vitamin c

[Ray Mears 272]

i was walking my dog this morning when a man stopped me and asked me what breed she was and so on.He kept on saying that "back in the day" he used to give his lurcher vitamin c and it helped her proform better in the feild.He said to buy the vitamin c that we buy for our self is this true any of you tried it

[Simoman 110]

Vitamin c helps support and protect things like the dogs skin and also its connective tissue in the joints. It is also supposed to help build allergy resistance.

[Fledge 0]

Ive just been reading some intresting stuff about vit c ' its a big no no giving it to your dog ! .. dogs unlike humans produce there own vit c in there liver from there food ' if you supliment with it regular chances are the dogs system will shut down his own production of it and feck up his balance ... although alot of meds can be crossed over from dogs to humans they are different

[Cupid Stunt 18]

Ive just been reading some intresting stuff about vit c ' its a big no no giving it to your dog ! .. dogs unlike humans produce there own vit c in there liver from there food ' if you supliment with it regular chances are the dogs system will shut down his own production of it and feck up his balance ... although alot of meds can be crossed over from dogs to humans they are different

 

 

Can you post the link then? cheers.

Alot of greyhound folk supplement with VitC up to blood saturation doses to help delay fatigue.

Edited October 20, 2006 by Cupid Stunt

[Fledge 0]

Vitamin C is not something i would give to dogs.

Here´s an article:

 

You should not feed your dog a food product containing vitamin C. Your dog can manufacture all of the vitamin C its own body needs. The dog's glandular system is different than the glandular system of a human. The dog is able to synthesize (manufacture its own) vitamin C by its liver using trace minerals in its diet. The human's glandular system can not manufacture the vitamin C its body requires and therefore needs to have a supplemental dietary source.

 

 

Vitamins C & D work together in a dog to make collagen (a substance that effects the tendons and ligaments) and all dogs need vitamin C, just not from a dietary source. Today, there are a number of pet food products on the market that contain vitamin C. All of the endorsements for using vitamin C has many pet owners confused on this issue. The pet food companies who are making the claim that it is in their food as a "natural" preservative should remember that their product is going to consumed by a dog and vitamin C is not "natural" for a dog's dietary intake - it may be "natural" for a human but even with humans there are differences in the type of vitamin C that can be assimilated "naturally." Many breeders and veterinarians are also advocating mega doses of supplemental vitamin C so a puppy's ears will stand up faster or to change the elasticity of a dog's tendons and ligaments if they are worried about arthritis or hip displasia. Those who promote feeding a dog with mega doses of vitamin C can be compared to the coach who wants what steroids will do for his athlete. In some cases that coach may not be aware of the problems his athlete will be facing in the future and is so happy with the immediate results he sees that he sells others on the idea that steroids are good. We know they are not. Supplemental vitamin C can do a "quick fix" for dogs, the type that the people advocating supplemental dietary vitamin C want. It will have an immediate affect on arthritis, displasia or getting the ears to stand up. Unfortunately, just like steroids in humans, it has some long term negative effects as well.

 

 

Supplemental vitamin C has been clinically tested and proven to cause problems. One test conducted in 1980, by Teare et al., showed that supplemental vitamin C can aggravate skeletal disease induced by overfeeding protein, energy, and calcium to Labrador Retriever puppies. The test by Teare et al. is shown on page 38 in the US Government National Research Council's publication, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs - Revised 1985. That single NRC publication cites 24 test done with vitamin C and dogs. The 24 test were done to find out if dog food should contain any vitamin C. The conclusion the members of the National Research Council drew from all of those test was that dog food should not contain any vitamin C.

 

 

Feeding a dog vitamin C may have a negative affect on both the dog's liver and kidneys. Feeding vitamin C to a healthy dog can affect that dog's liver the same as feeding thyroid medication would affect the healthy dog's thyroid gland. It could shut the gland down. Any time we take over the function of a healthy gland with dietary supplements or medication, the gland slowly atrophies. The effect it has on the dog's kidneys is because most forms of vitamin C that are found in dog foods or supplements are not the same as the molecular form the dog is able to produce naturally. The different dietary forms of vitamin C like: Ascorbic Acid (in an "L" form), Sodium Ascorbate or Calcium Ascorbate are all synthetic water soluble forms. They end up in the dogs kidneys where they change the uric pH while waiting to be discharged from the dogs body. This change in the natural pH within the kidneys puts additional stress on them and can cause many problems.

 

 

The Morris Animal Foundation has released the findings of a survey determining the main causes of death for dogs in the United States. The second and sixth leading causes cited in that report were kidney disorders and liver failure. Supplemental vitamin C may not cause a dog to die as fast as a bullet from a gun or accidents (the #1 reason) but all indicators point to the fact that it does cause glandular problems which can lead to a dog's death. It works very slowly and can rob years from a pet's normal life span.

 

 

Today we know that the average life span of dogs has decreased and people are accepting their shorter life span as being "normal." Advocates for including supplemental C in a dogs diet are quick to point out that there are a number of reasons for the shorter life span. They claim that today our air is full of pollutants that can cause medical problems and vitamin C is needed to combat those pollutants. For a human that can not produce their own vitamin C supplemental vitamin C is needed to combat those pollutants. For a dog supplemental vitamin C is not needed since their glands are capable of producing any amount they need. Another test cited in the 1985 NRC publication illustrates this. It shows how a lactating bitch's milk supply contains approximately 4 times that of the blood. This test illustrates how the bitch's glandular system not only increased the amount of vitamin C she normally produces but put it where it was needed (her pup is not able to produce its own vitamin C until it is eating solid foods).

 

 

With all the proof we have that supplemental vitamin C can cause a dog problems, the question arises: why do we have vitamin C in dog food products? Vitamin C is found in dog food products because it is a "natural" antioxidant (a preservative). Vitamin C can keep fats from going rancid or keep colors bright. It is there with AAFCO's approval. In 1994 AAFCO ("the governing body for the pet food industry") met and agreed with the pet food companies that they would no longer recognize the findings of the National Research Council (NRC) which were listed as the NRC's "Minimum Nutrient Requirements of Dogs" for being a standard to make a dog food eligible to claim it was "Complete & Balanced." This ruling was brought about because the pet food companies wanted to use vitamin C in dog food, as a preservative, and still make the claim that their food was "Complete & Balanced." Under the old definition (before the 1994 AAFCO ruling) for a dog food manufacturer to claim their food was "Complete & Balanced" it could not contain any vitamin C since the NRC showed how it was not required by dogs AND HOW IT COULD DO HARM. When AAFCO agreed not to recognize the NRC's standards because they were "not current" the pet food companies were then allowed to use this cheap preservative (vitamin C) in a pet food and still make the claim that their food was "Complete & Balanced."

 

 

The test cited by the NRC should not be ignored. The NRC's book is still a good source of information even though AAFCO has ruled to ignore the NRC's conclusions which were based on those good scientific tests . . . because they are "not current."

 

 

The tests which are cited in the NRC were done to establish the dietary requirements for vitamin C in dogs and have never been found to be invalid.

 

 

For members of an association entrusted to govern an industry to make a ruling and ignore what tests clearly show, just because the NRC publication citing those tests is 10 years old and thus "not current" is ludicrous. If a geological association decided to ignore Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity because it was "not current" they would be laughed at. When AAFCO and the pet food companies can point to "current testing" which proves that the tests cited in the NRC are INVALID . . . THEN and only then is when they will have a legitimate reason to ignore the earlier test and the conclusions reached by the National Research Council.

 

 

It may be old fashioned to believe we should be able to trust companies producing pet food products to produce them in such a way that no harmful ingredients are added. Old fashioned to trust the members of an association "regulating" the pet food industry, to keep ingredients which have been proven to harm our pets out of the foods. Yet, even though we have scientific proof Vitamin C should not be in dog food, we have AAFCO members voting to ignore that proof and allow a cheap preservative to be put into a pet food - one that has been proven it will harm the animals eating that food - just so buyers can be mislead with the claim a pet food is "Complete & Balanced."

 

 

The pet food industry's use of vitamin C in dog food can be compared to the tobacco industry's use of additives in cigarettes - another industry who knew about tests showing an ingredient they were putting into their products were harmful to consumers - and putting it in anyway. The fact that AAFCO allows vitamin C in dog food and even changed the rules so the pet food industry can put vitamin C into their foods and meet "current" standards just to use a false or misleading label claim should be questioned.

 

 

You should not feed your dog a food product containing vitamin C

[Ray Mears 272]

thanks for your information on this topic. i wont be buying no vit c for my dog :11: