Have you ever chugged water with Emergen-C and noticed that you dodged the cold going around, or taken your doctor up on their vitamin D suggestion and noticed the rush of energy it gave you? Vitamins are often the unsung heroes in our diets, offering benefits that are essential to our holistic health—and the same is true for our furry friends.
Just like you, your dog needs certain vitamins and minerals to function healthily. Vitamin E is one of the most crucial vitamins, as it’s hailed for its antioxidant properties and the smooth and shiny fur it leaves behind. But that’s not all vitamin E supplementation brings to the food bowl.
In fact, vitamin E can offer a wide range of all-natural benefits for your pup, so read on for everything you need to know about this essential vitamin, from its function within the body to the best sources of it for your dog.
What is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient that’s critical for both dogs and humans to consume.1 Its most vital function is as an antioxidant, meaning that it acts as a scavenger in the body, collecting loose electrons (known as “free radicals”).
Without antioxidants, free radicals would, well, roam free, damaging cells throughout the body and speeding up the aging process. The free reign of free radicals has been found to cause chronic conditions like atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), vision loss, and even cancer.
Vitamin E, in particular, not only protects cells from these pesky electrons but it also discourages the production of new ones.
This means that the fat-soluble vitamin E is particularly valuable for senior dogs, as it can help the body delay the effects of aging and fight diseases that are more likely to affect older pets. However, that’s not to say older dogs are the only ones who can benefit from a vitamin E supplement—antioxidants are crucial for preventing premature aging at any stage of life and can help fight oxidative damage from sources that affect all living things, like the sun’s radiation and air pollution.2
Vitamin E also offers additional benefits to an array of systems throughout the body. It can strengthen immune function, support a healthy heart, protect the eyes, and even improve cognitive function, helping the body fight against neurodegenerative diseases (like dementia, Parkinson’s, and ALS in humans, all of which have parallels in dogs).
How Much Vitamin E Do Dogs Need?
According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials, dogs need 50 IU of vitamin E per kilogram of body weight daily.3 This means that a small (ten-pound) dog would need about 225 IU of vitamin E dosage per day, while a large (fifty-pound) dog would need about 1,150 IU.
One IU of vitamin E is equivalent to about 0.67 mg,4 so be sure to calculate appropriately should your supplement or dietary source list its vitamin E content in mg (about 150.75 mg is needed for a ten-pound dog; about 770.5 mg for a fifty-pound dog).
Why is maintaining the right amount of vitamin E requirement for dogs important?
If your dog is deficient in vitamin E, you might notice the breakdown of muscles, reproductive failure, and/or vision loss. These are all signs that may indicate a need to increase your dog’s daily dosage—but be sure to consult your vet first.5
Interestingly, studies have shown that vitamin E levels in dogs decrease with exercise, but bounce back as exercise performance improves.6So, if you notice signs of vitamin E deficiency in your pet, take note of their exercise habits—have you recently taken them on longer walks or spent more time playing? If so, ask your vet about adjusting their daily dosage until your furry friend reaches a new level of fitness.
Benefits of Vitamin E for Dogs
As mentioned, vitamin E offers a whole host of benefits for dogs. Its antioxidant status means that it’s constantly working to protect the body as a whole, but the nutrient comes with additional perks for specific systems of the body as well.
Immune System
Studies show that vitamin E deficiency in animals negatively impacts the immune system and that replenishing vitamin E creates significant improvement by bolstering the performance of individual T-cells.7
In particular, vitamin E can boost your dog’s immune system and help your dog’s body fight respiratory infections, as well as allergic diseases (i.e. asthma).
Especially for older dogs, vitamin E can generally reduce the risk of infection and strengthen the immune system, in addition to decreasing inflammation (inflammation is often the immune system’s reaction to harmful stimuli, but may be the result of an overactive immune system that needs to be calmed to restore your pet’s normal bodily functions).8
Skin
Have you noticed the thumping of your pet scratching an itch a little more often lately? Vitamin E is an effective way to combat dry skin, itchy skin, or even allergic reactions on the skin and ears for dogs.9<7sup>
In fact, its anti-inflammatory properties can help soothe allergic reactions and itchiness. Plus, by scavenging free radicals, vitamin E helps protect your pet’s helalthy skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, keeping it healthy and supported.10
Coat
Hair is composed primarily of protein and lipids (fats). In fact, 30% of the protein your dog consumes is used to grow fur.11
Depriving an animal of protein affects the skin more than any other major organ, and the only place on a dog’s skin where protein can safely be stored is within hair follicles. This means that a deficiency in any vitamin or mineral required for protein or fat synthesis, including vitamin E, will result in a negative impact on each hair follicle.
On the other hand, it also means that boosting vitamin E levels will help keep your pet’s coat healthy, silky, and shiny from the follicle up (as fatty tissue is bolstered and hair-healthy proteins like keratin continue to be produced).
Joints
One study showed that, in dogs with osteoarthritis, a vitamin E supplement significantly reduced inflammation and helped relieve pain.12
Osteoarthritis involves the degeneration of bones and cartilage with age that affects nearly all dogs at some point in life.13 By fighting the free radicals that cause that degeneration, vitamin E may be able to slow the process, using its anti-inflammatory properties to ease the associated pain of osteoarthritis (not unlike an over-the-counter pain reliever would).
Does Vitamin E for Dogs Have Risks?
Vitamin E is considered one of the least “toxic” of the vitamins in excess, so a Vitamin E “overdose” (known as “hypervitaminosis”) would be extremely rare for a dog.14 However, if your pet is consuming far too much vitamin E, you might notice muscle weakness or slowed muscle growth in puppies.
Other, milder symptoms that may indicate vitamin E toxicity include fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea.15
The most significant risk when it comes to vitamin E is bleeding (blood may become too thin; in extremely rare cases, internal bleeding or stroke could occur). However, you should generally notice no side effects unless your pet is taking an extremely large daily dose or is on blood thinners.
Best Sources of Vitamin E for Dogs
Check the label—your pet’s dog food might already include (at least some of) their recommended vitamin E intake. There are also some dog-safe “human foods” that naturally contain vitamin E that may be worth letting your pup snack on. These include:
- Spinach and other leafy greens
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potato
- Peanut butter
- Egg yolk16
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Bell pepper
Allowing your pet to snack on these vitamin E-rich foods in moderation is a healthy way to ensure they’re hitting their recommended dog nutrition levels. You can also look for dog foods that include vitamin E-rich foods as ingredients (i.e. chicken, salmon).
Ultimately, the most effective way to ensure that your pet is consistently getting the appropriate amount of vitamin E is by using an all-natural daily supplement. Just like you might take vitamins recommended by your doctor each day, giving your dog a daily supplement can help them maintain healthy nutrient levels, even on a varied diet.
Boost Vitamin E Levels and More with ALL-IN
Staying on top of your pet’s vitamin E levels is crucial to ensuring a happy, healthy life together (and the same is true of several other vitamins and minerals as well). While dietary sources of vitamin E do exist for dogs, an all-natural dog vitamin supplement is a great way to help those levels stay consistent.
If you’re looking for a way to pack in that daily vitamin E (along with a host of other essential nutrients), Vetericyn’s ALL-IN supplement has you covered. It works just like a daily multivitamin and comes in puppy, adult, and senior formulas to accompany your best friend through every stage of life.
ALL-IN contains your pet’s daily dose of vitamin E, as well as other immune system-supportive ingredients, like zinc, vitamin A, and boswellia, plus skin-and-coat supporters like collagen, fish oil, and carrot powder. Not to mention, ALL-IN has your pet’s back in other areas too, from muscle and joint health to gut health and stress relief.
With ALL-IN dog supplements, you can rest easy knowing your pup is taken care of inside and out. Shop ALL-IN today to get started.
Reviewed by C. Scott Van Winkle
Scott has been with Innovacyn for the past 11 years and has been working within the Burlingame portfolio of companies for the past 23 years. Scott brings a diverse background to Innovacyn. With an upbringing as the 5th generation on his families cattle ranch, Scott has a passion for animal health and the continuous improvement surrounding agricultural practices. Scott earned marketing and business management degrees from the University of Idaho and holds an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University.
Sources:
- Harvard University. Vitamin E. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-e/
- National Cancer Institute. Definition of oxidative stress. Merck Manual. Vitamin E Toxicity. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/oxidative-stress
- The Association of American Feed Control Officials. Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. https://www.aafco.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Pet_Food_Report_2013_Annual-Appendix_B.pdf
- National Institute of Health. Vitamin E. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-Consumer/
- National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Your Dog’s Nutritional Needs. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/10668/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf
- Cornell University. Antioxidants in Veterinary Nutrition. https://confluence.cornell.edu/download/attachments/185271971/NutritionAntioxidants.pdf?api=v2&modificationDate=1373307419000&version=1
- National Library of Medicine. Regulatory role of vitamin E in the immune system and inflammation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7011499/
- National Library of Medicine. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5805548/
- Pet MD. Is Vitamin E Good for Dogs? https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/vitamin-e-good-dogs
- National Library of Medicine. Vitamin E in dermatology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976416/
- Texas A&M University. The Role of Nutrition on the Canine Hair Follicle: A Preliminary Report. https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/R144-The-Role-of-Nutrition-on-the-Canine-Hair-Follicle-A-Preliminary-Report.pdf
- National Library of Medicine. Anti-inflammatory response of dietary vitamin E and its effects on pain and joint structures during early stages of surgically induced osteoarthritis in dogs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700444/
- Cornell University. How joint supplements can help with orthopedic conditions. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/how-joint-supplements-can-help-orthopedic-conditions
- National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Vitamin Tolerance of Animals: Vitamin E. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/949/chapter/5#28
- Merck Manual. Vitamin E Toxicity. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/vitamin-deficiency,-dependency,-and-toxicity/vitamin-e-toxicity
- National Library of Medicine. Vitamin E content of different animal products: influence of animal nutrition.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9095536/
