Vitamin Paw-er: Fuelling Your Pet’s Health from Within

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutrients are essential to every life on the planet. Be it for bodily functions, fighting infections, wound healing, bone strength, or regulating hormones, their benefits are more than many. It’s important to monitor sources of vitamins in your pet’s diet since deficiencies and excessive amounts can occur due to the inconsistencies in natural food products (liver, lungs). It is preferable to use vitamin supplements after consulting your vet to ensure proper amounts.

Do you want to know which vitamins your pet needs and what their role is?

Vitamins are divided into two groups – Fat-Soluble Vitamins and Water-Soluble Vitamins.

The table below summarizes the deficiency symptoms and toxic effects resulting from over supplementation of Fat Soluble and Water Soluble Vitamins

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins comprise Vitamin A, D, E, and K. They require bile salts and fat to be absorbed in your pet’s gut. The way fat-soluble vitamins are stored and used by the body, they are at the highest risk for deficiency or toxicity.

• Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is essential for normal vision, growth, reproduction, immune function, and healthy skin. Vitamin A is not stable on its own, and in many cases, needs a protective coating to ensure absorption.

Sources: Fish oil, liver, eggs, and dairy products, etc.

• Vitamin D

Vitamin D, also known as cholecalciferol (D3) and ergocalciferol (D2), is essential for dogs since they are unable to produce it naturally in the body. Vitamin D helps the intestine with absorption and helps to retain calcium and phosphorus in the bones.

Sources: Marine fish, fish oils, freshwater fish, eggs, beef, liver, and dairy products.

• Vitamin E

Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, functions as an antioxidant in the body.

Sources: Vegetable oils, seeds, and cereal grains are the richest sources of vitamin E, as only plants can synthesize vitamin E

• Vitamin K

Vitamin K, also known as menadione, is involved in blood clotting and bone development.

Sources: Foods such as alfalfa meal, oilseed meals, liver, and fish meals are rich sources of vitamin K.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins are readily absorbed and used in your furry friend’s body. Because of their rapid use and no available storage in the body. Deficiency of water-soluble vitamins is very common in pets.

There are nine essential water-soluble vitamins –

• Thiamine (B1)

Thiamine is involved in many enzymatic reactions in the body and also helps with the nervous system.

Sources: Whole grains, yeast, animal tissue, liver and meat.

• Riboflavin (B2)

Riboflavin (B2) is involved in many systems in your pet’s body supporting their overall health, energy production, and the health of their skin, coat, and eyes.

Sources: Liver, dairy products, eggs, lean meats (beef, pork, poultry, fish), some green leafy vegetables, and fortified grains.

• Pyridoxine (B6)

Pyridoxine (B6) is involved in amino acid metabolism along with other body systems. It also helps with the creation of neurotransmitters.

Sources: It is found in many sources of foods and in the highest amounts in meats, whole-grain products, vegetables, and nuts.

• Niacin (B3)

Niacin (B3) is involved in many enzymatic and physiologic reactions in your pet’s body.

Sources: Yeast, animal/fish by-products, cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. Niacin is added to most commercial pet foods.

• Pantothenic Acid (B5)

Pantothenic acid (B5) helps with the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, along with other body systems. It plays a crucial role in the production of energy.

Sources: Meats (liver and heart), rice and wheat bran, alfalfa, peanut meal, yeast, and fish. Calcium pantothenate is the predominant form added to commercial pet foods.

• Cobalamin (B12)

Cobalamin is the largest and most complex of the B vitamins. It is involved in the metabolism of many systems in your pet’s body, such as folate, and is important to cell function.

Sources: Meat and milk products.

• Folic Acid (B9)

Folic acid (B9) helps with the synthesis of DNA and purines.

Sources: Liver, egg yolks, and green vegetables. As it is very unstable, it gets destroyed by heating, freezing, and storing in water.

• Biotin (B7 or H)

Biotin (B7 or H) is involved in many reactions in a dog’s body that help with the metabolism of fats, sugar, and amino acids.

Sources: Oilseeds, egg yolks, alfalfa meal, liver, and yeast.

• Vitamin C

As vitamin C can be synthesised from glucose in your pet’s body, it is not technically essential, but it plays an important role in immune function.

Sources: Fruits (blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and kiwi); vegetables (broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, pumpkin, and green beans), and herbs (parsley, cilantro).

(Dr. Ritesh Sood is Strategic Marketing and Technology Lead for Animal Health Care, Rubeena Mubeen S is SMT – AMD Specialist at Cargill India)