Yonjuro Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I am looking for opinions on vitamin C for dogs... My understanding is that dogs produce their own vitamin C albeit at a low level as would be required for normal health. There are some people in the sled dog world that add additional Vit C to the diet for a host of supposed health benefits including boosting the immune system. My understanding is that prolonged dosing of Vit C can inhibit the dogs normal function of being able to produce their own. I have used it in the past for 5 days when Ronin picked up a cough at the park and combined with TA 36+ Jarrah honey fixed him up very quickly and know that it can work at an antihistamine too. So I am interested in your thoughts on this supplement for working dogs and doggy athletes :) I am only talking about Vit C suitable for dogs (calcium ascorbate and sodium ascorbate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I have Stella on Rose Hip Vital & it contains Vit.C from memory Yonjuro. She is a very healthy girl generally & has loads of stamina. Her coat etc is gleaming. Whether it is this way due to RHV or her diet or a combo of both. I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Not sure - all I know is that it's what I grab for , along with probiotics , for doggie tummy probs , and my old boy, Mitch used to have injections of it for his allergies ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 Don't get me wrong, I think it is great stuff for a whole host of doggy uses. As I mentioned I would use it for any cough symptoms or respiratory issues. Just more interested in long term use for healthy athletic dogs and the reduction of natural ability for dogs to produce their own :) I think holistic vets are very big into using it in quite large doses for extended periods of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Don't get me wrong, I think it is great stuff for a whole host of doggy uses. As I mentioned I would use it for any cough symptoms or respiratory issues. Just more interested in long term use for healthy athletic dogs and the reduction of natural ability for dogs to produce their own :) I think holistic vets are very big into using it in quite large doses for extended periods of time. I worked at a holistic vet for a little bit and they used intravenous Vit C injections in their cancer dogs :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mim Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 My understanding is that prolonged dosing of Vit C can inhibit the dogs normal function of being able to produce their own. Can you please give me some links to information about this? Keen to read more as I am considering putting my dog on Vit C due to bladder issues (pH is too high - Vit C can apparently bring it down) but haven't come across any warnings like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) Dogs can meet their Vit C nutritional needs by themselves, however there is some recent research that indicates that the antioxidant properties of Vit C can assist in a range of different health challenges such as Cancer & heart disease and other illnesses that involve oxidative damage. Dogs that have issues with urinary calcium oxalate crystals and stones shouldn't dose with Vit C unless they speak to their Vet first. I did see a study some time ago about high doses of Vit C as a management for conditions such as Hip Dip in Labradors, unfortunately I don't have that link to share right at the moment. Vit C is often recommended for Arthritis because of its synthesis of the connective tissue collagen which is a very important part of Cartilage. And then there's the most known use of Vit C and that is to shorten the duration of illness with things such as colds and flu. It can be used with Kennel Cough cases along with medicinal manuka honey to prevent the illness from peaking if you get tot it quick enough. Does it help with performance? Apparently not, it can actually do the opposite: http://jn.nutrition....32/6/1616S.full In terms of side effects, I have grabbed this as a reference for those interested: In pets and in people, high-doses of vitamin C may cause diarrhea. There have been warnings that long-term vitamin C treatment can cause kidney stones, but in a large-scale study the people who took the most vitamin C (over 1,500 mg daily) actually had a lower risk of kidney stones than those taking the least amounts. Nonetheless, people with a history of kidney stones and those with kidney failure who have a defect in vitamin C or oxalate metabolism should probably restrict vitamin C intake to approximately 200 mg daily. While there is no evidence that stone formation increases people or pets supplemented use with vitamin C, talk with your veterinarian before adding extra vitamin C if your pet is prone to urinary stones. Vitamin C may also reduce the blood-thinning effects of Coumadin (warfarin) and heparin. Vitamin C may increase the blood levels of some drugs, such as aspirin and other salicylates. Edited May 18, 2015 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 My understanding is that prolonged dosing of Vit C can inhibit the dogs normal function of being able to produce their own. Can you please give me some links to information about this? Keen to read more as I am considering putting my dog on Vit C due to bladder issues (pH is too high - Vit C can apparently bring it down) but haven't come across any warnings like this. I read it on this forum some time ago, I think it was Dr Bruce Syme from Vets All natural, but I may be way off, which is why I am asking here :) And thanks sas for your informative post :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 My understanding is that prolonged dosing of Vit C can inhibit the dogs normal function of being able to produce their own. Can you please give me some links to information about this? Keen to read more as I am considering putting my dog on Vit C due to bladder issues (pH is too high - Vit C can apparently bring it down) but haven't come across any warnings like this. I read it on this forum some time ago, I think it was Dr Bruce Syme from Vets All natural, but I may be way off, which is why I am asking here :) And thanks sas for your informative post :) I have definitely read it a few times, just not sure where and whether or not that would be reliable sources- i have read too many things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 My understanding is that prolonged dosing of Vit C can inhibit the dogs normal function of being able to produce their own. Can you please give me some links to information about this? Keen to read more as I am considering putting my dog on Vit C due to bladder issues (pH is too high - Vit C can apparently bring it down) but haven't come across any warnings like this. I read it on this forum some time ago, I think it was Dr Bruce Syme from Vets All natural, but I may be way off, which is why I am asking here :) And thanks sas for your informative post :) I have definitely read it a few times, just not sure where and whether or not that would be reliable sources- i have read too many things! :D My thoughts exactly, but it did seem to be logical :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 (edited) Yonjuro, out of interest, when you gave the beautiful one the vit c and jarrah honey for his cough, which of the two do you think was the most effective? In my experience with the westies it was the honey that was really effective with kennel cough?? So I suppose I'm wondering about the efficacy of supplementing with vit c anyway?? Just some thoughts. Edited May 22, 2015 by westiemum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 (edited) Yonjuro, out of interest, when you gave the beautiful one the vit c and jarrah honey for his cough, which of the two do you think was the most effective? In my experience with the westies it was the honey that was really effective with kennel cough?? So I suppose I'm wondering about the efficacy of supplementing with vit c anyway?? Just some thoughts. I am not sure... I always keep the jarrah honey on hand and haven't bought any Vit C since the first jar and that was long gone. I think the antihistamine properties of the Vit C are good, but I think the broad spectrum of the Jarrah honey to be better. That and Ronin hated the Vit C but goes nuts for the honey. That last times there were coughs going around at the park I just used the honey and Ronin didn't get sick like many other dogs did. I feel as a double banger they are great together but if I had to put money on the efficacy I would go the good strong honey any day :) Edited May 22, 2015 by Yonjuro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Yep my money would be on the honey too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I recall a nutrition lecture where we were told that constantly taking vitamins does slow the body's natural production. The advice we were given was to take vitamins for a week or 2 during a stressful period and then stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Yep that makes sense to me too TSD. As I tried to politely say - any excess you just excrete so no point taking it all the time IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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