• High doses of Ester-C may help dogs with joint pain to stay active.dog image by Joanna Redesiuk from Fotolia.com
  
  Some evidence indicates that high doses of vitamin C can help dogs with joint disorders like hip dysplasia. In 1994, veterinarian L. Phillips Brown concluded that "Ester-C calcium ascorbate provided symptomatic relief to the study dogs suffering from selected chronic joint and musculoskeletal disorders." Brown also noted that improvement diminished once a dog stopped receiving Ester-C, further evidence of the pills' action.
  
  Ester-C is a brand name for calcium ascorbate, a form of vitamin C.
  
  

Dog Foods That Contain Calcium Ascorbate

• Many brands of dog food you can buy in a supermarket or pet shop contain some additional vitamin C, but often this is not calcium ascorbate, the Ester-C formula.
  
  Natural Life Pet Products adds calcium ascorbate to its dog foods. So does Precept. You can find others by looking on the food labels.
  
  

Dog Foods That Contain Ascorbic Acid

• Ascorbic acid is the traditional form of vitamin C. It might be listed as ascorbic acid or as vitamin C in the ingredients. Nearly all dog foods add it, including Advance, Kirkland and Eukanuba.
  
  

Do Dogs Need Vitamin C?

• Like most mammals, dogs synthesize vitamin C in their livers but, unlike humans, don't need to eat it. Dogs produce about 18 milligrams per pound of dog, meaning a healthy 50-pound dog produces 900 milligrams of vitamin C per day.
  
  Brown's research showed that higher daily supplements of calcium ascorbate, up to 2,000 milligrams, worked better.
  
  The amount of vitamin C in dog foods is minimal. If you want your dog to get extra vitamin C, you should add it yourself. Dogs can eat the same Ester-C or vitamin C pills as you, but you may need to camouflage them in some cheese or peanut butter.
  
  Don't worry about overdoses in the short term. The worst thing too much vitamin C can do is produce some temporary diarrhea.