Do Dogs Need Vitamin C? The answer may surprise you

It’s natural for dog owners to worry about whether their dogs are getting enough nutrients, including vitamin C. And there are many vitamin C supplements for dogs on the market. But unlike humans, dogs don’t need a daily dose of vitamin C to stay healthy. Why? They do it themselves!

We talked Allyson Jacobi, DVMveterinarian at Merle Hay’s Animal Medical Clinic in Des Moines, IA, on the latest research on vitamin C for dogs and whether dogs need a vitamin C supplement.

How Dogs Make Vitamin C

Humans (and guinea pigs) need a daily serving of vitamin C to stay in tip-top shape and prevent scurvy, but vitamin C is not a necessary part of any dog’s diet.

“There is no established daily dose of vitamin C for dogs,” Jacobi says. “This is because dogs create their own vitamin C.”

No, dogs don’t cook vitamin C on the stove when you’re not home. A dog’s liver synthesizes sufficient amounts of vitamin C that dogs do not require a certain amount from their diet.

Benefits of Vitamin C for Dogs

While dogs don’t need our help getting their fill of vitamin C, that doesn’t mean the nutrient isn’t beneficial for dogs.

Some benefits of vitamin C for dogs include:

• Assistance in the synthesis of collagen, which helps to strengthen and hydrate the skin of a dog
• It acts as an antioxidant, which protects or delays cell damage

Jacobi says there is also research indicating that vitamin C helps treat sepsis in dogs, but overall, vitamin C is not widely used as a treatment in veterinary medicine.

Does my dog ​​need a vitamin C supplement?

It is highly unlikely that your dog is deficient in vitamin C, which means he probably doesn’t need a vitamin C supplement. In fact, vitamin C deficiency is of so little concern to veterinarians that there aren’t even widely any signs and symptoms. documented vitamin C deficiency.

“No signs of deficiency have been described in normal dogs and cats,” Jacobi says. “There is no simple test that can be performed to determine vitamin C levels.”

Since vitamin C is synthesized by the liver, an unhealthy liver can affect your dog’s ability to produce the vitamin, but in the face of liver problemsVitamin C production would be a minor concern, Jacobi says.

“There are other critical health problems that present themselves with an unhealthy liver,” Jacobi says.

Risks of Too Much Vitamin C for Dogs

Is there too much vitamin C for dogs? A vitamin C overdose is “extremely rare,” Jacobi says, as dogs excrete excess vitamin C through their urine. But if your dog is prone to urinary problems, a vitamin C supplement may not help.

“If your pet is prone to crystals or stones in urine, vitamin C supplementation can lower the pH of the urine (making it more acidic) and therefore can actually make your dog more prone to a certain type of crystals or stones!” says Jacobi.

The final word on vitamin C for dogs

Dogs produce vitamin C through the liver, which means you can rest assured that your dog is getting enough of the vitamin without your help. But that doesn’t mean you can’t share the occasional slice of orange with your dog. After all, their puppy dog ​​eyes are too hard to resist!

If you’re planning on giving your dog a vitamin C supplement, be sure to check with yours veterinarian first, as you would with any changes to your dog diet.