We know how important vitamins A, B and D are for the health of our dogs, but what about vitamin K? It certainly isn’t talked about as much as other vitamins. Is there a reason for that?
In this blog post we’re talking about the benefits of vitamin K and the health issues caused by deficiencies. I’ll also share the top animal-derived food sources where your raw fed dog can get their needed amounts of this vitamin.
Vitamin K deficiencies are very rare. However, when your dog’s diet is void of vitamin K and a deficiency occurs, potential side effects can include heart attack and stroke.
Deficiency symptoms include:
- increased bleeding
- bruising easily
- symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease
- heart health issues
- bloody stool
- diarrhea
Your dog is most likely to develop a deficiency if they:
- are on blood thinners
- eat a diet with plant matter
- eat a poor-quality diet
- eat an imbalanced diet
- have been given antibiotics long-term
- have liver disease
- have a chronic health problem that affects nutrient absorption
Below we’ll talk about the best ways to prevent vitamin K deficiency, such as improving the concentration of vitamin K in your dog’s diet by feeding higher quality foods.
What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone and heart health.
Vitamin K is involved in the following:
- blood clotting
- proper absorption of calcium
- maintaining brain function
- healthy metabolism
- protecting against cancer
Vitamin K is most importantly responsible for bone building and blood clotting. Blood would not clot without vitamin K because the vitamin activates the protein that is responsible for forming clots within the blood.
Vitamin K Types:
Many people don’t realize that there are two types of vitamin K.
- Vitamin K1 (phytonadione)
- Vitamin K2 (menaquinone)
Vitamin K1 is mostly found in vegetables, while vitamin K2 is found in animal foods (meats, organs, eggs, etc.) and is also produced by the bacteria in the gut.
In fact, in 2007 study published by the American Society of Hematology in April 15, 2007 (volume 109, number 8) issue of Blood, their official journal, revealed greater benefits of vitamin K2 over K1 in promoting bone and cardiovascular health. The four-part human study found that vitamin K2 was superior to vitamin K1 in several important areas, including better absorption, much longer bioavailability and higher efficacy levels in the body.
“[This study] shows that vitamin K2 as MK-7 is clearly the most beneficial and potent K-vitamin that one can take,” states lead researcher Leon Schurgers, Ph.D. “Large scale human studies have shown that eating foods rich in vitamin K2 significantly promotes bone health, reduces the risk of bone injury, and significantly promotes cardiovascular health.”
An additional study conducted by scientists at the Cardiovascular Research Institute and VitaK, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, found a significant superiority of vitamin K2 over vitamin K1 in four different human models.
The study found that K2 was absorbed into human blood with a 1.5-fold better absorption rate and remained at potent levels for a significantly longer period of time.
Vitamin K2 also more effectively promoted and activated markers of bone building.
Common sense tells us that if omnivores don’t utilize K1 as well as K2, then carnivores are less capable of utilizing K1 if capable at all.
What is Vitamin K Deficiency?
Vitamin K deficiency occurs when your dog either consumes less vitamin K than they need or they can’t absorb enough from their diet.
Evidence shows that a vitamin K deficiency can increase the risk for:
- cancer
- heart disease
- tooth decay
- weakened bones
The amount of vitamin K that your dog is able to absorb from their diet is related to the intestinal bacteria that they have, so your dog’s level of vitamin K can drop greatly depending on their overall health, especially their gut/digestive health.
Foods that damage your carnivore’s gut health:
- Processed foods (kibble)
- Plants (grains, fruits, vegetables and plant oils)
- Processed dairy (processed in any way)
- Poor quality meats and organs
- Poor quality eggs
How to improve gut health with your dog’s diet:
- Remove all processed foods
- Removed all plant matter
- Remove unnecessary oils
- Add more quality meats and organs (grass-fed and finished/pastured)
- Swap out poor quality eggs for high-quality eggs (from pasture-raised hens)
When your dog’s body is taxed by either being fed unhealthy foods or by stress, it goes into an emergency mode, keeping up only the critical functions needed for immediate survival. The result is that the other vital processes of your dog’s body break down and leave the body vulnerable to illness and disease.
Because vitamin K is produced by healthy bacteria in the gut, any disruption in the intestines can result in your dog’s decreased ability to absorb or produce enough vitamin K, along with other nutrients.
Intestinal problems such as inflammatory bowel disease – from a prolonged poor diet – can also prevent your dog’s body from absorbing enough vitamin K.
A generally poor diet that provides low levels of vitamin K2 can also result in a vitamin K deficiency.
Additionally, taking antibiotics long-term has negative effects on gut health and absorption.
Benefits of Vitamin K for Dogs
- Vitamin K for Dogs Supports Heart Health
Vitamin K has been shown to help prevent one of the leading causes of heart attacks: calcification of arteries. It works by carrying calcium out of the arteries and not allowing it to form into hard, dangerous plaque deposits. (1)
Some studies show that vitamin K is also critical for reducing inflammation and protecting cells that line blood vessels – both veins and arteries.
- Vitamin K for Dogs Improves Bone Density
Some studies on vitamin K have found that high intakes of vitamin K can stop bone loss. Vitamin K increases a specific protein required to maintain bone calcium.
- Vitamin K for Dogs Fights Cancer
Vitamin K has been shown to be a natural cancer fighter, effectively reducing the risk of prostate, colon, stomach, nasal and oral cancers in people. One study even found that high doses of vitamin K helped stabilize and even improve liver function in liver cancer patients.
- Vitamin K for Dogs Helps Blood Clotting
Vitamin K tops your dog’s body from bleeding or bruising easily through blood clotting. The blood clotting process requires at least 12 proteins to function. Four of these protein clotting factors require vitamin K to work properly.
- Vitamin K for Dogs Improves Brain Function
Vitamin K dependent proteins are particularly important for brain function. They play a role in the nervous system through sphingolipid metabolism. These are a class of naturally occurring molecules present in brain cell membranes.
- Vitamin K for Dogs Helps Maintain Health of Gums and Teeth
While a proper raw diet keeps gums and teeth clean and in turn healthy, a diet low in fat soluble vitamins including vitamin A, C, D and vitamin K has been linked to more cavities and gum disease. This is because fat soluble vitamins play a role in bone and teeth mineralization.
Feeding Vitamin K for Dogs Fed a Raw Diet
The number one vitamin K deficiency treatment is improving your dog’s diet so that they get more natural vitamin K2. The very best way to prevent vitamin K deficiency in your dog is to feed animal foods that provide high levels of vitamin K2, along with working on improving absorption and gut health.
Vitamin K Supplementation
I don’t recommend feeding vitamin K through supplements for several reasons.
- Vitamin K in supplement form doesn’t have the same benefits as vitamin K from whole animal foods.
- High doses of vitamin K may interfere with absorption of other nutrients.
- Pet supplements are not regulated for quality.
The Best Sources of vitamin K for Dogs
Liver is the single best source of vitamin K (specifically K2) for your raw fed dog. This is just one of the many reasons why feeding raw liver is essential to your dog’s health.
Keep in mind that the values below are from the USDA database and are higher in animal foods from grass-fed/pastured animals.
Beef Liver: Beef liver has 313 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Chicken Liver: Chicken liver has 230 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Duck Liver: Duck liver has 230 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Goose Liver: Goose liver has 230 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Lamb Liver: Lamb liver has 313 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Pork Liver: Pork liver has 273 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Turkey Liver: Turkey liver has 214 mg of vitamin K in every 100-gram serving.
Additionally, grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish and egg yolks have healthy amounts of vitamin K.
Final Thoughts on Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K is beneficial for:
- bone building
- blood clotting
- controlling calcium absorption
- protecting the heart
- supporting brain health
Signs of vitamin K deficiency can include:
- bloody stools
- bruising
- excessive bleeding
- hemorrhaging
Causes of vitamin K deficiency can include:
- an improper carnivorous diet
- giving certain medications
- having any health conditions that affect absorption
- low dietary intake
- poor gut health
The best sources of vitamin K2 include grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, egg yolks, and especially organ meats like liver.