Ester-C
® is a buffered form of Vitamin C that
is "body ready" and 4 times more available to
the tissues than ordinary Vitamin C, which is highly acidic.
In Ester C®, the acid is buffered with calcium and processed
to contain threonate, a metabolite which dramatically
enhances absorption.
Ester-C dog
usage is
increasingly proving beneficial. Although animals can manufacture
Vitamin C in their bodies under ordinary conditions, stresses
such as heavy exercise, injuries or respiratory problems
increase the demand for
Ester-C in dogs. An important component
of collagen or connective tissue, Ester C® functions as
a chondroprotective, anti-inflammatory and immunoresponsive substance.
Vitamin C has non nutritional properties
in higher dosages. For example, the anti inflammatory
and antioxidant properties of large doses of Vitamin C
are widely recognized. A growing body of anecdotal
evidence is accumulating from veterinary practitioners
who have begun recommending Ester C vitamin ascorbates in place
of ordinary ascorbates to achieve these effects.
Many veterinarians and pet owners have turned to Ester C® calcium
ascorbate because it is a gentle way of administering
Vitamin C to dogs and horses without gastrointestinal
upset. Because they have found that Ester C® ascorbate
is gentler in the stomachs of animals, it could be given
at the higher doses necessary to achieve desired non nutritional actions.
Dr. Geir Erik Berge, a veterinarian in Oslo, Norway,
gave 100 disabled dogs 30 mg/kg of Ester C® three times
daily for six months. To qualify for the study, a dog
had to have one of the following chronic conditions involving
the joints and connective tissue: severe joint injury,
arthritis, spondylosis, hip dysplasia, older disc prolapse,
muscle atrophy as a result of functional loss, or senile
wear and tear in support and motion systems. After
one week of treatment with Ester C®, some 75% of the ailing
dogs showed dramatic improvement in their conditions.
This percentage improvement remained relatively stable
for the rest of the study. At the six month mark,
78% of the previously suffering dogs had experienced a
significant reduction in symptoms.
Berge concluded that dogs manufacture sub-optimal concentrations of Vitamin
C in some tissues under the stress of certain ailments.
He recommended high dosage supplementation with Ester C® ascorbate to help correct those deficits.
Free and Easy for Dogs contains suggested levels
of
Ester C
® which works synergistically with the other vitamins and
supplements to provide the necessary and expected relief of many dogs.
Credits
(Berge, 1990). The Norwegian Veterinary Journal 102: 579,580,581
Additional Reading
Ester-C: Miracle Cure for Hip Dysplasia?
