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There is a long list of functions that vitamin C is known to aid in, and immune health is not the least of these. Vitamin C is considered the most important water-soluble antioxidant in mammals because of its role in removing free radicals from the body. However, it can also detoxify drugs, histamines, carcinogens, and other harmful substances. Because of this ability, it is key to protecting the DNA of nearly every cell. Healing wounds, fighting diseases, and maintaining white blood cell health are other important roles that the vitamin has in the immune system.
But vitamin C is essential for a healthy metabolism, too. It is necessary for processing amino acids, and it helps animals absorb many minerals, particularly metals such as iron. It is also necessary to synthesize the nutrient carnitine.
Vitamin C is essential to the health of the skin and connective tissues throughout the body because of its role in synthesizing collagen. Collagen is the fibrous protein that makes up connective tissue. Because vitamin C aids in collagen synthesis, the vitamin is indirectly involved in maintaining bones, joints, spinal disks, blood vessels, and dentin, the part of the tooth between the enamel and the pulp. In this capacity, vitamin C also helps repair damage to the cornea caused by ultraviolet light.
A final major role of vitamin C is hormone function. This nutrient works with vitamin B5 to manufacture cortisol in the adrenal glands, necessary for resistance to stress.
Although conventional wisdom still questions the value of vitamin C as a natural remedy, anecdotal evidence and scientific studies abound that demonstrate this nutrient's versatility.
The following is a short list of conditions which vitamin C has been used to treat in animals:
While it may not be able to entirely cure pets suffering from degenerative joint problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia, vitamin C may be able to slow the progress and ease the pain of these diseases. Similarly, it may have an anti-inflammatory effect on active dogs that have suffered from a performance-related injury.
Vitamin C can also be a good supportive therapy for diabetic pets. It cannot replace insulin, but this vitamin can help insulin work more effectively at stabilizing blood sugar levels, thus forestalling some of the complications of diabetes.
On the preventative side of things, vitamin C can counteract stress (particularly heat stress), exposure to animals with contagious diseases, and the side effects of drugs. It is particularly valuable in assisting newborn animals that for whatever reason did not drink any colostrum.
Studies have found other interesting effects of vitamin C: increasing milk yield and quality in dairy animals and growth and meat quality in meat animals.
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