Do Dogs Need Minerals or Just Like Dirt?

What Minerals Are

Before we can answer the questions does our dog need minerals we must first learn what minerals are and how they help our pets.

Dogs need several different kinds of nutrients to survive: amino acids from proteins, fatty acids and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. Let's take a look at minerals.

Minerals are important for your dog's body to stay healthy. Their body uses minerals for many different jobs, such as building bones, making hormones and regulating their heartbeat.

Minerals their body needs in include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulfur. Their body needs just small amounts of trace minerals such as iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium.

The best way to give minerals to your pets is offering a wide variety of food. In some cases, your Veterinarian may recommend a mineral supplement for your dog.

Minerals for Dog

Let's go over a few of these minerals and how they help our dogs.

Calcium is for building strong bones and teeth. Bones are very important for the young and old, for they depend on their bones much like we do. Their teeth are just as necessary I can't imagine a dog gumming their food and most reasonable dog food is very hard.

Chlorine is used in for their body's fluid, electrolyte balances, and acid based digestive juices.

Cooper helps with connective tissue formation and iron in their metabolism

Magnesium helps with every major biologic process such as enzyme functions, muscle and nerve stability, hormones and minerals of bones and teeth.

Phosphorus helps create strong bones, helps with all cell functions (metabolism), and cell membranes.

Potassium helps with many major biologic processes such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, acid base balance and energy production. Just to note a few.

Organic and Inorganic Minerals

Organic minerals are present in some chemical combinations. Inorganic minerals are found in soil, water, or air and are taken in by animals and into a living organic mineral in order to be used. Their bodies are created perfected for doing this as they need.

This is why a dog sometimes is known to eat dirt, their diet could be lacking in necessary minerals.

Note from Sensibledogs.com

I am not a Vet; I am a pet owner with young to aging dogs and out of love for them I have researched minerals and vitamins. Please do refer to your Veterinarian for your pet's proper diet, this is just a small help.

 

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