Why We Add Vitamin D

Several people have asked us why we add Vitamin D, when very few, if any, commercial raw diets add vitamin D.

The importance of getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D is now well known.  The best summary of the recent news is from Science Daily, September 14, 2007

Vitamin D Supplements Appear To Be Associated With Lower Risk Of Death
Science Daily — Individuals who take vitamin D supplements appear to have a lower risk of death from any cause over an average follow-up time of six-years, according to a meta-analysis of 18 previously published studies in the September 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

We think sufficient quantities of vitamin D are important for dogs as well.  AAFCO and the latest National Research Council reports recommend a minimum of 136 (143 for AAFCO) IU per 1,000 kcal of food intake (or 500 IU per kg, dry matter basis) for vitamin D consumption.  This minimum is difficult to meet with natural foods alone. We therefore supplement the vitamin D in the liver and heart of our mix with vitamin D3.

Dogs, ancestrally, got vitamin D from their diets, primarily the kidneys, lungs, hearts and livers of their prey, and from the sun.  The ancestral dog lived outside, and was not a couch potato!  But most modern dogs don’t get much vitamin D from the sun; they live indoors now.  In addition, those dogs with dark skin and thicker coats make even less vitamin D.

It’s hard to get sufficient vitamin D from natural foods alone.  Many of the vitamin D rich parts, like the lungs and kidneys, are not often available, and adding liver, even up to 25% liver, does not provide enough vitamin D, according to USDA data.  In addition, the vitamin D content of livers varies considerably, and chemical testing of vitamin D is often not accurate.  The best solution, we feel, is to supplement with vitamin D3.

For those not using See Spot Live Longer™ Homemade Dinner Mixes to make dog foods, high quality cod liver oil is a good choice for vitamin D; but make sure it is stable.  Cod liver oil is fragile.  The cod liver oil powders we’ve seen are all heavily preserved, and probably should be avoided.  Salmon, sardines and other fish are often vitamin D rich (but please don’t feed raw Pacific salmon!)

Vitamin D is especially important for puppies.  In the wild, most wolf and dog litters are born in the spring; the puppies are able to get lots of sunshine and build strong bones.  Now a days, puppies are born all year long, and some puppies never get to go outside until they are 9 or 10 weeks old. We recommend, for those feeding commercial and homemade raw diets, to ensure that that the pregnant Mom and the puppies eat plenty of vitamin D-rich foods. 

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