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Pets Niacin Deficiency & Vitamins

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1-800-PetMeds
Pets Niacin Deficiency, does it actually exist?

The answer is a definite yes, and although it is more common in dogs than cats, cats actually need more niacin than dogs. If the deficiency is severe, it could cause your pet to lose their life.


Niacin, which is also known by the Vitamin B3 as well as nicotinic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin which means that it dissolves in water, and as a result, your pet can not store it in their body.

It must be replenished by your pets diet, or if necessary, through supplements.

Like most of the B vitamins, this nutrient assists the enzymes in your pet’s bodies, and enzymes are the catalysts that essentially start chemical reactions within the body.

These chemical reactions in your pet’s body are responsible for the conversion of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates into energy. What makes this so critical to either your dog or your cat is that dogs are omnivores, which mean they must eat meat and vegetables, and cats are carnivores, which mean they must eat meat.

Without niacin as the catalyst, they run the risk of the enzyme functions not working properly.

Niacin is also very important to your pet as it synthesizes starch that can be stored in the animal’s body’s muscles as well as their liver, and as a result will also be used later on as an energy source.

Niacin also helps to improve blood circulation in your pets.

This nutrient also plays a critical function in the chemical processing of fatty acids that are important in their fat containing structures such as cell membranes as well as fat based hormones that are referred to as steroid hormones.

The biggest threat for both your dog and your cat with a pets niacin deficiency is what is referred to as Black Tongue or Sore Mouth Disease.

Black tongue disease is more frequent in dogs, while cats are more likely to develop a sore mouth disease.

Both are a result of deficiency of this nutrient, and are similar to Pellagra in humans. In humans, pellagra is caused by eating a diet consisting of primarily corn products, while in pets it is usually associated with owners that create their own pet foods and ignore meat in the mixture.

Dogs and cats were not created to be vegetarians, and forgetting this as an owner could result in Niacin deficiency in your pets.

Dogs that suffer from Black Tongue disease will start to rapidly lose weight because they are not eating, as it is painful to them to eat.

With Pets Niacin Deficiency, their gums will also become inflamed, as well as their lips and inner cheeks.

Other symptoms that dogs will encounter may include gingivitis, glossitis, which is abnormality of the tongue due to the inflammation, as well as excessive salvation or drooling.

Pets Niacin Deficiency is very painful to your canine friend. Bloody diarrhea as well as vomiting may also follow and if it not properly diagnosed and treated by a professional, it could result in the death of your pet.

Cat’s symptoms of pets niacin deficiency will be more along the line of mouth ulcers, and as a result, they will develop thick and very foul smelling salvia, and they to will start to drool.

The same ailments will affect cats, however, with weight loss, and weakness.

However, cats are than very prone to respiratory disease as a result of this deficiency which could lead to death if not treated.

The major reason that cats actually need more niacin than dogs is that your feline friend is not able to synthesize niacin from the amino acid tryptophan, due to excesses of a certain enzyme in their body.

Tryptophan, an essential amino acid is formed from proteins during the ingestion processes. It is critical for normal growth and development, and is the actual precursor of several substances, which includes niacin. As a result, unlike other animals, your feline’s requirement form niacin must be met entirely from the niacin that is found in animal tissues that they eat.

FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTS

Your cat must have meat and protein, again as they are carnivores.

Your dog or your cat will depend totally on you for their diet; making sure that they get the proper amount of this nutrient either from their diet or in the form of supplements to prevent pets niacin deficiency will have an impact on their quality of life.

Pets Niacin Deficiency & Pet Meds RX


Related Links
B Vitamins for Pets
Dysautonomia in Pets
Coughing in Pets
Pets Thiamine Deficiency
Vitamin E for Pets