How to: Adding Vitamins to Dog Food

Vitamins are bio-molecules that are required for cells to maintain their structure, grow and reproduce. Adding vitamins to the diet of your dog can give him additional energy, improve his condition and assist him in recovery from specific ailments. Factors such as breed, age and activity level will affect your dog's vitamin requirements. Puppies and older dogs are more likely to require vitamins than healthy dogs in their prime. Commercial dog food carrying the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label will be balanced, but your individual dog may still require vitamin supplements, which are best administered in the pet's food.

Things You'll Need

  • Multivitamins, including the B complex vitamins, vitamin C, A, D, E and K
  • Dog treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Offer the vitamins in syrup, tablet or pill form to your dog, as you would a treat. Many dogs will accept their daily vitamin dose without hesitation, by swallowing the tablet or licking the syrup off a plastic spoon.

    • 2

      Disguise the daily vitamin ration in a favorite treat, if the dog will not accept it in its original form. This is still a quick and easy method, and you will know that the full dose has been taken.

    • 3

      Disguise the vitamins in your dog's favorite meal, if all else fails. Vitamins, in all of their forms, are easy enough to hide in your dog's typical meal. Tablets may have to be crushed to prevent the dog from detecting them and spitting them out.

    • 4

      Add the vitamin B complex to your dog's diet, as these substances are responsible for a number of important functions. B-3 is needed to convert the food your dog eats, into energy, while B-1 or thiamine prevents nerve and heart disease.

    • 5

      Add the water soluble B complex vitamins and vitamin C to the food of your dog on a daily basis. These vitamins cannot be stored by the body and must therefore be given on a daily basis. It is not easy to overdose on these vitamins, because they are simply eliminated via the urine.

    • 6

      Include fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, E and K, in your dog's diet as well, but remember that dogs cannot excrete an excess of these vitamins, as they can in the case of water soluble vitamins.