Vitamin C is a general term for the biologically active compound of ascorbic acid, a water-soluble vitamin that is abundant in fruits and vegetables. It is an indispensable vitamin nutrition for cats, which can maintain the normal structure between cells and promote wound healing. Plays a regulatory role in redox metabolic reactions, lack of which can cause scurvy.

Vitamin C is the most effective water-soluble antioxidant in extracellular fluid, and it has anti-lipid peroxidation both inside and outside cells. The defenses of the free radical scavengers SOD and GSH-PX are different. Vitamin C has a stronger antioxidant effect than other plasma components such as bilirubin and alpha-tocopherol, and has a blocking effect on the ongoing lipid peroxidation in plasma, thereby protecting biological membranes from lipid peroxidation It is the first line of defense of the extracellular fluid antioxidant defense system.

Vitamin C also plays an antioxidant role in the normal operation of the redox chain in the body, thereby protecting red blood cells and scavenging oxygen free radicals in tissues. Vitamin C also exerts antioxidant effects by scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation in intact liver cells, protecting liver function. In addition, vitamin C not only directly plays the function of scavenging free radicals, but also assists in scavenging free radicals such as vitamin E and glutathione.

I. Clinical symptoms of vitamin C deficiency

Initial stage It is manifested as lack of energy, decreased appetite, and slow growth and development of pets. If left untreated, characteristic hemorrhagic symptoms, such as swelling, pain, and bleeding of the gingival mucosa, can develop into ulcers, and severe ulcers or necrosis of the cheeks and tongue can also occur. Gum necrosis or alveolar atrophy causes the teeth to loosen or even fall off, profuse salivation, and bad breath. Swollen joints, pain, difficulty moving, like to lie down. Subcutaneous petechiae, follicular keratosis, gastrointestinal, kidney, bladder, nasal mucosa bleeding, etc.

Second, the cause of vitamin C deficiency

Children Vitamin C cannot be synthesized within a certain period of time after birth, and must be obtained from breast milk. If the vitamin C content in breast milk is insufficient or deficient, it is easy to cause disease; in the process of gastrointestinal disease or liver disease, vitamin C absorption, utilization, synthesis obstacles; Pneumonia, chronic infectious diseases or poisoning diseases will consume a large amount of vitamin C in the body, causing relative deficiency and also causing disease; in the process of chronic disease and stress, the consumption of vitamin C increases relatively, and relative deficiency may occur; in addition, because vitamin C It is easy to be oxidized, and the oxidation of vitamin C is serious in the feed processing process, resulting in the lack of vitamin C in the feed, so long-term feeding of feeds lacking vitamin C is also one of the reasons for the deficiency.

Three, prevention and treatment of vitamin C deficiency

Improve feeding management, giving fresh feed rich in vitamin C, and when designing and supplementing the daily vitamin nutritional needs of pet cats, the actual needs of various vitamins should be comprehensively considered to ensure pet cats Mi get adequate and reasonable nutritional needs. Long-term use of feeds with too low or too high vitamin content, especially feeds with too low or too high content of fat-soluble vitamins, may cause adverse reactions to pets’ growth and development or to maintain normal metabolism.

Some fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C, but these foods are not palatable to cats. The way to supplement vitamin C is to add vitamin C tablets to cat food. However, some parents report that cats do not like to eat vegetables, cats do not like vegetables or do not like to eat certain types of vegetables, because cats do not like the special taste of certain vegetables or because vegetables contain more crude fiber, it is not easy to chew Rotten, difficult to swallow, and caused by cats' picky eating habits.