Dogs Need Vitamin D Too

Honestly, I consider myself an educated doggie momma and dog trainer. I live for continuing education pertaining to dogs and behavior. How the importance of vitamin D for dogs skipped right passed me, I’ll never know. I’ve been checked, and I’m within normal limits, but I never thought about checking my dogs’ vitamin D levels until our holistic veterinarian mentioned testing them.

When she first mentioned testing for vitamin D deficiency, I crinkled my nose. Was she trying to upsell me? She read my expression instantly, and then explained the importance of vitamin D in a dog’s diet. I agreed to have both dogs tested. While we waited for the results, I researched the topic like a mad woman.

Wow, I learned a ton! Although both of my dogs’ tests revealed they’re insufficient in vitamin D—boo.

Why Test Vitamin D Levels in Dogs?

Both of my dogs are hyperactive, have issues digesting certain foods, and have anxiety (stress) or OCD issues. These are issues I can’t control; they’re part of my dogs’ personality and genetic makeup. Impulse control exercises help with hyperactivity, but sometimes my dogs just lose it in new situations. Also, I don’t have a clue on why they can’t digest their food properly—even with enzymes. I don’t mind hyperactive dogs. From my experience sharing a home with both hyperactive and reactive dogs, I think the former is much easier to live with. However, back to vitamin D for dogs.

When our holistic vet walked into the room, she carefully asked questions about each dog’s health history and reviewed both of their past medical records. She explained that vitamin D is extremely hard for dogs to absorb if digestive issues are present. While dogs can absorb vitamin D through their skins like humans, their coats act as a natural sunscreen, which prevents adequate amounts of vitamin D to be absorbed. Plus, she explained that dogs can eat the same food every day, but each dog would probably have a different vitamin D level due to their varying health and ability to absorb it.

While vitamin D deficiency symptoms differ between each dog, she said generally low vitamin D levels could contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression and reactivity. Though, sometimes, dogs don’t show any symptoms, which is why they should be tested. Check out this article on further studies pertaining to vitamin D levels in dogs. It seems to mirror exactly what our vet said.

RELATED: Free Feeding or Scheduled Feeding Dogs: Which is Best?

Testing Your Dog for Vitamin D Deficiency

Testing your dog’s vitamin D level is a simple process that requires the drawing of blood and waiting for the lab results. We received results within 5 days, and I picked up my dogs’ Rx vitamin D liquid supplement the same day.

Interesting Facts About Dog Vitamin D

Here’s what I found most interesting throughout this entire vitamin D adventure. Stella has a very short, light-colored coat (about 50% white coat). She’s a spayed Bull Terrier and a sun-worshipper; she “bully bakes” daily for at least 10 minutes. Sobek, my Rottweiler, has a longer jet black coat and avoids the sun like a vampire. Guess who had the lowest vitamin D level? Stella! Her levels were dangerously low while Sobek’s levels were insufficiently low.

Check out these facts pertaining to vitamin D levels in dogs. These facts were attached to the last page of our dogs’ lab test results, and I found them so interesting.

• Spayed female dogs are 10% lower in vitamin D than intact females (Sharp, 2015 BMC Res Notes).
• Dogs with IBD have significantly lower vitamin D levels (median 25 ng/mL) than healthy dogs (Gow, 2011 J Small Animal Pract).

Vitamin D Supplementing

Both dogs consume vitamin D supplements in the form of liquid drops right after a full meal every day. We add these drops into caffeine-free chamomile tea and mix it in with other powder and liquid supplements. It’s been a couple of weeks of supplementation, and I’ve already noticed both dogs sleep deeper and are able to relax quicker when around distractions.

Retesting for vitamin D deficiency is a must! Dogs can overdose on vitamin D with potentially deadly consequences, so monitoring vitamin D supplementation is required by your vet. So many articles suggest throwing in eggs and salmon to supplement your dog with vitamin D, but avoid doing that until you’re certain your dog is vitamin D deficient. Otherwise, vitamin D poisoning in dogs may occur. Digestion plays a huge role in absorption, and a holistic vet can help heal your dog’s tummy.

Once we began supplementing our dogs with vitamin D, we were required to have them both rechecked in 30 days. Time will tell, and I’ll update everyone with another article.

Spend the $75 and get your dog’s vitamin D level tested. It’s worth it. 🙂