has been banned from use in food and supplements for human use in many European countries due to serious side effects, including permanent damage and deaths
vitamins K1 and K2 are metabolized through the lymphatic system, utilizing pancreatic enzymes and bile acids and regulated by the liver. Vitamin K3 is absorbed directly and bypasses the natural pathways and regulators.
The term vitamin K3 for menadione and also its use should be avoided due to considerable side effects, which distinguish the compound from actual vitamin K compounds
Menadione (vitamin K3) is cheaper because it does not occur naturally. It is also burdened with considerable side effects. It is unsuitable for use in humans.
The better is always the enemy of the good. Or here: Vitamin K1 is undisputedly better than Vitamin K3.
The background, why Synkavit [a synthetic vitamin K product] was in 1969 removed from the market, was presumably in the realization that vitamin K [here: K1] is practically non toxic in comparison to the K3/K4 versions, and develops a stronger coagulant effect.
SynkavitRoche had hemolytic side effects, as we know today, so that it is assumed that at the time many newborns suffered permanent damage [ed.: there were also deaths]. This prompted the recall of the product in 1967 and instead the harmless Konakion was introduced.
Mark Rosenbloom, MD, MBA, FACEP, Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University
This particular toxicity is typically associated with formula-fed infants or those receiving synthetic vitamin K-3 (menadione) injections. Because of its toxicity, menadione is no longer used for treatment of vitamin K deficiency.
A large number of food manufacturers have already proven that this statement is patently false. Many companies have eliminated this questionable ingredient from their formulas, relying on ingredients that are naturally high in vitamin K, or adding the same, completely harmless natural supplement that is for example used to fortify commercial baby food.
"Menadione is AAFCO approved/self-affirmed GRAS for poultry and swine at nutritionally recommended doses. K3 is in essential all poultry and swine diets. Cost is the only reason AAFCO approval was not also sought for petfood.
Poultry and swine are not cats and dogs - we are looking at a lifetime exposure of several weeks (poultry) to several months (swine) vs. years in cats and dogs. Further, many commercially farmed animals require constant vitamin K supplementation since their intestinal flora is completely wiped out by long-term administration of antibiotics (preventing the beneficial bacteria from producing vitamin K), which does not apply to pets in the same format. Cost is no excuse, especially not considering the profit margins made by manufacturers on pet food. As outlined here on this site itself, menadione is being removed from more and more products - what does that tell us?
"Menadione has not be shown to create any detrimental effects at levels within 10x of recommended levels. (toxicity reports being utilized by this latest group of "activist" are not only disputed but at mega dose levels with no relevance to actual practice)"
I don't know which "activists" make such claims, but I'd like to point out that I do not support the use of any amount of menadione. It has never been researched or specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food, and the detrimental effects are not just simply related to high levels, but also to long-term exposure to low levels. Again I have to point out we aren't looking at livestock or lab animals just being exposed for a relatively short period of time, but what this substance can do to pets, especially their immune systems, over a period of 10-15 years or longer.
"Menadione is utilized to prevent nutrient deficiencies and not acute situation such as Rat poisoning."
This is correct, because menadione has been proven to be entirely ineffective for blood clotting, yet some manufacturers still using menadione compounds (often disguised as "vitamin K supplement") give "aids blood clotting" as a selling point. I call that consumer deception.
"If products were to be ranked in regards to bioactivity, of course K1 is better than K3, but if we look at application efficacy K3 is better than K1. It is a question of practicality of application.""
Cost vs. efficacy might be a selling point to livestock farmers, but manufacturers selling products for the pet market should realize that pet owners want to do right by their pets and keep them healthy as long as possible. In my personal opinion there is no room for the "least cost principle" in the pet food niche, especially not when many manufacturers claim to have our pets' best interests in mind.
Just because someone with a commercial interest in using a less costly product says my arguments are weak doesn't make them so. I think I have listed enough accredited, scientific sources in my article that outline why it is not a bad idea to avoid menadione in a food, under the best of circumstances it is an unnecessary ingredient and under the worst it may be harmful. The fact that my sources are not written in English has nothing to do with the argument - the pet food companies make enough profit to be able to hire certified staff for translating these sources if they were really interested in learning about the other side of the argument. As it is they don't care about anything but protecting their own interests though, and European research seems to be either touted or bashed, depending on which is more convenient in a particular argument.
"It seems the same folks advocating no Menadione are also in favor of non-processed diets for their pets.""
Not necessarily. Many people simply want good quality commercial diets without unnecessary or harmful ingredients for their pets, and they have a right to be informed.
"Dr John Suttie retired Research Prof, Univ of Wisconsin to the people in Germany who started this whole issue with Vitamin K in pet foods many years ago. He has published in excess of 225 paper on menadione, Vitamin K1, 2 and 3. In short he knows more about Vitamin K than any of us will ever want to know. When we had this problem in the early 2000's I sent all the files and publications from Germany and he did this rebuttal to their pseudo science. We were never able to understand what the problem was with these people, but after this letter we did not hear from them again until this latest discover from this nutritional guru in California."
On the day Dr. Suttie, or any person in favor of utilizing menadione in commercial pet food, is able to provide the favorable results of a properly conducted, independently funded, long-term study on the effect of menadione on domestic pets, I will stand down on the issue. Until then, unfortunately, I will have to continue to look at it from a "worst case scenario" point of view, just like I do in regards to synthetic preservatives, various rendered and non-rendered animal materials and other poor quality ingredients deemed appropriate for use in pet food by AAFCO.
In the case of human food additives and supplements, it has to be proven that they are not harmful before they are allowed to be included, why should we be satisfied with the reverse scenario for ingredients in the food our pets eat, often for many years, and listen to someone with a vested interest telling us that there's nothing wrong?
Wouldn't you rather buy from a company that respects your wishes than one that touts bits and pieces of regulation while conveniently leaving out others?
"When food contains menadione, every owner and breeder has to make the decision for himself whether he can take responsibility for giving his dog a substance that is not permitted in the [human] food sector and led to permanent damage and deaths in humans."
Looks like slowly but surely we are seeing this unnecessary ingredient disappear at least from the higher quality foods! Thanks to everyone who has helped, and is continuing to help bringing this concern to the manufacturers.
I only have a handful (heck, less than a handful) of dog travel links for you this week — here we go, and, for a few more moments, Happy Halloween!
Petswelcome.com offers three great suggestions for dog-friendly weekend trips from New York City, including inns in the Hamptons and the Finger Lakes, and a resort in the Catskills. The Take Paws team spent a night in NYC, at Ink48 (a Kimpton hotel in Midtown Manhattan). Located in a former printing house, … Read more
Dogs are not allowed on board the buses traveling to Florida, but they are otherwise welcomed: You can travel with your pet “as long as your pet is in a D.O.T approved carrier that you are able to carry … Read more
This useful page from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation site lists all of the Parks Departments’ dog-friendly areas in NYC. Scroll down and click on the name of the borough you’re investigating. The site doesn’t provide a lot of information about each location, but there’s enough to know, at least, whether the listing is a dog run or an off-leash area (which in this case means that dogs may be off leash but must be under … Read more
Washington Square has finally emerged from construction, and the off-leash dog park is once more in business (dog parks, I should say, because there’s a separate one for small ‘n’ shy dogs). The big dog area is large; the small ‘n’ shy area is on the small side, but I’m not really complaining. It’s a bit of a miracle to find an off-leash small ‘n’ shy area anywhere, much less Manhattan, so it could be closet-sized and I’d … Read more
The trip takes a half hour each way, and although you cannot stay on board for a round trip, it is just possible to disembark and re-embark on the returning ferry … Read more
Although we were staying with friends right next to the Washington Square dog park, the square in February 2009 was a sea of construction and we were happy to find a second dog park so close by. The Union Square off-leash dog run is on the west side of the square, and although it’s modest in size it’s certainly big enough for a small dog. It is completely fenced and has the usual double gates at the entrance. There are … Read more