Do You Know Your Dog’s Vitamin D Level?
Insufficient or Deficient Vitamin D3 Hinders 75% of Dogs in the United States
Dogs & cats need adequate vitamin D3 to be healthy
What is Vitamin D?
D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as a hormone in the body. Whole food sources include oily fish, eggs and liver. Humans can make D3 from the sun through skin exposure, our companion animal dogs and cats cannot. Cats and dogs can only obtain D3 from food sources.
How likely is my pet to have low Vitamin D?
Vitamin D3 is commonly added to pet foods as part of making the food complete and balanced. And yet, for reasons not yet understood (as of 2021), 75% of pet dogs in the US have insufficient or deficient D3.
What Happens if My Dog or Cat has Low Vitamin D3?
Broadly, insufficient Vitamin D3 causes the body to be in an inflammatory state, promoting allergic tendencies. Low D3 is also found in pets diagnosed with cancer. Conditions such as protein-losing enteropathy and protein-losing nephropathy have a worse outcome if D3 levels in your pet are not addressed. Pets taking steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like certain painkillers, older pets, and neutered or spayed pets are known to have reduced Vitamin D3 levels compared to young, healthy pets.
“Why not just supplement my dog with Vitamin D3?” you may ask.
Excess D3 causes kidney failure and death. As a fat-soluble vitamin, excess D3 builds up in the body and causes Vitamin D poisoning and eventual death. A top reason for a pet food recall is excess Vitamin D. Home cooked diets are often critically low in Vitamin D, especially if they have not been designed with the help of a veterinary nutritionist.
What Can be Done About Vitamin D3 for my Dog or Cat?
You can fix the Vitamin D3 level with your veterinarian’s help. There are underlying diseases and medications that cause a pet to use more Vitamin D than expected and there are cofactors needed for proper absorption of the Vitamin D3. Your veterinarian can help guide you to a proper dose and monitoring of the dose to make sure your pet stays at an optimal level. Veterinarians and intrigued pet owners can read more about the science and details at VDIlab.com.
How Do I Get the Vitamin D3 Test for my Cat or Dog?
Dr Truli Routinely Performs Vitamin D3, Magnesium & Omega-3 Fatty Acid Level Testing
If you are accepted as a registered client with Dr Truli, you will be offered Vitamin D3 and Magnesium level testing routinely as needed depending on your pet’s underlying health status. In addition, Dr Truli recommends OmegaQuant Omega-3 Fatty Acid testing for Dogs. These tests can often help your pet even more than a routine CBC-Chem with actionable information to make positive changes in your pet’s management at home.
Reach Out Today
If you live in- or travel- to the Tampa Bay, Florida area, you are welcome to contact Dr Truli about becoming a registered client. You can text (813) 714-7863, call (877) 378-7854, or email DrTruli@VetVMD.com. Please include your name, address, your pet’s name and the urgency and nature of the need for services.
Dr Sandra Truli Springer , aka Dr Truli, is an ivy-league veterinarian licensed in Florida and several other US states to practice medicine for animals. In addition to university and 4 additional years of medical veterinary training, she has undergone 5 years of Master’s of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine training and earned the Master’s Degree. She has been practicing veterinary medicine since May 17, 1999. Dr Truli has been practicing exclusively house call integrative medicine since 2015.
