What dosage do those of you who use folic acid give to your bitches?
Thanks in advance.

400mcg/daily

Don't more of you use folic acid? I Googled it, 200 to 400 mcg depending on size. Do any of your repro vets recommend it? There have to be more of you giving it to your pregnant girls to avoid especially neural tube defects and clefts eh?

Dogs can make their own folic acid so they don't need a supplement. In fact to much can be harmful. People don't make their own so it is helpful for us to take a supplement.

You could be correct however when we started giving folic acid to our girls (8-9 years ago) we never had another cleft palate.

I've never supplemented with folic acid, and have never had a cleft puppy.

I believe that clefts in puppies has more to do with exposure to something harmful (chemical exposure) during early stages of fetal formation, rather than a folic acid deficiency. Oversupplementation with Vit A has also been shown to cause clefts, as has viral illness early in gestation. There has also been shown a genetic component; dogs with clefts, or with relatives with clefts; produce clefts.

If you feed a good quality food you really shouldn't need to supplement with anything.

This is one of those topics where everyone is a little bit correct. Yes, folate can reduce cleft palates and neural tube defects and even small doses of suplementation can have a positive effect. Yes, dogs can synthesize folate - but only IF the diet is sufficient in certain other things. Yes, many good dog foods TODAY include folate in their formulas - but most didn't 10 years ago.

So.... do you need to supplement? Check your dog food to make sure folate is listed. If not, add it. If you feed raw, I would add it just to be sure enough is available. I use 400mcg because that is readily available at most drug departments as a human supplement. Less would probably do, so for people who don't mind splitting little pills, 200mcg is likely fine. Some stores only carry the 800mcg. I have used those and dosed every other day (I hate splitting pills).

There may be an additional benefit. After folate was added to the US human grain product supply in 1996, the CDC researchers noticed some surprising statistics. In addition to reducing neural tube defects by over 20%, vascular event numbers also went down. Folate helps to maintain stronger blood vessels and aids in cell repair. In all, the researchers estimate that folate in food led to 31,000 fewer deaths from stroke and 17,000 from heart disease each year from 1998 to 2001. If a little bit of folate can help me and my dogs live a longer, healthier life - why not use it?

Thank you to those who answered the question. To everyone else, please read and understand the original question. I specifically asked for replies from people who give folic acid to their bitches. If you want to post replies, why don't you post replies to the appropriate questions.

You're welcome - glad to be of service.

This wasn't what the OP asked anyway. She asked for the dosage for those of you that *do* use folic acid.

I would like to know where your information came from that dogs make their own folic acid and people don't. Both do but is it enough to avoid neural tube defects, CP's and other congenital defects.

The CDC advocates the use of folic acid in humans and dogs in appropriate doses. It is a water soluble vitamin so what isn't used is excreted. Although it is, no supplement should be over the recommended dosage. The only dogs that shouldn't be supplemented with the appropriate amount of folic acid are dogs that have any form of enteropathy.

A CBC is done on my girls about a month before they come into heat if it's a girl that will be bred.


400 mcg here too, that's for large dogs. Medium size dogs 200 mcg is recommended and small dogs are dosed at 50 mcg.

I've never had a cleft in a litter, ever. I consider myself very fortunate.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/breeding/nutrition.htm