Most animal medications have instructions regarding when to give them to your pet, but vitamins sometimes don’t offer help. In general, you will want to give your pet their supplements with food, based on the instructions on the package. Here are some tips on how to give vitamins and supplements to your pets.
Read the Label:
The label will have a lot of information about when and how to give the vitamins to your pet. Some will say with food, some will say between meals, and some will say how many hours before or after meals to give it to them. One thing you do want to ensure is that they have fresh water.
Ditch the People’s Food:
Some people like to put pills in hot dogs for their dogs. The problem is, hot dogs are highly processed with lots of salt and other ingredients that your dog does not need. In fact, your dog only needs to eat the food that is designed for them each day and no more. Therefore, if you want to give your dog their vitamin with their food, put it inside real dog food. You can use liquid vitamins to mix it undetected in their meal.
Get the Right Form:
Every animal is different. Some will respond to vitamins and some will not. But one thing is for sure; each animal has a preference for how it will ingest the vitamins and supplements you want to give them. There are supplements in chew (treats), pill, and liquid form. You may have to try more than one type before you find a way to get your pet to take it. It depends on how picky your animal is.
It Depends
If your pet has a very easily disturbed digestive tract, then giving your pet vitamins with food will usually help. But, in some cases, it can cause more problems. So, you’ll need to test it. If the supplement label says with food or water, try both to find out which works best for your pet. If it says absolutely with food, then you’ll need to follow the label and serve it with their meal.
It’s important to discuss with your vet which vitamins you’ll be giving your pet so that you can discuss how and when the vitamin will be given. It will depend on the form, too.
If it’s a treat such as a chew, they can usually be given alone, and since you should always have water out for your pet it won’t be difficult. If it’s a liquid, most say to put it into the food, which is what you should do. If it’s a pill form, in some cases you’ll be required to stick the pill down your pet’s throat without food, but typically they can eat right after. It simply depends on the supplement, the form it’s in, and how the vitamin is absorbed best for your pet.