What is a mineral-vitamin supplement?
A mineral-vitamin supplement, or CMV, are tablets or powder containing vitamins, minerals and trace elements for dogs fed with homemade food.
A CMV is not a simple food supplement, it is an essential element for the balance of the food ration of a dog fed with a household ration because it alone provides 50% of the necessary micronutrients to maintain the good he alth of your dog. Thus, it must be considered as an ingredient in its own right of a good household ration in the same way as the meat, vegetables, starches and oils that make up a dog's bowl.
Without CMV, the dog will inevitably receive an unbalanced household ration which will lead him irremediably to suffer from nutritional deficiencies in the medium or long term, which will jeopardize his well-being and his he alth.
What does a CMV contain?
A mineral-vitamin supplement contains:
- vitamins (A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, PP, Folate),
- minerals including calcium and a little phosphorus (except for elderly or sick animals for whom phosphorus intake must be reduced),
- essential trace elements such as copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, manganese, iron and cob alt.
Unlike macro-nutrients such as lipids, carbohydrates and proteins provided by dog food, these micro-nutrients provide no calories to the animal. However, they are essential for the proper functioning of his body because they are involved in a very large number of metabolic reactions.
For example, calcium is used for the constitution of the dog's skeleton but also for the contraction of its muscles (including the heart muscle), for nerve transmission, blood coagulation, activation of various systems enzymes and maintaining normal membrane permeability.
Why is a mineral and vitamin supplement essential for dogs?
If a mineral-vitamin supplement is essential for a dog fed with a household diet, it is because the foods that make up his bowl are never enough on their own to cover his micro-nutrient needs and in particular, in calcium.
And for good reason: a dog's calcium needs are 10 times greater than those of a human being. In other words, to cover the calcium needs of a 10kg dog, you would have to give him 2kg of yogurt a day, a quantity which alone would be enough to exceed his daily energy needs by 2 to 3 times, but which does not would still not provide enough vitamins or trace elements!
In short, a CMV makes it possible to balance a household ration in micronutrients, without providing additional calories to the dog.
Note carefully!
Dogs fed exclusively with complete industrial foods, such as kibble or pâté, do not need to receive a mineral-vitamin supplement. Their food already contains all the micro-nutrients necessary for their nutritional balance.
How to choose a CMV for your dog?
Warning!
The advice in this article is only valid for dogs that receive a classic household diet consisting of boneless meat, a source of starch, oil and vegetables. They are not valid for dogs fed with BARF or which receive a ration containing bones and/or large quantities of offal. These tips do not in any way replace the advice of a veterinarian: always ask him for advice in order to balance your animal's household ration and thus avoid deficiencies such as nutritional excesses.
To choose a CMV, we base ourselves on its composition of vitamins and trace elements missing in the household ration as well as on the calcium/phosphorus ratio (Ca:P ratio) of the product according to the age of the dog and/or its physiological state. It is indeed by this ratio that the CMV will make it possible to compensate for the quantity of phosphorus provided by a household ration rich in meat (without bone) by a contribution of calcium and thus to maintain the phosphocalcic balance of the dog. Indeed, a dog that would receive too much phosphorus compared to calcium in its diet would see its bones demineralize little by little to release the missing calcium into its bloodstream. In the long term, the dog's bones would weaken, pain and fractures would appear.
Thus, we will search for a CMV:
- having a Ca:P ratio between 2 and 3 in growing puppies, breeding females and he althy young adult dogs,
- which contains calcium but no phosphorus, in older dogs with kidney failure, heart failure or urinary stones.
Several brands of CMV such as Petphos Croissance ® , Sofcanis ® or Vit'i5 Canine® allow you to easily balance your dog's household ration. They are on sale in most veterinary practices as well as on various online shops.