dog food with vitamin k??

[Maryellen]

has anyone ever heard of this? what is vitamin k? is it good? bad?

[msvette2u]

Vitamin K is a coagulant in our bloodstreams.

http://www.ctds.info/vitamink.html

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/ ... er3/3h.jsp

They give newborn babies a shot of Vitamin K especially if they will be breastfed.

I found this at Dr. Foster and Smith:
Vitamin K

Vitamin K is the last of the fat soluble vitamins. From a nutritional standpoint, it is important, but its understanding is of prime significance in the treatment of one of the most common toxicities encountered in animals - rat and mouse poisoning.

The discovery of Vitamin K by Henrik Dam in 1929, won him the Nobel Prize. Vitamin K exists in three forms. Vitamin K1 is found in green plants; Vitamin K2 is high in fish meal and can be synthesized by the bacteria in the intestine; Vitamin K3, also known as menadione, is a synthetic precursor of the others. Vitamin K3 is the form most utilized as a supplement. Since the bacteria in the intestine can manufacture Vitamin K, it is not needed in high levels in food supplements.

Vitamin K is essential for normal blood functions. Without Vitamin K, blood cannot clot. Most rat and mouse poisons (e.g.; Warfarin, D-Con) kill rats and mice by eliminating their ability to clot blood, hence, the rodents internally hemorrhage to death. Contained within the poison is the active ingredient coumarin or a derivative. It is the coumarin that binds to and depletes the body of active Vitamin K. Without Vitamin K the blood cannot clot and the rodents die. Unfortunately, dogs and cats also enjoy rat and mouse poison. The results are the same. The pet will begin hemorrhaging, usually within the intestinal tract. If the amount ingested is large (1 packet), then death may follow. If you suspect a pet has ingested this poison, induce vomiting at once and call your veterinarian. Veterinary treatment will be the administration of Vitamin K1, either as an injectable or tablet. If instituted early, the patient's life can generally be saved.

The actual dietary requirement for Vitamin K is unclear. Since bacteria within the intestines manufacture Vitamin K, the exact amounts produced are unknown. Dietary Vitamin K is found in green leafy plants and vegetables.

Vitamin K deficiencies in pets have not been documented except in instances of Warfarin toxicosis (rat poison). Likewise, Vitamin K toxicity due to oversupplementation has not been reported in animals.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=710

[Maryellen]

i never saw it in dog food until now, dick van pattens fish and sweet potato has vitamin k in it.. i wanted to know if its healthy or toxic as i never saw it in food before.. how come its not in dog food now?

[cheekymunkee]

As long as it is natural it is ok, the man-made stuff is not good for dogs at all. My computer crashed and I had an article about it I wanted to post. I will try to find it again.

[Maryellen]

how do i know if its natural or not?/

[cheekymunkee]

menadione is the artificial stuff

http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

I can't find the other page I had bookmarked. Still looking...........

[cheekymunkee]

I think this is it.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione

[dogcrazyjen]

or just sneak some leafy greens into the dog food!

[turtle]

When one of my neighbors put rat poison out for my dog a few years ago, I gave her Vitamin K since that's the recommended treatment. I'll have to look at the bottle to see if it was the natural K or not. I also added chopped kale and chopped spinach to her food. She was ok but it was a scary thing.

I can't see why they'd need to add it to dog food though? It's pretty specific how it's used.