Vitamin D for Dogs: What It Does for Your Pet

By April 7, 2022 Dog Diet, Dog Health, Dog Nutrition, Immune Support, Multivitamins & Minerals, Supplements for Dogs, Vitamins 0 Comments

Vitamin D for Dogs: What It Does for Your Pet

Vitamin D for dogs is an essential micronutrient that helps regulate the balance and retention of calcium and phosphorus. It is a necessary component for dogs’ growth.

Because humans synthesize this vitamin from sunlight, it is often known as the “sunshine vitamin.” On the other hand, dogs cannot produce vitamin D. Dogs must get 100 percent of their vitamin D from their food.

Extremely high amounts of vitamin D, on the other hand, might create significant health concerns. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Consequently, if a dog or another animal overeats, the excess is not rapidly removed in their urine.

It is instead kept in adipose tissue and the liver. Excessive vitamin D use may cause renal failure and possibly death.

So, how much vitamin D should your dog consume? Are you concerned that your dog isn’t receiving enough? Today, we’ll go through dietary options to ensure your puppy gets enough vitamin D and indicators of shortages and toxicity to watch out for. Before we get there, let’s talk about how vitamin D works in dogs.

Table of content

Check out our Nutrition Strength Vitamin D for Dogs here.

What Is Vitamin D?

First of all, it is necessary to define vitamin D. Vitamin D is a chemical that has various effects on our and our dogs’ bodies.

The primary purpose of vitamin D is to maintain ‘calcium homeostasis,’ or normal calcium levels. Calcium is a mineral that is found in bones and muscles.

It is also utilized for muscular contraction, cell signaling, and blood coagulation when we are harmed. As too much or too little calcium may be dangerous, vitamin D is essential for maintaining calcium homeostasis.

The mechanism by which vitamin D does this is rather complicated, involving several different organs. The inactive form of vitamin D enters a dog’s body via food consumption. It has no impact when it is inactive.

The parathyroid glands are an organ located in the neck of dogs that controls blood calcium levels. It secretes a hormone known as a parathyroid hormone when it detects a calcium deficit. This hormone affects the liver and the kidneys. It leads them to convert inactive vitamin D3 to active vitamin D3 (calcitriol).

Active vitamin D3 increases calcium absorption in the dog’s intestines and decreases calcium excretion in the kidney. When calcium levels are low, vitamin D functions to restore them to safe levels.

Vitamin D also plays a variety of secondary tasks, including phosphorus homeostasis (another essential component of bones), bone remodeling after injury or exercise, dental health, immune system modulation, eyesight, and muscular development. It is reasonable to state that vitamin D is an essential component for healthy pets!

The amount of vitamins and minerals allowed in dog food is strictly regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. An adult dog food kilo should have no less than 500 international units (0.0125 mg) of vitamin D daily, but it should not contain more than 3,000 international units (0.075 mg). A dog’s supplement should have 100-120 ng / ml of vitamin D each day.

Food Sources

Most kibble producers fortify their food with a vitamin supplement mix containing vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals. But this is not the sole source of vitamin D for puppies. Many animal items, including fatty fish, are high in vitamin D.

Salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, and sardines are some sources of vitamin D for dogs that are eaten by humans and are also suitable for puppies. Other appropriate vitamin D foods for dogs are mackerel, egg yolks, cow liver, cheese, yogurt, mushrooms, fortified oats, and squash.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Dogs

Vitamin D deficiency in dogs is uncommon owing to the AAFCO’s tight dietary recommendations for dog food. Vitamin D deficiency may occur due to consuming an imbalanced diet of table meals or raw foods.

Vitamin and mineral malabsorption may also play a role in puppies with underlying digestive issues or a hereditary predisposition. So, what are the symptoms of canine vitamin D deficiency?

  • Brittle bones.
  • Decrease in muscle mass.
  • Fatigue.
  • Stunted growth.

Diseases Associated with Low Vitamin D

According to research, Vitamin D status has been linked to several human health conditions. While far less is known about vitamin D-related disorders in dogs, some linkages under investigation often exhibit remarkable resemblance to human illnesses.

Because of its association with calcium and phosphorus acquisition, vitamin D is a well-known contributor to bone health. Researchers discovered osteomalacia (rickets) in pups given a diet deficient in vitamin D, even when subjects were exposed to UVB sunshine.

Puppy endochondral ossification was slowed in dogs given more than ten times the AAFCO maximum recommended dose.

Because the metabolite 1,25(OH)2D (the active form of vitamin D) is formed in the kidneys, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and concomitant hyperparathyroidism in humans are connected to poor vitamin D metabolism.

Similarly, dogs with CKD may have lower blood and serum 25(OH)D concentrations, which continue to fall as the severity of the disease worsens. Consequently, dietary vitamin D supplementation is a component of both human and canine CKD therapy.

Human patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often have low vitamin D levels. Canine studies reveal that blood 25(OH)D levels are much lower in dogs with protein-losing enteropathies when compared to healthy dogs and those afflicted by IBD alone.

Vitamin D may have a role in human cardiovascular disease, with data showing that higher plasma 25(OH)D levels are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Similarly, dogs’ low blood 25(OH)D levels have been linked to congestive heart failure, cardiac remodeling, severe cardiovascular illness, and an increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Overdose of Vitamin D in Dogs

Because vitamin D is fat-soluble, an overdose is always a possibility. Vitamin D overdose may occur for a variety of causes. Over supplementation of vitamins may accumulate vitamin D reserves in the body over time, ultimately leading to an overdose.

Accidental overdoses are also conceivable. Cholecalciferol-containing rat poison, which may smell enticing to a hungry dog, is one of the most severe hazards of accidental vitamin D overdose.

Take your dog to the vet if you suspect an overdose of vitamin D. High calcium, phosphorous, glucose, and proteins in a puppy’s blood and urine will indicate this sickness.

If the overdose occurred recently, a veterinarian may induce vomiting or provide fluids to help excrete additional vitamins. In extreme instances, veterinarians may prescribe phosphate binders to help with phosphate removal.

Vomiting, excessive salivation, stomach discomfort, tremors, convulsions, weakness, lethargy, constipation, anorexia, unusual thirst, frequent urination or accidents, blood in vomit, weight loss, and bloody or black feces are all symptoms of a vitamin D overdose in dogs.

Does Vitamin D Cause (Or Prevent) Cancer?

Over the years, we’ve been informed that excessive sun exposure might lead to cancer. This raises the issue of whether vitamin D causes cancer. What’s the connection between cancer and vitamin D? Can we use vitamin D for dogs with cancer?

In recent years, there has been a lot of study on the association between vitamin D and cancer in dogs. Contrary to common perception, research has revealed that dogs with adequate vitamin D levels have a lower risk of developing several forms of cancer, including breast, colon, and rectal cancers.

Treatment of Vitamin D Poisoning in Dogs

If you feel your dog has ingested too much Vitamin D, take him to the doctor as soon as possible. Bring any packaging for your dog’s food, your personal Vitamin D tablets, and any rodenticide you use.

Your veterinarian will begin by taking a complete history from you before evaluating your dog. If your pet just consumed Vitamin D, your veterinarian may opt to induce vomiting and provide activated charcoal to absorb Vitamin D from the GI tract.

Lab tests will be required to examine your dog’s organ function and cell counts. Your veterinarian will most likely want to explore your blood’s calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels. The kidney parameters and electrolytes will be checked as well.

Hospitalization is required for treatment, including intravenous fluids to maintain and aid the kidneys. Throughout the stay, blood levels will be tested regularly.

The veterinarian may also administer a diuretic to help the kidneys remove excess calcium. Furosemide, a gastrointestinal protectant, is also often utilized. In certain circumstances, an oral steroid will be used to reduce calcium absorption in the GI tract and bones.

The Takeaway

Vitamin D is necessary for the health of a dog’s bones, heart, joints, skin, coat, vision, teeth, kidneys, and immune system. Advanced age, spaying / neutering, digestive issues, sickness, and several regularly given drugs are risk factors for low vitamin D levels.

The vitamin D content and sources of commercial pet meals vary, resulting in varying D levels in dogs. Some home-cooked meals are vitamin D deficient. Concentrations of this micronutrient may be safely increased by improving digestion, feeding D-containing whole meals, supplementing with vitamin D as needed, and checking for blood levels.

As a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D needs fat in the diet to be properly digested and absorbed. Combining vitamin D in dog food and saturated fats like coconut oil and butter is ideal. But there are plenty of vitamin D sources for dogs.

Vitamins A and K, which are fat-soluble, are the best vitamin D nutritional companions. An easy way to keep your dog healthy is to ensure he gets enough vitamin D, A, and K.

Be careful with all the symptoms related to deficiencies and toxicity. If you think that some of them are visible, meet your vet. Ensure that all is okay with your dog and continue living happily together.

Nutrition Strength Vitamin D for Dogs

Nutrition Strength Vitamin D for Dogs

Check out our Nutrition Strength Vitamin D for Dogs here.

Nutrition Strength Vitamin D for Dogs with Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc to Support Strong Teeth, Bones and Muscles, Promote Mineral Metabolism and a Healthy Immune Function, 120 Chewable Tablets are tasty chewable tablets, formulated with carefully selected ingredients, which have been demonstrated to help support your pet’s immune system, sustain strong bones, teeth and muscles and promote healthy cardiac function.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is well known to take an important part in skeletal and muscle health.

A great way to support your pet’s well-being, our premium vitamin D3 for dogs supplement tablets could benefit your four-legged furry friends by helping to:

  • Sustain mineral metabolism.
  • Maintain calcium absorption.
  • Boost the immune system.
  • Promote cardiovascular health.
  • Support skeletal health.

Our specially developed vitamin D supplement for dogs is made to help ensure that your pet gets sufficient levels of this vital nutrient, whose unique properties offer great benefits to your dog’s overall health and disease resistance, such as facilitating calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining sufficient serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal bone mineralization.

Research has shown that vitamin D, together with the parathyroid hormone, helps to regulate the mineral metabolism of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, makes up much of the structure of your dog’s bones and teeth and enables normal bodily movement by keeping tissues rigid, strong, and flexible.

Magnesium is important for normal ATP (adenosine triphosphate) function and glucose metabolism.

Zinc takes vital part in the cellular metabolism, is necessary for the catalytic activity of many enzymes it plays an important role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis and cell division.

Image source: Wikimedia / Kettu812.

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