Vitamin E belongs to the fat-soluble vitamins. It is the body’s main antioxidant, protecting cell membranes from free radicals and oxidative stress, and works closely with selenium [1]. The more polyunsaturated fatty acids (for example, fish oils) the diet contains, the greater the need for vitamin E, which protects these delicate fats from becoming rancid in the body [2].
What it contains: Some oils already contain added vitamin E; it can also be supplied as a vitamin E supplement.
Deficiency: It occurs in poorly balanced home diets and causes yellow-fat disease (pansteatitis) in cats. This can happen when a cat is fed mainly fatty fish (for example, tuna) without vitamin E. These fats oxidize in the body, causing painful inflammation of fatty tissue (the cat becomes apathetic, develops a fever and reacts painfully to touch). Muscle degeneration may also occur [3].
Excess: Vitamin E is the safest of the fat-soluble vitamins, and dogs and cats have a high tolerance for it. Only a drastic overdose of synthetic preparations can block vitamin K absorption, leading to blood-clotting disorders [1].
Sources
- National Research Council (NRC) (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, chapter 5 - fat-soluble vitamins. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats
- Hendriks WH, Wu YB, Shields RG et al. (2002). Vitamin E Requirement of Adult Cats Increases Slightly with High Dietary Intake of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. J Nutr 132(6):1613S-1615S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/132.6.1613s
- Niza MMRE, Vilela CL, Ferreira LMA (2003). Feline pansteatitis revisited: Hazards of unbalanced home-made diets. J Feline Med Surg 5:271-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1098-612X%2803%2900051-2