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The TRUTH about Vitamin C in Dogs and Cats
By Dr Andrew | October 23, 2007
From: Dr Andrew Jones
Author: Veterinary Secrets Revealed
Website: http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com
Re: What is the TRUTH about Vitamin C?
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Good morning all.
A few readers commented on one of the articles I published last week
on Vitamin C as a supplement.
They had been told that Dogs and Cats DON’T need additional Vitamin
C or that the Vitamin C was harming their pet..
So what is the deal with Vitamin C???
Vitamin C is the body’s primary water-soluble antioxidant, which makes
it an important weapon in the immune system’s arsenal against bacteria
and viruses. It also helps protect unsaturated fatty acids, and the fat-
soluble vitamins A and E from being oxidized, therefore protecting their
potency. Since your pet can’t manufacture it, vitamin C must be obtained
through diet and supplementation.
A protective vitamin essential to over-all body health, vitamin C is
especially important for neutralizing free radicals. It also:
Helps in the production of collagen, and maintaining healthy skin
Promotes the healing of wounds, scar tissue, fractures
Strengthens blood vessels
Helps the body utilize iron and folic acid
Supports the thymus gland
Enhances T-cell production, increasing resistance to viral and
bacterial infections, and some allergies
BUT..In a few select diseases, you SHOULDN’T use Vitamin C
Most of the time, and for most pets, it is a GREAT supplement.
In fact my dog Lewis gets a combination supplement that
includes Vitamin C.
The one SPECIFIC case you shouldn’t use it is for
Calcium Oxalate Stones in dogs and cats.
These are an UNUSUAL type of crystal, which form
in acidic urine. If your pet is to ever have
oxalate stones, then you want to employ other
methods of healing.
I have written about these in my book,
http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com
But I feel that it is important that you are
ALL clear about this condition, and EXACTLY what you
should do if it happens.
Here are my TOP SOLUTIONS:
DIET
Prevention centers on creating a urinary environment with minimal
calcium and minimal oxalate as well as creating a urine pH that
is not conducive to calcium oxalate formation.
What to eat..
High Quality but Low Protein diet, as High Protein produces elevated
levels of oxalates.
There are specifically formulated veterinaru diets..I have one
in my clinic for dogs which is Vegetarian..IN this case ONLY I
advise using that diet.
What to Avoid..
OXALATES
Vegetables ~ beets, eggplant, leeks, sweet potatoes, okra, pepper
Greens ~ green beans or peppers, beets, celery, collards, eggplant,
parsley, spinach, Swiss chard, chives, endive, kale, leeks, okra,
rutagbega, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Legumes ~ beans, soy products including tofu
Grains ~ wheat germ
Nuts ~ all
Seeds ~ sesame and tahini
Fruit ~ berries, currants, concord grapes, figs, rhubarb, lemon,
lime, plums, tangerines.
WATER
Water intake is the most important factor in preventing kidney stones.
The additional fluid flushes the bladder,
and doesn’t allow these stones to form.
POTASSIUM CITRATE
By taking potassium citrate orally, citrate levels increase in the urine.
Calcium binds to citrate instead of to oxalate which is a desirable
event since calcium citrate tends to stay dissolved whereas calcium
oxalate tends to precipitate out as mineral deposit. Potassium citrate
also helps create an alkaline urine (in which calcium oxalate stones
have difficulty forming). Potassium citrate supplements are typically
given twice a day.l
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P.S. My children are already getting dressed up
for Halloween…And You’ll be oh pleasantly
FRIGHTENED with what I’m going to be REVEALING..
P.P.S. If you have specific topics you want me
to discuss, please send me off and email and I’ll
do my best to address it. I do appreciate your input
and that’s how I can make my newsletter even more
helpful to you and your pets.
It’s Your Pet. Heal Them At Home!
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
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Topics: Pet health |
April 6th, 2008 at 12:12 am
My Dachshund Toffee ,now weighing about 11 Kg, had earlier suffered spinal bone strain and had started to drag his rear legs and was unable to walk.I put him on 500mg vitamin C tablet daily over the past two years,and also got him to reduce his weightfrom 13 kg to 11kg.He started to walk after a month of his relapse and has been walking normally since then.
The question is:Should I stop the vitamin C tablet due to possibility of oxalates forming in his urine ??