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Love Your Pet: Vitamin D Insufficiency – A Pandemic in American Pets

Most pets have a low vitamin D level. A recent study from Tufts University showed 80 percent of cats and about 75 percent of dogs had low vitamin D levels. Why?

Most diets, commercial or homemade, are low in vitamin D. Age also plays a part. Vitamin D levels decrease with a pet’s age. Pets over the age of five tend to have a drop of 3 percent of vitamin D levels every year, and intestinal diseases can cause a poor uptake of the vitamin. Also, male dogs that are neutered have an average of 27 percent less vitamin D.

Low vitamin D levels can cause or contribute to a variety of maladies. Pets with Inflammatory Bowel Disease have a low level of vitamin D, but we are not sure if the disease causes the drop or if the drop in vitamin D causes the intestinal problem. In any case, these pets usually need supplementation of vitamin D, possibly with other supplements. Also, pets being treated for the Inflammatory Bowel Disease are sometimes given steroids, and the steroids can lessen the body’s level of vitamin D.

Vitamin D levels can also have an effect when fighting cancer. It has been reported that dogs and cats with lymphoma, mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcoma and other cancers have very low vitamin D levels. The risk of cancer is almost four times higher when the vitamin D levels are below 40ng/mL.

Heart disease is correlated many times to a low vitamin D level. If a pet’s vitamin D level is below 40ng/mL there is a two-and-a-half times increase in a cardiovascular events. The heart tissue actually has vitamin D receptors. Heart repair in pets with chronic heart valve disease worsens when the level is below 30.

Studies have shown that both acute and chronic kidney disease is more prevalent in pets with a low vitamin D level. This is especially true for patients that have a problem with the kidney filtration process.

A low vitamin D level also affects the level of calcium in the body, which affects muscle and nerve function.

Vitamin D also offers benefits to pets with atopy or inhalant allergies. Atopic dermatitis is a major problem in animals, but especially in Southern California since many plants grow abundantly here. Vitamin D helps the immune response in the skin to help control the inflammation and the itchiness that goes along with this. It also helps fight off any infection by aiding the immune response. Some allergy medications are less effective if the vitamin D level is low.

Veterinarians can offer testing of a pet’s vitamin D level. It is best to know the level to determine how much to supplement, if at all. Giving a vitamin D supplement should be done with some caution. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente found in analyzing more than 12 different manufacturers of dietary vitamin D that the actual concentrations are variable. The ones tested had anywhere from 9 to 146 percent of the amount listed on the label. Look for a USP mark, and note that there are only a few USP-verified manufacturers.

Vitamin D undergoes a series of enzymatic reactions in the body and eventually become the active calcitriol. Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it will be taken up and stored within the fat tissue of the body. In a normal, healthy dog it will take approximately 8 to 10 weeks for equilibrium to be established, which allows us to determine the proper dose. If your pet is overweight, however, this may take up to four months. If your pet then loses weight, the equilibrium should be maintained.

Ask your veterinarian about testing for vitamin D in your pet. There is a local lab in Simi Valley that can run this test and also has good quality vitamin D supplements for your pet. Keep loving your pets!

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