# Vitamin E



## Roxy_Nie (Oct 10, 2008)

Just wanted to get some info out there...

Most people don't know about Vitamin E or the fact that if you give your dog Fish Oil then you should also give Vitamin E if the Fish Oil that you use doesn't have it added already...

Pets and Vitamin E, does your dog or cat actually need this vitamin.

Not only do they need this vitamin, it is perhaps one of the most important vitamin supplements you could give to your pet. It is so powerful, that many people refer to this vitamin as a wonder vitamin for both your cat and your dog.

However, the very food you may be feeding them may be causing a Vitamin E deficiency in their diet.

Vitamin E is one of the most natural antioxidants found in nature, as it is a fat and soluble vitamin that belongs to the tocopherol family of vitamins. A tocopherol is any of the fat soluble vitamins that contain this ingredient, especially alpha-tocopherals that are found mainly in plant leaves, wheat germ oil, and milk.

The major function of vitamin E is to serve your pets body as a chain breaking antioxidant that protects cells and cellular membranes against free radical damages. It is referred to as an antioxidant primarily because it fights the daily battle against oxidation within you pet's body.

Oxidation is a chemical process that occurs when a material of a compound combines with oxygen, and as a result of this process, that material or compound losses a few of its electrons. Both burning and rusting are examples of oxidation, but they occur at very different speeds.

Redox, which is the word coined to define oxidation reduction or reactions, are those reactions which atoms are changed and or altered. Oxidation can therefore basically be summed up by the loss of an electron by an atom, a molecule, or an ion.

Fruit that spoils, cars that rust, are all like examples of this process, just as aging in your pet or some diseases are, basically because your pet is slowing losing parts of their cellular structure, or essentially rusting or slowing burning away.

Vitamin E helps to dramatically slow the process and to keep the much needed oxygen in your pet's cellular structure. As important as oxygen is, however, it can also be counter productive when it produces free radicals, which can cause damage internally to your pet.

As an antioxidant, Vitamin E assists with balancing both processes.

In your pet's commercial pet food, vitamin E is added primarily to prevent the oxidation of fatty acids which leads to rancidity, which is the developing of unpleasant flavors in these oils as a result of the oxidation. The process does accomplish this because it essentially neutralizes the free radicals.

However, what most pet owners do not know is that in accomplishing this process, most all of the vitamin E is used up.

As a result of this increases in the amount of fatty acids in your pets diet, especially in they are unsaturated which is what most commercial foods are, it must be accompanied by an equal amount of vitamin E, and results in your pet requiring more of the vitamin.

If your pet is fed a pet food that may have been stored for an extended period of time or has been supplemented with large quantities of unsaturated fatty acids, the food that you are feeding them may actually be causing a Vitamin E deficiency in your pet if you are not supplementing your pet with additional amounts of this nutrient.

How long has the food that you are feeding your pet today been stored? Can anyone actually answer that question with certainty?

This wonder vitamin not only helps in the oxidation processes, it does assists in many other extremely important functions for your dog or your cat.

Vitamin E is essential for healing diseases in the circulatory system including both heart tachycardia, which is a rapid heart beat, and arteriosclerosis, which is a condition where the artery walls of your pet, is thickened with plague.

This vitamin of many benefits also helps your pet in promoting fertility, helps in preventing cataracts, especially in dogs, slows the aging process as it slows down the burning affect in their body, and assists in the wound healing processes.

It also is a huge boost to their immune system and as a result protects their bodies against the several pollutants they face daily as well as protecting against cancer. This vitamin is extremely important if you pet is around second hand smoke.

In cats, this wonder vitamin helps to prevent steatitis, also referred to as yellow fat disease, a disorder that inflames the adipose tissue and the deployment of wax pigments in between the layers of adipose tissues.

In dogs, especially working dogs, it increases endurance and boosts their muscle development and growth. It also helps in dissolving tumors and reliving posterior cramps and disc problems your dogs will all encounter as they rust and age.

The dosages of how much additional Vitamin E you should give your pet will vary and should be discussed with your veterinarian, but there is one thing for certain.

Every dog and cat needs additional supplements of this wonder vitamin in their diet.

Pets and Vitamin E, Does Your Dog or Cat Actually Need This Vitamin | Gomestic


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Wow! I hadn't realized vitamin E was so important. I think I'll start my guys on it. Does anyone use it already? How much do you guys give?


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

I think it comes in 200mg and 400 mg - I have 400 mg and give one caplet Mon/Wed/Fri to my 46lb dog - (it's possible to give too much, I believe). The 200mg may be safe for daily dosing. I have read dosing suggestions (that's how I arrived at M/W/F for 4mg caps) but I can't find the data right now...


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## Roxy_Nie (Oct 10, 2008)

I use it.

Here is what I go by.....

• 0 to 25 pounds - 100 IU
• 25 to 50 pounds - 200 IU
• 50 to 75 pounds - 400 IU
• 75 to 100 pounds - 600 IU


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## Roxy_Nie (Oct 10, 2008)

I believe Vitamin E only comes in IU's (International Units) rather than MG. I could be wrong though.


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

Roxy_Nie said:


> I believe Vitamin E only comes in IU's (International Units) rather than MG. I could be wrong though.


You are very right - I couldn't remember if it was MGs or MCGs or IUs......

When I run out of the 400 IUs (almost there), I'm going to get the 200s.

Here's a question: I double up on fish oil with x1 AM and x1 PM - so you think the standard dosage of Vit E is sufficient (I don't want to increase that as well...) ?


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## Roxy_Nie (Oct 10, 2008)

How many MG's of fish oil are you giving per day?


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## BmoreTrue (Jun 19, 2009)

I'm pretty sure the "derm caps" i give max contain vitamin E for proper absorption.


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

Roxy_Nie said:


> How many MG's of fish oil are you giving per day?


Me? I give 400 IU M/W/F (which I figure averages out to 200 per day) until I run out of the 400s.

PMD - I'm sure in the wild they get a pretty complete diet with everything that they eat compared to the diets humans feed...


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## Roxy_Nie (Oct 10, 2008)

HappyPuppy said:


> Me? I give 400 IU M/W/F (which I figure averages out to 200 per day) until I run out of the 400s.


That's how much fish oil you give your dog?

I give 1200MG per day and 200IU of vitamin E per day.


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

OK - I can't read.... fish oil: I give 1000 mg twice daily.


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## Nizmo (Jan 15, 2009)

be careful not to over dose vitamin E
look here for why

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/15750-becareful-not-overdose-vitmain-e.html


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