Vitamin C pills could benefit dogs in pain

Dear Dr. Fox: I just read your “Effective pain relief for old dogs” column, and wanted to share another thought with you.

Years ago, I had a Brittany spaniel who wouldn’t forgive me if I went out without her out to hunt, even though she was old and would spend several days in pain from the exertion.

While hunting, I met a man and told him I felt a little bad about bringing her out, knowing how much pain it would cause her.

He told me that he gave his old dog a child’s chewable vitamin C tablet whenever his dog was going to get a workout, and it relieved her pain. I tried it with my Brit, and it seemed to work wonders!

Thoughts? — T.R.K., Fargo, North Dakota

Dear T.R.K.:

Anecdotal evidence, such as yours regarding vitamin C as a treatment for activity-related pain, calls for clinical evaluation.

Many holistic veterinarians have long recognized vitamin C as a beneficial antioxidant, helping reduce oxidative stress.

I would caution readers to give this vitamin with a little food, since it could otherwise irritate the lining of the stomach. Give your dog 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

This could be done on a daily basis, or on occasion, with a larger dose a few hours before exercise.

I would like to hear other readers’ experiences along these lines, and reiterate that NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), widely used by humans, can be fatal for dogs.

While humans need an external food source of vitamin C, healthy dogs do not, since their livers normally produce this essential vitamin.

But where there is liver disease, vitamin C supplementation is advisable.

It is not advised for dogs with urinary calculi of the oxalate type, since it may aggravate the condition.