Is your dog really healthy?
Have you noticed anything strange in them?
Signs of illness like thinning coat, darkening skin, replication of digestive issues, eyes discharge in your dog?
And you are not sure what it can be…
A problem that is faced by lots of my fellow dog parents is that they are not able to feed ample amounts of zinc to their pooch.
Zinc is the second most useful trace mineral in a dog's body after iron. And the problem is that our pooches cannot store zinc in their bodies. That's why maintaining a balanced diet as well as a balanced intake of zinc is most prominent.
Zinc deficiency is more common in large breeds like Huskies, malmulates, German shepherd and great Danes etc. But it doesn't mean that other medium or small dog breeds cannot have zinc deficiency though chances of zinc deficiency is quite rare in those breeds.
Zinc supports growth, immunity, thyroid functions, skin and coat health, metabolism, protein synthesis, and normal cell development in our pooch's body. Hence deficiency of such crucial minerals can be fatal for our dogs. But don't get carried away by the benefits of zinc as excessive zinc can lead to organ failures and seizures and can be life threatening to our dogs.
Therefore it is vital to understand the symptoms of zinc deficiency first.
Symptoms of zinc deficiency
Lack of Appetite
Chronic digestive problems
Darkening of skin
Thyroid issues
Dermatosis
Poor growth
Thickening/ cracking of paw pads
Crusted skin
Lost of desire to breed in male dogs.
Disturbed heat cycle in females
Lethargy
Hair loss, thinking of coat
Poor or delayed healing of wounds
Dark patches on muzzle and around eyes.
Preventing zinc deficiency
Not only our dogs are not able to store zinc in their bodies but also they absorb only 5-40% from total amount of zinc they consumed which makes it even more difficult to fulfill their daily zinc requirements. Though it is always recommended to consult a veterinarian in case you find any or most of the symptoms mentioned above to get a proper supplement for your dog.
There are certain factors that can also promote mal-absorption of zinc in our dogs.
Too much plant in their diet as "phylate" is a substance present in plants that hinders zinc absorption.
Calcium can also interfere with zinc absorption hence a diet rich in calcium can also promote zinc deficiency
Digestive ailments can also decrease the rate of zinc absorption in their body
Genetic inability to absorb zinc efficiency can also be a cause of zinc deficiency.
Foods of zinc
Raw fish
Lamb and mutton
Legumes
Cashew
Almonds, but in control as it can cause digestive problems
Chickpeas but only fresh ones avoid processed or canned, like hummus.
Pumpkin seeds
Chicken and duck
Fish oil but avoid cod liver oil
Eggs
Beef
Excessive zinc
Even though zinc sounds like one of the best minerals for our dogs, too much zinc can be very toxic for them. A general rule of thumb is to provide 1mg of zinc per 2 lbs of body weight which means 25 mg of zinc for a 50 lbs dog.
Symptoms of excessive zinc absorption are
Lack of Appetite
Vomiting
Jaundice
Anemia
Seizures
Orange colored urine and feces.
Diarrhea
Initially a dog may have an upset stomach which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance to black tarry stool which can further lead to dehydration and lethargy.
Longer exposure to higher doses of zinc can lead to yellow appearance of eyes, skin and gums in our dog resulting in jaundice.
Consult a veterinarian immediately in such case as it's a life threatening matter and only a veterinarian can help in interfering zinc absorption so that zinc toxicity can be cured in our dogs.
Zinc poisoning
Not only by supplementing too much zinc, but so
swallowing certain household items can cause zinc poisoning in dogs. Items such as
Coins and pennies
Cold creams
Sunscreen lotions
Pieces of metal especially copper
Toys
Jewelry
Consult your veterinarian if you doubt that your pooch is swallowed something that he/ she shouldn't. An x-ray is advisable to find the swallowed item.
That was all we should know about zinc, being a dog's parents.
Remember it is very little we can do to cure zinc deficiency or excessiveness of zinc also in case of zinc poisoning.
Consulting a veterinarian before deciding yourself that your pooch has zinc deficiency can cause serious damage to your their life.
Feel free to comment about how insightful this article was for you and please mention if I missed something.
Happy parenting
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