Vitamin D: The Critical Role it Plays in Your Pet’s Health

You’ve heard of vitamin D. It’s commonly referred to as “the sunshine vitamin.” 

While humans have the ability to get what they need from the sun, cats and dogs aren’t so lucky.

Our pets have to get vitamin D from their diet. A vitamin D deficiency can cause poor muscle and immune function, inflammation, and heart and kidney disease. Low levels of vitamin D may also increase the risk of certain cancers.

Where does vitamin D come from?

Humans have 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) in their skin. When ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun penetrate the skin, a photochemical reaction takes place causing the 7-DHC to be converted into vitamin D.

Cats and dogs have very little 7-DHC in their skin, so they can’t effectively use sunlight to generate vitamin D.

Click Here for more Information….Credit for this post goes to Pure Form Pet Health

What does vitamin D do?

Vitamin D enters your pet’s body through his diet and is absorbed in his small intestine. It moves through the bloodstream to the liver where it changes into a form that can be stored in fat for later use.

What needs to be used immediately moves to the kidneys where it changes into a form that can bind to the vitamin D receptors (VDRs).

Vitamin D receptors are located all over the body. When vitamin D binds to VDRs, it can turn genes on or off, including genes that activate immune function and inflammation.

Binding also triggers the parathyroid glands (four small glands in the neck) to release some of the calcium stored in bones.

It then helps that calcium to be absorbed in the small intestine and kidneys. Calcium is important for muscles to move and for nerves to send messages between the brain and the body.

Vitamin D also helps the small intestine and kidneys absorb phosphorus. Phosphorus is important for the growth, maintenance, and repair of cells and tissues. Both calcium and phosphorus are important for the formation of strong bones and teeth.

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