Cat Ailments A to Z - K - Vitamin K Deficiency

                                                                                

 Vitamin K

• Vitamin K is  a fat-soluble vitamin
• Needed for the proper clotting of blood
• It may also help prevent osteoporosis, as it is needed for the synthesis of the bone protein involved in calcium crystallization. 

Vitamin K comes in 3 forms

•  Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found naturally in plants, especially green vegetables; K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain healthy blood clotting 
•  Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is made by the bacteria that line your gastrointestinal tract; K2 goes straight to your blood vessel walls, bones, and tissues
•  Vitamin K3  ( menadione ) is the synthetic form of Vitamin K - this is the least desirable format

Both vitamins K1 and K2 are converted to Dihydro Vitamin K upon digestion.

• There is no AAFCO recommended level of vitamin K in Cat food.

There have been reports of vitamin K deficiency in cats fed several commercial foods containing high levels of salmon or tuna.

• AAFCO recommends supplementation for any cat eating a diet containing greater than 25 percent fish

Everyone else would say - stop feeding just fish you dumbass!

When we think of the word 'Deficiency'  we generally don't associate it with poison. 
But the reality is, there are poisons that can cause a Vitamin K deficiency in Cats ( Dogs & other animals as well)

Poisoning with vitamin K antagonists

• Many of the popular rodenticides act by inducing a vitamin K deficiency 
• If severe, leads to death by bleeding. 
• Coumarin derivatives such as Warfarin and Dicumarol interfere with recycling of vitamin K  and thereby lead to vitamin K deficiency. 
• Some of the newer types of rodenticides have such long half lives that a single feeding on poison bait can kill not only the rodent, but cause bleeding disease in dogs or cats that subsequently ingest them.

Betcha didn't think of that when you were trying to kill a tiny mouse.

Diseases that cause or lead to Vitamin K Deficiency
Liver disease:  

•  Decreased bile salt synthesis leads to impaired vitamin K absorption and deficiency.
• The liver synthesizes bile acids and secretes them into the small intestine where they play a critical role in absorption of lipids. 
• Vitamin K, as a fat-soluble vitamin, requires proper lipid absorption for its own absorption. 
• Majority of the clotting factors are synthesized almost exclusively in the liver

Intestinal disease: 

• Diseases that result in lipid malabsorption in the small intestine can lead to defects in absorption of vitamin K, as discussed above for liver.

Mentioned below are disorders that tend to be treated by the addition of  Vitamin K  - Though they are considered Coaagulation Protein Disorders - and not - Vitamin K Deficiency

Factor VIII deficiency (Hemophilia A) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in  Cats
Females in general can only be carriers - males are more likely to be affected
In highly inbred families, a carrier female that mates with an affected male can product female offspring who are affected


Factor IX deficiency (Hemophilia B) is diagnosed less often than Factor VIII deficiency. It has been reported in Himalayan cats, a family of Siamese-cross cats, and a family of British Short-haired cats.
As with VIII - Female are carriers and males are affected - with the possibility of inbred female offspring being affected
Merck Manuals 

There does not seem to be anything stated as being excessive  -though there is talk about K3 which would make more sense since it is the only man made format