Vitamins

CTVT pgs. 300, 301, 302

Vitamins• Organic compounds necessary for normal

physiologic function. Most cannot be synthesized in the body and must be present in the diet.

There are two categories of Vitamins

1. Fat soluble (A, D, E, and K)

2. Water soluble (B complex vitamins and vitamin C)

1. Fat Soluble Vitamins(A, D, E, & K)

• Require bile salts and fat clusters for passive absorption through the wall of the duodenum and ileum.

• Are stored in lipid deposits in all tissues and are therefore required in smaller daily doses.

• Over supplementation may lead to toxic syndromes. More is not better and will not improve performance.

Vitamin A, D, E & K Sources

• A: Fish liver oils, milk, liver, egg yolk

• D: Liver, some fish, egg yolk, sunlight

• E: Wheat germ, corn and soybean oils

• K: Green leafy plants, liver, some fish meals

This information is not in your book.

2. Water Soluble Vitamins(B complex vitamins and vitamin C)

• Are absorbed via active transport.

• Are poorly stored in the body

• Excesses are lost via the urinary tract

• Frequent intake is critical

• Depleted faster, so that toxic effects are less likely to occur than deficiencies

B-Complex Vitamins

• Thiamin

• Riboflavin

• Niacin

• Pyridoxine

• Pantothenic acid

• Biotin

• Folic Acid

• Cobalamin

• Choline

This information is not in your book.

Thiamin: B1

•Needed for metabolic reactions•Not stored within the body•Deficiencies lead to cardiac disease and neurologic disease in dogs•Cats require 4 times more than dogs, may present with ventroflexion that may progress to death

Riboflavin: B2

•Needed for energy metabolism•Deficiencies are not common

Niacin: B3

•Has a relationship to pellagra (black tongue disease)•Dogs can synthesize niacin from the amino acid tryptophan•Deficiencies are rare but can cause ulceration of the tongue and mucous membranes, diarrhea and neurologic disease.

Pyridoxine: B6

•Needed for enzymatic reactions•Deficiency may lead to anemia, kidney disease and neurologic disorders.

Pantothenic Acid

•Found in most food sources and functions in energy metabolism•Deficiencies are rare

Biotin:

•Not a true vitamin as it is synthesized in the in the intestinal tract•A glycoprotein found in raw egg whites can bind with Biotin, making it unavailable

Folic Acid:

•A cofactor for many metabolic reactions.•Deficiencies are rare, but can cause anemia and poor growth.

Cobalamin: B12

•Unique as it is synthesized only by micro organisms.•Found in animal products, not plant sources•Functions in metabolic reactions•Deficiencies lead to weakness, poor growth, anemia and bone marrow disease•Vegetarians need to be supplemented

Choline

•Synthesized in the liver.•A component of phospholipids and is involved in several metabolic reactions.

Vitamin CAscorbic Acid

• An important water soluble vitamin, but is not necessary in the diet of dogs and cats as metabolism of glucose produces adequate amounts

• Serves as an antioxidant

Commercial Pet Foods –vs- Home Cooked

Diets

• All commercial pet foods contain vitamins.

• Home cooked diets for cats can be rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in fish) but deficient in vitamin E. This deficiency causes painful inflammation of adipose tissue and is commonly known as yellow fat disease or pansteatitis.

Vitamin Deficiencies

• You will see vitamin E and vitamin K deficiencies in your clinic. These two are among the most commonly seen in practices today.

Vitamin K Deficiency

• Vitamin K plays a critical role in blood clotting formation!

• This means that deficiencies = hemorrhage (bleeding to death)

• Warfarin is a rodent poison that when ingested by cats from eating a rat or mouse, causes fatal hemorrhage if emergency supplementation of vitamin K is not administered.

Antioxidants

• Antioxidants function by stabilizing free radical molecules, which otherwise would have destructive interactions with surrounding tissues. They help to restore damaged tissues.

• Nutritional antioxidants in canine foods help protect immune function and improve cognitive function in Sr. dogs.

Vitamins C and E are Antioxidants

• These vitamins help free the body of the damaging effects of free radicals.

• Supplementation of these vitamins above the normal daily requirements can therefore be beneficial to the animal. In this case more means better. But don’t go vitamin crazy.

Vitamin Look-A-Likes

• Carnitine, Carotenoids, and bioflavoniods exhibit properties similar to vitamins but are not technically classified as true vitamins.

• These guys functions include, metabolism of fatty acids, support of electron transport, and antioxidant capability.