Vitamins can improve the quality of your pet's life. They help regulate body processes, protect the body from environmental toxins, and break down nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats so the body can utilize them.

Here are noteworthy points about vitamins for dogs:

1) Vitamins work with minerals and enzymes for digestion, reproduction, muscle and bone growth, and maintenance of healthy skin and hair coat.

2) All multi-vitamins for pets are not created equal.

3) Vitamins are necessary for literally tens of thousands of different chemical reactions in the body.

4) They often work in conjunction with minerals and enzymes to ensure normal digestion, reproduction, muscle and bone growth and function, healthy skin and hair, clotting of blood, and the use of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates by the body.

5) Their unique set of nutritional requirements has been passed on from generation to generation just like the breed's unique coat, body size and temperament.

We have found that we cannot change the genetic makeup of the animals we are feeding just by exposing them to a different diet for a small amount of time. Therefore, I suggest that Burmese mountain dog owners try to feed their present companion pets with foods that contain what this breed requires. The food should contain: nutrient sources that are similar to those found in the native environment of the breed's ancestors (sources which are not foreign to the digestive and glandular systems of today's Burmese Mountain Dog and which are easy for them to assimilate) and the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that match the breed specific nutritional requirements - those which have been passed on by their ancestors.

There are over 170 different molecular forms of the mineral "calcium." The source of the mineral calcium that a Burmese Mountain Dog can easily assimilate can be hard for a different breed to assimilate and thus that other breed can develop kidney stones on the best source of calcium for a Burmese Mountain Dog. The reverse of this is also true. Below you will find a list of the best sources of vitamins and minerals for the dietary requirements of a Burmese Mountain Dog.

The balance or amounts are not listed because each individual animal can have different requirements depending on: the sex of the animal; the age (a puppy will have different needs than an adolescent, who even though it may be the same size as an adult will have different requirements than an adult); the activity level (if a dog is very active the dog will need more of the B complex than a couch potato of the same breed); stress levels; medical conditions; and other dietary factors (i.e. does the water supply contain high amounts of minerals). There are many factors come into play when considering the proper amount of each nutrient in an individual dogs diet.

To learn more about your dog and the best dietary needs for it, you can visit your local pet store for books on health topics and see what type of clinics are available for your enrichment. Also check with your local Human Society chapter similarly. They often host workshops all around your area and can mail or email you a calendar of upcoming events.