Nutrition

1. Your cat or dog should like the vitamins, either as a treat or as an addition to the food.

If you need to chase your pet around to get him to take his daily supplement, both you and your pet will quickly tire of it.

2. The milligrams (mg.) and International units (IU)of each vitamin should be listed on the ingredients

This tells you exactly what’s in the vitamin and you can compare apples with apples.

3. The vitamins must be complete.

If a few inexpensive components are placed in a flavored mix, your pet is getting flavor and not a complete formula. Vitamins and minerals provide the body with the correct tools to stay healthy. If you had no hammer and no nails but you had a saw and wood you could not build or maintain a house. It’s the same with vitamins- the body needs specific tools and vitamins should provide all of them.

4. The vitamins must be correctly balanced.

Vitamins work together and if they are not balanced with all the ingredients needed to get the job done, the job simply doesn’t get done.

5. The sources should be bioavailable.

This means your dog or cat should be able to absorb and utilize the vitamins and minerals in the mix. Powdered bone meal or oyster shells are often used as a calcium source yet neither is able to be absorbed or utilized. Unfortunately, bone meal has toxic cadmium and lead in it and these toxic metals are absorbed into your pet’s body.

6. The flavorings and formula should be designed with respect to the high incidence of allergies in pets.

Brewers Yeast an inexpensive by-product from brewing beer is often used as a flavoring. It is a dilute source of inexpensive but incomplete B vitamins and it is one of the top foods dogs are allergic to.

7. New research on vitamins is always coming out in the press and the vitamins should incorporate this research into their formulation.

For example, Vitamin D3 has been found to be deficient in people, cats and dogs and is important in many biological processes.

8. The vitamin should be designed with the biochemical needs of the species in mind.

Cats cannot synthesize taurine in their bodies, so they need this amino acid included in their vitamins. Cats only get active Vitamin D3 from raw liver or supplements so they need a healthy dose.

9. A vitamin that helped decrease the toxic load of today’s environment would further promote your pet’s health.

Most pet vitamins do not include Vitamin C as both dogs and cats can create Vitamin C in their body, but Vitamin C acts to flush systemic toxins out and boost the immune system. Our pets are exposed to flea and tick preventives, lawn chemicals and many noxious substances. Extra vitamin C only helps to keep their internal systems clean and free of toxins and chemicals and in doing so, promotes health.

10. The quality and the sources of the ingredients, human grade being the best, must be considered.

Ingredients from poor sources have poor efficacy.

Your dog or cat's body has trillions of cells in it. These cells are organized into specialized tissues and organs with each cell being a miniature city bustling with traffic. The molecules in cell town are shuttled from place to place in a perpetual rush. The sugars in your dog's food are used for energy, but almost everything else in the realm of nutritionis used to facilitate their life maintaining metabolic functions.

There exists, in your pet's body, a complex machine that is bustling with activity and full of energy. How well this machine is maintained will define how healthy your cat or dog remains and how long his life will be. Good nutrition will sustain and prolong your pet's life. What all this means is that providing a wholesome, healthful supplement for your dogs and cats will prolong their life and improve their health. The bottom line is every cell in your pet's body is in the business of living, and it all runs off that nutrition.

These important nutrients include the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that are so very scarce in the diets of today's world. The food your pet eats should be supplying all the nutrients he needs to meet his needs. But most of the processed, packaged pet foods simply do not provide essential factors for health. Additionally, home made foods are often derived from produce and protein grown on large scale factory farms and are therefore lacking many trace nutrients needed for optimum health. For instance, the bacteria that create B-12 which goes into vegetables and fruits are at 40% or less of the levels they were at in the 1950's.

Today, scientists are calling for an increase in Vitamin D requirements for humans. First of all, the historical dose was designed only to prevent rickets. Secondly, newly available blood tests show most people are significantly deficient in the 'Sunshine Vitamin', because exposure to sunlight produces Vitamin D3 in the body. Fortified milk delivers only Vitamin D2- not D3- the real thing. Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins contain a very generous portion of Vitamin D3 as this vitamin has been found to be so very important to immune function, reproductive health, neurological health and mineral and bone balance and support. Our canine and feline friends are covered with lovely fluffy fur but this creates a barrier to sunlight reaching their skin. And sad to say, most dogs and cats spend most of their time inside, just like us.

The beautiful colors in fruits and vegetables are created from some very healthy compounds, called phytonutrients. Certain fruits and vegetables, because of their powerful disease preventing effects, have been dubbed 'super-foods'. Phytonutrients have been shown again and again in scientific research to protect against disease. The bright orange colors result from the high levels of healthy beta carotene in our orange vegetables. The dark vibrant greens in Kale leaves are rich in cartenoids, which travel throughout our pet's bodies to scavenge free radicals and clean up 'after the party". Kale is also rich in elements that reduce the risk of cancer. Scientists have found that compounds calledglucosinolates, cysteine sulfoxides and sulforaphane found in kale will boost your pet's body's to clear carcinogenic substances more quickly. One study found that animals with cancerous tumors who were fed kale had tumors that were smaller and grew more slowly. Berries and broccoli have also become famous for their health benefits and their cancer fighting abilities.

A sad but true fact is that the most prevalent cause of death in dogs over 2 years of age in the United States is cancer. It's high time we change that ominous statistic by providing our pets with the tools they need to stay healthy. Cancer scientists and nutritionists agree that increased intake of the kind of raw vegetables provided in Deserving Pets Vitamins decreases the risk of cancer by 20%-30% . That's truly significant.

We're all experienced holistic consumers who fully understand the value of disease prevention. Abundant articles describe to us the many avenues available for humans nowadays to prevent disease. Yet our dogs and cats are afflicted with bladder crystals and stones, arthritis, liver failure, diabetes, cancer, kidney failure and many other chronic diseases. And these diseases are scientifically proven to be preventable. Did your children ever have recurrent bladder stones? Why are we seeing so much of it in our pets? I personally feel the reason for this is unbalanced and inadequate nutrition.

If your pet had correct nutrition and correct balances of: Vitamin D3 (epidemic deficiencies of this vitamin which is essential for mineral balance), Vitamin K1 (prevents Calcium from washing into the urinary bladder), Vitamin C (acidifies the urine), Cranberry (acidifies the urine and binds bacteria, carrying them out of the bladder), along with Dandelion and Milk Thistle these problems could be avoided. You and your children get much more in the way of raw healthy fruits and vegetables than your pets do. How many people get cancer at such a rate as our dogs and at such a young age? Considering the very high rate of cancer in our pets today, I would consider phytochemicals and super foods as an essential part of my dog or cat's diet. Anticancer vitamins and minerals such as Selenium, Vitamin E, Grape Seed Extract, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Vitamin A and the B vitamins would by necessity be included in this mix.

A recent study showed that children who receive supplementation before 4 years of age have a 39% lower chance of having allergies. The bulk of my practice is made up of dogs with allergies and the amount of money and time spent on this one medical problem is extraordinary. As proper supplementation at an early age is the answer, I would get right to it with my new puppy or kitten.

Too often, I am called upon to 'recreate health' in my role as a veterinarian. If correct holistic prescribing can mend chronic health problems, carefully formulated supplementation will assuredly help to prevent these same problems.

It's just as important that your pet enjoy taking his vitamins and because of this Deserving Pets used a technologically advanced process to mask the taste and lock the freshness in. Have you ever experienced the off odors in a vitamin tablet? The unpleasant smell is because the B vitamins have degraded. This will not happen with Deserving Pets products as the vitamin, mineral and super food content is protected. Likewise, your dog and/or cat will not detect any bad odors. Rather they will simply love the human grade bacon, cheese and liver flavoring.

I never dreamed I could find a way for cats to love eating their vegetable in raw form with all the super foods which work maintain and create health. It's a winning combination for both our dogs and cats.

I have 4 dogs and for years I have been trying to find a vitamin that they would take or eat. Recently I ordered Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins for dogs in the liver and bacon flavor. It is a powder that I sprinkle on their food. My babies simply love it!! They are finishing their food and licking their bowls. Finally they are getting the nutrition they need and they are enjoying it! This product surely simplifies my life and creates less stress for both me and my dogs. No more trying to put pills down their throats or sprinkling other powders on their food that they refuse to eat.

The amazing thing is that they are getting so many vitamins, minerals and super foods that are essential to good health and they eagerly await their daily dose. Enclosed is a picture of my Nora after she enjoyed her vitamins….they stuck to her bottom lip!

Wendy Battersby

Demands on the working dog far exceed the demands on the average family dog. Their bodies and brains need to keep up with all the tasks that are required of them. This makes it especially important for the working dog to get all the supplementation he or she needs to maintain health, drive, intelligence and tenacity.

Working Dogs need to think. And thinking is work! A dog’s nutritional intake affects brain function. The brain itself has very high energy and nutrient needs. Nutrient intake affects the levels of neurotransmitters - which, in turn, affects memory and problem-solving ability. Vitamin B-6 is needed to produce most of the brain’s neurotransmitters, while Vitamin B-12 is needed to maintain the outer coating of nerve cells. A Niacin deficiency results in loss of memory. Vitamin D3 maintains the nervous system and Boron, a trace mineral, enhances brain function. Zinc is called ‘the intelligence mineral’ and is required for mental development. Zinc helps in the production of about 100 enzymes in your dog’s body, builds a healthy immune system and maintains the sense of smell and taste. It’s also great for the skin and coat. Vitamin A is important for sight and a deficiency in this vitamin can cause night blindness. Working Dogs need to think through situations and handle problems. We put them at a disadvantage if we do not provide all the tools they need to do this.

The Working Dog’s schedule also requires stamina and complete supplementation increases stamina by keeping cellular processes working full on during the times when concentration and endurance are so very necessary. A full complement of B vitamins for stress, iodine and selenium for the thyroid and Vitamin E and Vitamin C for antioxidant activity all help to keep things running smoothly during times of stress.

Phytochemicals provide even more energy and resilience as they live in the system far longer than vitamins and minerals. Additionally, research has shown unequivocally that the phytoNUTRIENTS in foods such as broccoli, kale, cranberries, blueberries, and carrots help to prevent cancer as well as many other diseases.

Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins for Dogs was created with the needs of the working dog and with superior health benefits in mind. This vitamin was designed using the latest information available from research in nutrition. If you compare Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins for Dogs to others on the market you will see they include a full compliment of vitamins, minerals (and list the milligrams, International Units and formulation of the ingredients) along with phytonutrients – all from raw, human grade food sources. A special flavor blasting process hides any unpleasant taste from the vitamins and makes it a real treat for any dog when simply added to the food

Doctors and researchers for years have been telling us about the importance of eating our fruits and vegetables. Researchers continue to link the importance of eating phytonutrients to the prevention of many diseases.

An example of this comes from a centenarian tribe found in the remote villages in the Andes Mountains. Researchers that study these people have found that they live long lives and are free from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis. The diet of these tribes is mostly made up of fruits and vegetables.

Lately, we have been hearing more and more of phytonutrients and their role in our health. Phytonutrients are organic components found in plants, which  effectively   contribute to health. They are not considered essential for survival, but they are significant in maintaining a healthier life, of better quality.

Increasing phytonutrients in our bodies helps fight off this oxidation and disease that we all face, making our bodies healthier and more resilient to illness. It’s become a known scientific fact that eating these super foods results in better health and disease prevention.

To ensure you receive a wide range of different phytonutrients, it is important to eat at least one of each color groups:

• Orange: Pumpkin, carrots
• Green: Kale, parsley, broccoli, alfalfa, dandelion
• Red: Cranberries, apples
• Red-Purple: Beets
• Blue: Blueberries

Phytonutrients work in different ways and have different functions, which help maintain a healthy body. Some examples are:

• Lowers risks for many types of cancers
• Slows development of heart and arterial diseases
• Increases longevity by slowing the aging processes
• Improves immune system and thus lowers incidence of infectious diseases
• Lowers damage to eyes, including slowing the development of cataracts
• As antioxidants- most phytonutrients help protect the body cells from oxidative damage, thus decreasing risk of some cancer types

Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins contain the raw form of the healthy super-foods mentioned above. The best thing about Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins is that your dog and your cat (yes, your cat) will not only readily take the vitamins but, in fact, enjoy them! While it’s very true that these vitamins will incur an additional expense it’s also true that you may save a bundle in future veterinary bills along with the worry and stress that comes with having a sick pet. Quite a number of my clients have felt that the addition of Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins to their pet’s food clearly accelerated their recovery.

After years of healing disease, I began to wonder -- if holistic support routinely ‘recreated health’ why couldn’t it be used to effectively maintain health and prevent disease? With this quest in mind I developed Deserving Pet’s Vital Vitamins.

My initial task was to compile the most common diseases of both felines and canines and research the nutritional aspects of these diseases. My next endeavor was to create a multivitamin/multimineral complex that would enable cells to create and maintain health, preventing disease. Finally, I utilized the latest research in phytochemicals and phytonutrients in order to create a supplement that could truly enable health.

This vitamin was created to have specific health benefiting effects. Every aspect of feline and canine metabolism was considered in the computations with considerations for the feline and canine’s special needs.

• Cats can’t convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, although they can use beta-carotene from pumpkin and carrots. Because of this, our feline friends get vitamin A in the Palmitate form.
• Our dog vitamin has the water-soluble beta-carotene source for vitamin A, considered a superior product.
• Our feline friends cannot produce the amino acid Taurine so they are provided 200 mg of Taurine for heart and retinal health in Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins.
• Both dogs and cats receive the benefits of pumpkin and carrots.

The vitamins and minerals in supplements provide no health benefits if they cannot be assimilated and utilized. For example, desiccated bone meal is the typical source of calcium in most pet supplements.

• Bone meal contains toxic heavy metals, including cadmium, which depletes cancer-fighting selenium. Calcium carbonate from oyster shells is not absorbed either. Calcium requires an acidic environment to be properly assimilated.
• Deserving Pets provides Calcium in the organic form of readily available Calcium Citrate and also provides calcium in the best bio available form from green leafy vegetables such as Kale. To work effectively, calcium supplements should also contain the mineral magnesium and vitamin D.

Both the source and the form of a vitamin have significant ramifications in how well it performs. Keep moving through this tapestry of health and discover that Vitamin D3, the sunshine vitamin, is in fact a hormone. It is essential for a healthy immune system and it also regulates calcium and mineral metabolism along with Vitamin K. In fact, the two work synergistically together. If we add to this quality calcium from green leafy sources balanced perfectly with magnesium, we have a recipe for healthy bones and joints.

• An epidemic of Vitamin D3 deficiencies has been discovered in people. Vitamin D is known to be an important vitamin and so our milk is fortified with Vitamin D. Yet milk is fortified with vitamin D2- not D3- the real thing. Deserving Pets uses the form of Vitamin D3 in their vitamins and because of all the research have included a very generous serving of this important vitamin. Did you know that new research shows that colds and flu are less common in summer because of the increased exposure to sunlight, creating more vitamin D3.

The common medical problems that are also often so frustrating to treat were all considered when formulating this vitamin.

• Milk thistle works to detoxify the liver and keep it healthy. It also works to keep the bladder and kidneys free of stones and gravel. Vitamin K prevents Calcium from being flushed unnecessarily into the urinary bladder and Vitamin D3 works to create a healthy mineral balance. These ingredients work together to prevent bladder crystals and stones. Vitamin C and Cranberry, when added to this mix, keep the bladder pH at a level that prevents crystal formation and bacterial infections. Cranberry also has a special ingredient called mannose, which selectively binds bacteria and flushes them out of the urinary tract.
• Vitamin C and Cranberry as well as the Blueberry and Parsley work to create a healthier, more alkaline pH for the entire body. Quite a few of the other ingredients also help with this.
• Vanadium and chromium help with glucose metabolism and diabetes prevention.
• Anti-oxidants remove and dump toxins from the cells and prevent aging.
• Kale helps cells dump out those nasty carcinogens 10x faster. Broccoli has a similar effect. Berries also work as potent anti-cancer phytonutrients.
• Apples and pumpkin provide roughage and keep the intestines clean and healthy.
• Milk Thistle and Dandelion protect the liver and urinary tract along with Vitamin C,E and A and Grape seed extract.
• Zinc, biotin and grape seed extract create healthy skin and coat
• Iodine and selenium support the thyroid.
• L-glutamine, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, and grape seed extract support the immune system.

Before Deserving Pets Vital Vitamins were created, pet owner’s would need to purchase a bottle of milk thistle, grape seed extract, Vitamin C ( pet vitamins are often lacking this vitamin), Vitamin D3 ( typical dose is deficient), powdered phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables, cranberry tincture or powder, lots of fruits and vegetables and a general vitamin and mineral supplement in order to create just a fraction of the healthy ingredients found in Deserving Pet’s products.