Your POV about supplements

I know many of you here oppose the use of supplements and with that in mind I expect many opposing replies. How many people reading this actually use supplements and did you see the results you sought after? If you are against supplements and have actually tried them what went wrong that made you feel how you do about them?

Yes, I am looking into supplements. I will be conducting my own research, but I would like to hear from those who use or have used them for their dogs first hand.

 

No need for them with a proper diet and workout, lets see what the dog has naturally!

 

I agree, if you have a good kibble that supplies everything your dog nutritionally needs what is the point for a supplement?

 

I feel that if you are feeding kibble that suppliments are helpful since processed foods lose some of their nutritional value.

Raw foods are much healthier from what I've read. Still even with them it is often suggested from what I read that an Omega fatty acid suppliment is added which seems to also help keep joints hearts and coats healthier.

I rotate between use Nupro and salmon oil

What are you planning to try out? Or haven't you decided yet

You may want to check out wholistic pet sites and RAW and BARF sites

But who knows for sure, the people who do some of the reseach are also usually the people who profit from it.

 

I know, I know. I'ma be hard-headed and still say supplements can be added to a workout and good diet if they are good supplements, but what qualifies as good supplements?

 

Actually as long as you feeding good quality feed your dog dont really need the added supplements unless you are working or excercising your dog very hard to be in top condition for a certain event. The only supplement I will give the dog once a week is creatine. Why becasue creatine is a natural supplement found in Meat mostly red meat and unless you feeding meat to your dog they aint getting that natural substance they would get in the wild from eating red meat as there is no dog kibble food out now that I know of that has creatine in it.

 

I could see it being good to add a supp that PatchO pits advised. I just assumed you were talking about the supps that are for bulking dogs up? I believe that most quality kibbles have a sufficient amount of omega fatty acids.

 

For some reason most people assume I'm talking about bulking her up. I am considering switching her to chicken quarters. Feeding one twice a day.

 

Feeding Raw definately helps tone and tighten her up IMO

 

What about bone mass?

 

I assumed that because most of the supp. that are marketed toward pitbull owners is for bulkening up.

 

I give my dogs NATURAL supplements, like kelp, applecider vinegar,fish oils, vegetable oils, Willard water, herbs etc.

If you are going to feed your dog raw food, chicken is not enought.

Feed different kinds of meat, fish and a bit of vegetables.

Do your research on B.A.R.F.

 

Bone mass is genetic, as well as the basic muscular structure of an animal. Dogs are not like humans in that they can work out and build unlimited muscle with the right food and weight programs and rest. It doesnt work that way. Working a dog may work the muscles and cut some fat out, making the muscles more defined, but your not really "building" any muscle or bone mass either.

 

Absolutely! Good posting

 

Well, giving supplements is valid IMHO when you treat your dog as an athlete. I laugh when reading kibble statements like "balance for all types of dogs (ages and lifestyle)". That is too funny. These suppliers would like you to think that a pup will need the same level of nutrients than a senior dog or that a bulldog will require the same level (and balance) of nutrients than a pet bull. LMAO!

Just look at human athletes. The professional athlete usually eats a balance meal AND takes-in supplements. How can a generic kibble be consider any better? With that said, a very careful review prior to feeding supplements should be made in order not to dangerously overdose.

Regards,


RH

 

Don't take feeding a raw diet lightly. It is actually very time consuming and dangerous if done carelessly. I had an in-depth discussion on another forum about this. Certainly feeding chicken quarters alone will not give your dog a balanced diet. If you have already decided to feed raw, I advise you to write all that you feed it down. This way, your vet can determine why your dog is ill quicker (diet imbalances,etc) and you can maintained a varied diet that includes meats (chicken, beef, lamb, fish, etc), bones (enough to balance the meats), vegetables (varied), plain yogurt (to aid in digestion), etc. In addition, I would advise you test your dog's urine PH balance once in a while to make sure your feed is not dangerously imbalanced.

Regards,


RH

 

I hate to say this, because all of my dogs are natural, but what right is there now a days? In the showring, all you see are these amazing dogs and the best looking ones will win. Well, how many use some type of supplement/steriod? What can a honest dog person do? Good kibble and good work does everything it should, but sometimes I wonder if that little extra help would go a long way....I do not intend to ever use supplements, but what fairity is there for the honest guys?

 

The fairness is that more good dogs are ruined with supplements than are actually helped! 90 percent of the people giving "steroids" since you brought it up, have 100 percent no clue on what they do, how they work, and how to use them. Its essentially the same way in humans, you cannot just take steroids and "magically build muscle" all a steroid does is help the body recover much faster/efficently allowing you to work out that much harder and more often. For those not familiar with it, you gain muscle mass in a very strange way. When you work out, what you are actually doing is tearing the muscle down, breaking it down, wearing it out. Your body knows what is going on, and with the right nutrients will rebuild the "damaged" muscle to a stronger state than it was in previously. This is why crucial calorie intake/protein intake/supplements are needed, to allow the body to rebuild itself efficently, thus making you stronger. You must remember all of this is useless without proper rest/sleep. Your body repairs itself during sleep, so its not uncommon for heavy body-builders to force themselves to sleep 12+ hours a day. Also, the right work-out program is neccessary to break down the right muscles at the right times. If you simply take the approach most people do, "If I bench press every day and do bicep curls my chest and arms will be huge in no time!" your actually doing more harm than good by continually tearing that muscle down, without giving your body ample time to repair it. Rest days are important.

After you've got all that down, you need to understand the metabolic cycle in dogs, and why certain supplements work. In the case of steroids you need to know what type of juice to use, and what negative effects it will give. For example, some forms of steroids destroy your cardio...so you need to work twice as hard to get your body utilizing oxygen as well as it was pre-steroids. Yes, there are more than one type of steroid, and no, I dont use them and dont use them on my animals, and I really dont promote its use in either humans or animals. Alot of myths are circulating about steroids which has lead people to believe they are sent from hell to destroy people and turn them into psychopathic hulks who "snap" and injure people. Well, thats not really true, but there are negative aspects to them,although not that extreme.

I prefer to see what specimins have naturally, this means the right diet, the right work-out schedule, a maximum quantity of sleep, and alot of bust-your-ass hard work. Lets see what genetics gave ya, steroids are a cop-out and I think they go against the Laws of Nature.

As for other supplements, most "supplements" arent anything special, merely pills to give the uneducated consumer what they are lacking in their un-changed diet. What exactly are you planning to give, what are the ingredients of the formula, and what do you hope to gain? I've told you before you cannot "build" either muscle or bone mass in the dogs like humans, all you can hope to gain is defintion, and the ability to work harder to acheive the results sooner.