But what about vitamins?
One point to remember if you are home-preparing meals is that the wholesome, fresh food contain many vitamins - all perfectly balanced and 'bio-available' (a fancy term meaning your dog can actually absorb the vitamins)
Here is an example:
Last night our girls ate some cooked oatmeal, pureed pumpkin and chicken. Lets take a quick look at what 'vitamins and minerals' were in that meal.
Oatmeal:
Vit A 1125 IU
Vit C .3 mg
Vit E 5.3 mg
Vit K 1.25 mcg
Thiamin .3 mg
Riboflavin .4 mg
Niacin 4.3 mg
B6 .8 mg
Folate 158 mcg
B12 1.3 mcg
Pantothenic Acid .2 mg
Calcium 402 mg
Iron 7.1 mg
Magnesium 36.5 mg
Phosphorus 134mg
Potassium 138 mg
Zinc .9 mg
Copper .1 mg
Manganese 1.1 mg
Selenium 9.5 mcg
Pumpkin
The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.
Protein 2 grams
Carbohydrate 12 grams
Dietary Fiber 3 grams
Calcium 37 mg
Iron 1.4 mg
Magnesium 22 mg
Potassium 564 mg
Zinc 1 mg
Selenium .50 mg
Vitamin C 12 mg
Niacin 1 mg
Folate 21 mcg
Vitamin A 2650 IU
Vitamin E 3 mg
Chicken
Vit A 29.4 IU
Vit E .4 mg
Vit K .4 mcg
Thiamin .3 mg
Riboflavin .4 mg
Niacin 19.3 mg
B6 .8 mg
Folate 5.5 mcg
B12 .5 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 1.2 mg
Calcium 21mg
Iron 1.5 mg
Magnesium 40.5 mg
Phosphorus 319mg
Potassium 358 mg
Zinc 1.4 mg
Copper .1 m
Selenium 38.6 mcg
WOW! - then we added our Green Power!, Bone meal (dogs do need a little extra calcium), and some flax oil
As you can see - the oatmeal and pumpkin are nutrtional 'super foods' -and the meal is chock full of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.
