients he needs for a healthy and shiny coat.

“A dog with a daily active lifestyle can benefit from a multivitamin to help make sure that its muscles stay strong, eyes stay clear and his coat stays glossy,” said Taylor Truitt, DVM, CVA. “Older animals can benefit from a multivitamin to help prevent the stressors of aging.”

A multivitamin, by its very nature, includes numerous vitamins and minerals packed into each tablet. The list of ingredients on the box may look impressive or confusing, depending on how much you know about vitamins and minerals. But don’t be scared – after all, you most likely take a multivitamin to stay healthy and fit, so your dog should, too.

All of the following ingredients that will help your dog achieve a glossy coat and optimum health are included in every chewable dose of i Love Dogs Multivitamin with Green Tea & Reishi:

Vitamin A: Essential for normal vision, good eye health and night vision; helps dry, itchy skin; essential to reproductive health; important for normal growth and development of puppies.
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine): Necessary for the majority of cellular reaction in the body; vital to normal functioning of the nervous system and metabolism; increases alertness.
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin): Essential to energy generation; nerve development; blood cell development; regulation of certain hormones; and can help prevent cataracts.
Vitamin B-3 (Niacin): Essential to energy metabolism; synthesis of hormones; proper circulation; healthy skin and normal functioning of the nervous system.
Vitamin B-5 (Pantothenic Acid): Needed to process the conversion of food to energy; can hasten healing of wounds; relieves stress and fatigue.
Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine): Essential to metabolism and the efficient functioning of the nervous and immune systems.
Vitamin B-7 (Biotin/Vitamin H): Required for normal growth and development; can improve skin and coat; can help prevent coprophagy (when a dog eats his stools).
Vitamin B-9 (Folic Acid): Needed during pregnancy for the creation of DNA; important to growth and reproduction of all body cells.
Vitamin B-10 (PABA): Supports growth at many stages.
Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin): Promotes growth and cell development; can improve appetite.
Vitamin C: Can bolster normal joint function; support the immune system; maintain healthy skin.
Vitamin D: Essential for healthy teeth and bones; the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus; and the functioning of nerves and muscle.
Vitamin E: A powerful antioxidant, it helps to maintain good foot pads; a mild anti-inflammatory, it helps boost the efficiency of the heart and circulation system.
Vitamin K: Necessary for normal blood clotting; essential for kidney functioning.
Beta-Carotene: An important antioxidant that may protect against certain forms of cancer; enhances the immune system.
Xanthophyll: Vital to eye health; may help prevent cataracts.
Cobalt: Required for production of red blood cells; necessary for nerve formation; aids iron absorption.
Reishi Mushroom Powder: Promotes normal organ function, reduces stress, calms nerves and supports immunity.
Iodine: Essential for proper functioning of the thyroid gland; regulates metabolism; supports normal growth.
Potassium: A mineral necessary for many normal functions of the body; essential for healthy heart and kidneys; maintains fluid balance in cells.
Zinc: Necessary for production of enzymes; important for skin and coat health.
Magnesium: Necessary for absorption of certain vitamins and minerals; helps formation of teeth and bones; supports healthy heart.
Copper: Necessary for bone growth and maintenance; absorption of iron; development of red blood cells.
Iron: Essential for carrying oxygen in the blood; helps maintain healthy immune system.
Phosphorus: Needed for healthy bones, teeth, kidneys, heart and metabolism.
Calcium: Essential for healthy bones, teeth and gums; needed for blood coagulation and a regular heartbeat; keeps muscles and nerves in good functioning order.
Selenium: An important mineral with antioxidant properties.
Chromium: Enhances the effects of insulin; assists with metabolism; may help body fat loss and glucose regulation.
Choline: Essential for metabolizing fat; needed for healthy brain and nerve functioning; may help to prevent dementia.
Methionine: An essential amino acid that assists the gall bladder; balances urinary tract pH levels; can treat and prevent urinary stones; involved in neurotransmitter metabolism.
Inositol: Helps to move fats out of the liver; needed for healthy nerve transmissions; involved in neurotransmitter metabolism.
Lecithin: Antioxidant; may improve cognitive disorders.
Linoleic Acid: An omega 6 fatty acid that maintains healthy skin and coat.
Green Tea Extract: A powerful antioxidant that protects cells from free radical damage.

Click here to pick up a box of multivitamins!

i Love Dogs, Inc.

i Love Dogs, Inc.’s three websites – ilovedogs.com, ilovedogfriendly.com and findavet.us – provide information and up-to-the-minute news to keep pet parents aware of all things dog. A premium canine vitamins and lifestyle company, i Love Dogs is famous for its line of diamond dog collars. The name says it all — at i Love Dogs, we are committed to the health and happiness of our canine companions.