Vitamins are organic substances that must be present in food, if only in small quantities. Your dog or cat needs vitamins to maintain normal metabolism. Some vitamins cannot be produced in your pet's body in sufficient quantities. Vitamin deficiencies can cause all kinds of health problems.
Minerals are mainly found in foods as edible salts. The body requires a certain amount of many different minerals every day. Minerals only occur in small amounts in the bodies of dogs and cats. Because minerals are essential to metabolic processes, your pet’s food should contain them in adequate amounts.
Minerals have different functions in the body. These substances are vital to processes such as metabolic reactions, skeletal growth, nerve impulses, muscle contractions, protein transport, hormones and moisture regulation.