Water Souble Vitamins
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Vitamin C
MDR
Vitamin C has no dietary need.
The body can manufacture Vitamin C.
Purpose
No purpose is listed.
Thought to help with stress and help with injury recovery.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Vitamin C can cause:
Delay in healing, increased susceptibility to disease.
Signs of Excess
Too much Vitamin C can lead to:
Non-toxic.
Natural Sources of Vitamin C
Vitamin C can be found in:
Orange juice, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
MDR
Vitamin B1 has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 9 mcg and for a Growth Dosage of 24.5 mcg.
Purpose
Vitamin B1 is needed to help convert food to energy. Vitamin B1 is used as part of
the coenzyme TPP. The body’s nerves and muscle tissues depend on Thiamin.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Vitamin B1 can cause:
Loss of appetite, arrested growth, muscular weakness, incoordination, failure to
grow weight loss and neurological abnormalities in puppies, adult dogs can have
damage to the nervous system and to the heart.
Signs of Excess
Too much Vitamin B1 can lead to:
Non-toxic.
Natural Sources of Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 can be found in:
Yeast, liver and whole grains.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
MDR
Vitamin B2 has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of .02 mg and for a Growth Dosage of .04 mg. (Note: Activity
during the 24 hour period may change amounts needed).
Purpose
Vitamin B2 is needed for enzyme function. Vitamin B2 is used as coenzyme FAD
and FMN in energy metabolism.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Vitamin B2 can cause:
Dry scaly skin, redness of skin, muscular weakness in hindquarters, anemia and
eye lesions.
Signs of Excess
Too much Vitamin B2 can lead to:
Non-toxic.
Natural Sources of Vitamin B2
Vitamin B2 can be found in:
Milk, yeast and whole grains.
Niacin
MDR
Niacin has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of .10 mg and for a Growth Dosage of .20 mg.
Purpose
Niacin is need for enzyme functions. Niacin is used as coenzyme NAD and NAPD
in energy metabolism.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Niacin can cause:
“Black tongue”, anorexia, weight loss, bloody diarrhea, anemia, inflammation of the
lips, cheeks, and throat, and profuse salivation.
Signs of Excess
Too much Niacin can lead to:
Dilation of blood vessels, itchy burning skin, bloody feces, and convulsions.
Natural Sources of Niacin
Niacin can be found in:
Whole grains, yeast, meat scraps, fish meal, and eggs.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
MDR
Vitamin B6 has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of .01 mg and for a Growth Dosage of .02 mg.
Purpose
Vitamin B6 is needed as part of coenzymes used in amino acid and fatty acid
metabolism.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Vitamin B6 can cause:
Anemia in adult dogs, anorexia and weight loss in puppies, convulsions,
atherosclerosis and muscle twitching.
Signs of Excess
Too much Vitamin B6 can lead to:
None reported but may contribute to impairment of motor control and balance, and
lead to muscle weakness.
Natural Sources of Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 can be found in:
Whole grains, milk, fish yeast and liver.
Pantothenic Acid
MDR
Pantothenic acid has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight
for a Maintenance Dosage of .09 mg and for a Growth Dosage of .18 mg.
Purpose
Pantothenic acid is needed for energy metabolism. It is part of coenzyme A.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Pantothenic Acid can cause:
Anorexia, erratic food intake, rapid respiratory and heart rates, reduced antibody
production, low blood sugar, gastritis, enteritis, convulsions, sudden prostration or
coma and death.
Signs of Excess
Too much Pantothenic Acid can lead to:
None reported.
Natural Sources of Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic Acid can be found in:
Yeast, dairy products, liver and rice.
Folic Acid (Folate)
MDR
Folic Acid has the Minimum Daily Requirements per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 2 mcg and for a Growth Dosage of 4 mcg.
Purpose
Folic acid is found bound to the Amino Acid Glutamate. Folic Acid is needed for
nucleotide metabolism, mitochondrial protein synthesis. Folic Acid activates Vitamin
B12, and helps synthesize DNA for new cell growth. Folic Acid is Coenzyme DHF
and THF.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Folic Acid can cause:
Poor bone marrow growth, anemia, inflammation of tongue, weight loss, and
decline in hemoglobin concentration.
Signs of Excess
Too much Folic Acid can lead to:
Non-toxic.
But too much Folic Acid can mask a Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Natural Sources of Folic Acid
Folic Acid can be found in:
Yeast and liver.
Biotin
MDR
Biotin has the Minimum Daily Requirements per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of… and Growth Dosage of….
There is no dietary need for this.
Purpose
Biotin is part of coenzyme used in energy metabolism, fat synthesis, amino acid
metabolism, and glycogen synthesis. Biotin is needed in the TCA cycle.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Biotin can cause:
This rarely occurs but it can be induced for research purposes by feeding raw egg
whites. The raw egg whites will bind Biotin and prevent its absorption. Symptoms
can include skin rash, hair loss, and neurological impairment, tension, aimless
movements, and spastic paralysis of hind limbs. The consumption of egg whites
must be consumed daily for a long time and also a lot of them
consumed.
Signs of Excess
Too much Biotin can lead to:
None reported.
Natural Sources of Biotin
Biotin can be found in:
Most natural ingredients.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
MDR
Vitamin B12 has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for
a Maintenance Dosage of .3 mcg and for a Growth Dosage of .5 mcg.
Purpose
Vitamin B12 is needed for enzyme functions. Vitamin B12 depends on Folic Acid
for activation. Vitamin B12 is part of coenzyme methycobalamin and
deoxyadenosylcobalamin used in new cell synthesis, helps to maintain nerve cells,
reforms folate coenzyme, helps to break down some fatty acids.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Vitamin B12 can cause:
Appetite loss, anemia, lack of white blood cells, bone marrow changes.
Signs of Excess
Too much Vitamin B12 can lead to:
Non-toxic.
Natural Sources of Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 can be found in:
Liver, fish meal, meat scraps, and dairy products.
Choline
MDR
Choline has the Minimum Daily Requirements per pound of body weight for
Maintenance Dosage of 11.5 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 22.7 mg.
Purpose
Choline a nitrogen containing compound found in foods and made from the Amino
Acid Methionine. Choline is used to make the Phospholipid lecithin and the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Choline is a Phospholipid cell membrane component.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Choline can cause:
Loss of body weight, liver damage, Fatty liver, hypoproteinemia, poor blood clotting,
and anemia.
Signs of Excess
Too much Choline can lead to:
Persistent diarrhea and reduced growth rate.
Natural Sources of Choline
Choline can be found in:
Liver fish, seafood, wheat germ, and brewers yeast.
1. The Collins Guide to Dog Nutrition, By Donald R. Collin, DVM
(1989)
2. Understanding Nutrition, by Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes
(2005).
3. http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/dog_nutrition_final.pdf
4. http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/vth/sa/clin/cp_handouts/Nutrition_Adult_Dog.
5. http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit2.html
6. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/182902.
htm
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