VITAMINS

Vitamins are organic compounds that take part in a wide range of metabolic activities.  Dogs require vitamins in their food, albeit at low concentrations. First noticed in dogs some 75 years ago, vitamin deficiencies can cause a variety of health problems.  Clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency, one of the first deficiencies studied in dogs, include motor and vision impairment, skin lesions, respiratory ailments, and increased susceptibility to infections. Dogs fed diets lacking vitamin E show signs of skeletal muscle breakdown, reproductive failure, and retinal degeneration.  Thiamin deficiency can lead to brain lesions and other neurological abnormalities if the deprivation is sudden and to heart damage and death if it is chronic.  Some vitamins, such as vitamin D, are not only essential in small doses, but also toxic in excess amounts.

MINERALS

Twelve minerals  are known to be essential nutrients for dogs.  Calcium and phosphorus are crucial to strong bones and teeth.  Dogs need magnesium, potassium, and sodium for nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and cell signaling.  Many minerals that are present only in minute amounts in the body, including selenium, copper, and molybdenum, act as helpers in a wide variety of enzymatic reactions. Dogs can get too much or too little of a specific mineral in their diets.  A deficiency of dietary calcium, for instance, causes a condition known as secondary hyperparathyroidism.  Recognized clinically for many years in dogs fed meals consisting mainly of meat, this disease results in major bone loss, skeletal abnormalities, and pathological fractures.  An excess of calcium, on the other hand, may also cause skeletal abnormalities, especially in growing large-breed puppies

This information is based on recommendations from the 2006 release of Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. The report contains useful information for companion animal nutritionists, veterinarians, scientists in industry and academe, regulators, pet owners and anyone with an interest in the health and welfare of these important animals. To order the report, contact the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or http://www.nap.edu