The fully stocked shelves at natural foods stores will tell you a lot about how popular vitamins are with people. However, pets can benefit from these health-boosting nutritional helpers, too – that’s why you’ll find them in our raw dog foods.

There is one key difference, though, between what we provide and what most people think of when they consider vitamins: Many of the vitamins available on the market are synthetic. Our philosophy on providing pets with healthy whole foods extends to the realm of vitamins. Giving your dog a synthetic product calls into question whether he’ll actually receive any benefit – because it’s synthetic, it’s likely that his system might not be able to absorb and use the ingredients in the product. And then, of course, there’s the question of what’s actually in the product, whether it’s actually nutritive and whether it’s even safe to give to him.

The vitamins and minerals that we include occur naturally and have been specifically chosen to provide beneficial effects on pet health, as part of a holistic nutrition plan.  So there’s no need to line up a laundry list of pills for your dog to take every morning – simply feed him his breakfast and he’ll get the vitamins he needs.

Here’s a little background on which ingredients we include – and why:

* Zinc sulfate: This naturally-occurring mineral is important for growth and development of body tissues. It also benefits immune system functionality and wound-healing capabilities.

* Vitamin D: Both humans and dogs spend less time outside in natural sunlight than they have in their evolutionary past, so supplementing vitamin D is important. It promotes healthy bones, maintains levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood (which affects the absorption of minerals), and also aids in protecting against cancer and autoimmune diseases.

* Vitamin E acetate: This dry form of vitamin E helps to slow the aging of cells and can play a role in fighting free radicals, which occur naturally but cause cell damage. That damage can in turn lead to disease development, so this is a key ingredient for pets’ long-term health.

* Vitamin A palmitate: This form of vitamin A is found naturally in animal sources like liver, fish and eggs. We add it to our foods because it’s essential for eyesight, proper growth and development, as well as for healthy skin and nerve cells. It can also help build a strong immune system.

* Tricalcium phosphate: It’s important to maintain the correct balance of calcium and phosphate, both of which are essential minerals for your dog’s health. We add a natural form of calcium phosphate to our mixes to ensure that the ideal ratio is maintained. You might know that calcium is important for bone and teeth health, but you might be surprised to learn that it’s also necessary for releasing neurotransmitters, regulating the heartbeat and enabling proper blood clotting. Phosphorous is essential to energy metabolism, DNA synthesis and calcium absorption.