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Feeding your dog

Here you can find out what makes a balanced diet for dogs and how to switch your dog onto a new food. Learn how dogs' dietary needs change over time and how to deal with a fussy eater.

Which vitamins does your dog need?

The right vitamins help your dog’s body to grow and repair itself. But too much of certain vitamins can be bad for their health.

Vitamins help your dog’s body process other nutrients – without the right balance of vitamins, their body wouldn’t grow or repair itself properly. The easiest way to get the right balance of vitamins in your dog’s diet is to feed a balanced dog food like Pedigree.

Your dog needs vitamins from two different groups: water-soluble vitamins C and B-complex, and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

Water-soluble vitamins C and B-complex

These vitamins help a dog’s body to build bones, teeth and connective tissues. Because they dissolve in water, they’re continually being flushed out of the body – so regular top-ups are needed. However: while the various forms of vitamin B need to come from your dog’s diet, vitamin C is produced naturally by their bodies.

Adding extra vitamin C to your dog's diet can cause serious health problems, so unless your dog has been prescribed them by a vet, steer clear of vitamin C supplements.

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K

These vitamins are found in animal fat. Your dog’s body absorbs them through their intestine and stores them for later use. A build-up of too much of any of these vitamins can lead to physical abnormalities, particularly in the skeleton.

So it’s not a good idea to give your dog supplements unless your vet prescribes them for a particular health condition.

Here’s what vitamins A, D, E and K each do.

• Vitamin A is good for eyesight, amongst other things
• Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium to build bones.
• Vitamin E helps the body make red blood cells.
• Vitamin K helps blood to clot and form protective scabs.

Whatever you decide to feed your dog, they’ll rely on you to make sure that they get the right balance of vitamins in their diet.

Our selection of Pedigree foods gives your dog the vitamins they need