It’s good common knowledge in humans that exposure to the sun helps our bodies make vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed for proper calcium metabolism, thus bone density and bone growth. Hormone production and fights depression. May fight cancer.
There’s a good long list, easily available, and even fairly accurate, on the Internet of the benefits of vitamin D in the human body.
Well, dogs and cats need vitamin D also. Within the last decade so, a few laboratories have begun testing vitamin D levels in pets.
Some animals with chronic disease, chronic inflammation, will have low vitamin D. Cancer patients might have low vitamin D.
I’ve had some pet parents tell me that that’s the reason they put their dog out in the sun.
And it’s a very loving thought on the part of the pet owner.
But that’s not how vitamin D works and dogs and cats!
Look at them.
Except for Chinese Crested, Sphinx, and a couple of other rare breeds, cats and dogs are covered in fur.
They do not make vitamin D from sitting in the sun!
They get vitamin D from food. Conventional pet food has to supplement with synthetic vitamin D. Fresh pet food often uses fish oil to provide vitamin vitamin D. Egg yolks are another good source. And there are some kinds of mushrooms that are grown under the sun and they can have quite high levels of vitamin D.
So it’s a great test to check: blood vitamin D levels. Catching low levels early might head off or slow down inflammatory disease.
It’s nice to supplement with whole foods.
And please be aware you can swing too far the other direction and give too much vitamin D! In fact, there have been multiple errors in formulation in the kibble industry, and even canned pet food, such the animals were given too much vitamin D and the opposite happened. Toxicity.
Signs of too much vitamin D include:
- vomiting
- lethargy
- diarrhea
- kidney disease
- heart dysfunction
- death
As long as they have shade and water available, I think it’s great to share sunshine with your pets. It’s not going to change their vitamin D content in their body.
Want to read more about Vitamin D toxicity?
- Purina Petcare Voluntarily Recalls Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets El Elemental Dry Dog Food Due to Potentially Elevated Vitamin D
- Hill’s Response to FDA Warning Vitamin D Recall
- Fromm Recalls Four Star Shredded Entree Canned Dog Foods Due to Elevated Levels of Vitamin D
- Hill’s Pet Food Vitamin D Was 2900% HIGHER