Do Dogs Need Vitamin E Supplements?
Although vitamin E is an essential vitamin, it may not be necessary to give your dog supplements in addition to a nutritionally-balanced dog food. Dr. Adam Denish, VMD of Rhawhurst Animal Hospital in Elkins Park, PA says that the decision to supplement a dog’s diet with vitamin E is again a decision best made by the careful consideration of your vet.
“Most good-quality pet foods have the recommended amount of vitamin E, so there is no real reason to add it their diet,” says Denish. “However, dogs with dry or itchy skin, or skin and ear allergies could benefit from it.”
Most veterinarians will recommend that vitamin E be given orally, but if a dog’s skin problems are localized, vitamin E oil can also be applied directly to the skin, says Coates.
Vitamin E can also promote a healthy heart. This essential vitamin will help the heart muscle develop properly in puppies and help promote normal heart function in adult dogs. Dogs with cardiac problems may be prescribed vitamin E supplements by a veterinarian in addition to medication.
Susana is an avid animal lover and has been around animals her entire life, and has volunteered at several different animal shelters in Southern California. She has a loving family at home that consists of her husband, son, two dogs, and one cat. She enjoys trying new Italian recipes, playing piano, making pottery, and outdoor hiking with her family and dogs in her spare time.
Many animal experts recommend topical vitamin E for skin irritations or minor burns. Vitamin E capsules may be opened and the liquid applied directly to the skin. Applying a vitamin solution twice a day to a dogs itchy skin may provide relief while promoting healthy skin renewal.
Antioxidants found in many types of dog food will offer protection from free radicals. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that will help decrease the risk of cellular damage from oxidation. Experts believe it can protect against cell damage or changes in the normal structure of cells that may lead to cancer.
Can You Give a Dog Human Vitamin E?
Yes, you can give your dog supplemental vitamin E intended for humans, but only if you get approval from your vet.
This is because many vitamin E supplements for humans feature additional active ingredients. Some of those active ingredients can be dangerous to dogs. Also, the amount of vitamin E in human supplements may not match what is recommended by your veterinarian.
The Daily Raw Episode 208 – Vitamin E – Is Your Dog Getting Enough
Vitamin E for dogs is an important component of our four-legged friends’ diet. But why is that? To understand the vitamin’s importance, we’ll have to examine the role of free radicals and antioxidants in the body and explore their interactions.
Free radicals and oxidants play a dual role as both toxic and beneficial compounds, as they can be either harmful or helpful to your pet’s body.
Free radicals are formed naturally as part of the metabolic processes that provide energy to the body. But they can also be produced at a higher rate when a pet is sick, exposed to pollutants or becomes older.
The problem with free radicals is that they have a molecular structure that “steals” electrons from neighboring molecules. That turns those molecules to become free radicals that might cause further cellular harm. It can contribute to heart disease, cancer, and arthritis in dogs.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that also serves other functions in the body, such as building cell membranes. The deficiency of this vitamin in dogs is uncommon. But when it does occur, the typical symptoms include bad eyesight, neurologic abnormalities, reproductive dysfunction, and a weakened immune system.
So, vitamin E is an essential part of your dog’s nutrition, but does commercial dog food include enough of it?
Vitamin E is a group of fat-soluble chemicals. They are known as tocopherols and tocotrienols. Tocopherols occur naturally in foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. Most vitamin E supplements contain alpha-tocopherol, which is synthesized industrially from soybean and rapeseed oil.
These two different types of vitamin E have a wide variety of chemical structures. But they all serve the same function: to help the body use oxygen from the air. Vitamin E works by protecting cells from oxidative damage.
As an antioxidant, Vitamin E helps protect cells from free radicals and neutralize free radical activity. The most important function of Vitamin E is its ability to scavenge free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules that have been chemically altered from being regularly neutral. As a result, these molecules have an unpaired electron, making them highly reactive.
When free radicals interact with cells and other objects in the environment, they cause damage that may lead to cancer and ageing. In animals, antioxidant vitamins include vitamins C and E.
Free radicals are also implicated in the development of degenerative diseases such as cancer, arthritis or cataracts. Vitamin E supplements help to prevent oxidative damage caused by free radicals.