Are Current Vitamin D Recommendations Too Low for Dogs?
As advocates for dog owners, we at DoggyD want to help our audience feel peace of mind when caring for their fuzzy friends. Much of the information on this site centres around implementing simple precautions to help dogs avoid health issues in the future.
So, let me ask you – have you ever wondered why dog food brands use the amount of vitamins and minerals they do?
…Is there a “Doggy FDA” you imagined in your head?
…How do you think those dietary recommendations were decided on?
To help owners optimize their dog’s health, it helps to understand why dog food employs particular vitamin levels in its formulations. That way, instead of just unquestioningly accepting what you are told is suitable for your dog, you have more information to examine what could be best for your dog critically.
How Dietary Recommendations Are Set for Dogs
As it happens, there is a sort of “Doggy FDA.” It’s called the AAFCO, or Association of American Feed Control Officials. The AAFCO, to briefly summarize, is the organization that sets standards and controls for the pet food industry. We at DoggyD think that, on a broad level, it’s perfect to have an entire organization dedicated to scrutinizing the quality of animal food in the US!
However, it is important to note two critical factors about the AAFCO:
- The group is a non-profit group powered chiefly by volunteers. They may be passionate about animal care, but it is not their day job.
- The AAFCO has no regulatory authority like the FDA. However, many commercial dog food brands strongly consider the AAFCO’s recommendations when formulating their products. The AAFCO could remove any non-compliant brand from their “approved list” of products, which carries a lot of weight in what customers consider when buying dog food. If you had two products next to each other, and one had the label “AAFCO approved for your dog’s health,” and the other didn’t, you would likely pick the AAFCO-approved brand without even knowing what it stands for!
The AAFCO Got its Vitamin D Recommendations Wrong
While DoggyD can acknowledge the broadly positive role the AAFCO plays in helping regulate animal food, we also want to break down the research they used to justify their vitamin D recommendations for dogs.
Simply put, we think the AAFCO got it wrong on this one. Here’s why:
The AAFCO set its vitamin D recommendations from 5,000 IU/kg of dry food to 3000 IU/kg. Why? They cite two studies of Great Dane puppies who experienced “disrupted endochondral ossification” due to too much vitamin D intake. However, there are some critical errors in applying these two studies to the broader population of dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds:
- These two studies examined PUPPIES! It’s very crucial to understand that dogs will have different nutritional needs based on factors including breed, size, individual genetics, and AGE! The fact the AAFCO set vitamin D recommendations based on studies involving only baby dogs is a huge issue that needs fixing.
- Great Danes are a giant dog breed with unique sensitivities to calcium and phosphorus levels. Picture a great Dane and the large legs and tall frame they commonly have. It makes sense that these dogs, who experience such a massive “growth spurt” during adolescence, would be susceptible to calcium levels. However, for smaller dog breeds and adult dogs, these issues would not be relevant at all.
In conclusion, DoggyD customers need to understand why we believe in vitamin D supplementation for dogs: the AAFCO recommendations underestimate the amount of vitamin D mature and senior dogs would need. Furthermore, the AAFCO extrapolated data from studies involving only great Dane puppies and used these results to set dietary recommendations for dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds.
Furthermore, AAFCO recommendations are the “minimum level” needed for essential functions. They do not try to offer the “optimal level” of vitamin D levels for your dog, nor do they take into account potential genetic anomalies. So, when figuring out the best measures for your dog, owners should look beyond the AAFCO recommendations and critically examine how nutritional recommendations were even set in the first place.
You can find links to all the studies referenced in this post below – wishing good luck and good health to your pups!
Sources
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1242851/full
