Vitamin B6 for Dogs

References

Numbered references identify the sources used for specific claims. Read the study design, species and evidence boundaries alongside each finding.

1. [1]
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6: Health Professional Fact Sheet. n.d.Evidence boundary: Explains B6 forms and its roles in amino-acid metabolism, neurotransmitter and hemoglobin formation, and carbohydrate pathways. Human intake recommendations are not canine dosing guidance.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6 · ↩ 7 · ↩ 8 · ↩ 9
2. [2]
   Association of American Feed Control Officials. What’s in the Ingredients List? n.d.Evidence boundary: Identifies pyridoxine hydrochloride as a vitamin B6 source and explains the names of vitamins and minerals on pet-food ingredient lists.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5
3. [3]
   Reactome. Vitamin B6 activation to pyridoxal phosphate. n.d.Evidence boundary: Curated human pathways describe conversion between B6 forms and the role of B2-derived coenzymes. These entries explain biochemistry rather than comparing oral supplements in dogs.↩ 1 · ↩ 2
4. [4]
   Street, Cowgill and Zimmerman. Some Observations of Vitamin B6 Deficiency in the Dog: Three Figures. 1941Evidence boundary: Publisher summary of experimental B6 deprivation in dogs: severe anemia developed after 120–320 days and responded to B6 concentrates, unlike ferrous sulfate. The full paper was not available.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6
5. [5]
   Sarma, Snell and Elvehjem. The Vitamin B6 Group. IX. Comparative Growth and Anti-anemic Potencies of Pyridoxal, Pyridoxamine and Pyridoxine for Dogs. 1946Evidence boundary: A three-puppy depletion and replacement experiment with blood and growth responses. Successive periods compared intravenous pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine; this was not an oral PLP comparison.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6 · ↩ 7
6. [6]
   Coburn, Mahuren and Guilarte. Vitamin B-6 Content of Plasma of Domestic Animals Determined by HPLC, Enzymatic and Radiometric Microbiological Methods. 1984Evidence boundary: The primary abstract compares methods for measuring B6 compounds in animal plasma, including dogs and cats. It concerns laboratory measurement rather than a clinical diagnostic cutoff.↩
7. [7]
   U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Complete and Balanced Pet Food. 2020Evidence boundary: Official explanation of nutritional adequacy statements, AAFCO nutrient profiles and feeding-trial procedures, life stages and dry-matter comparisons.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6
8. [8]
   FEDIAF. Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. 2025Evidence boundary: Commercial-food recommendations, with adult-dog B6 values of 0.42 or 0.36 mg per 1,000 kcal reflecting different assumed energy needs. These describe nutrient concentration in food, rather than an extra supplement dose.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4
9. [9]
   La Petite Labs. Hollywood Elixir product supplement panel and serving information. 2026Evidence boundary: The product panel declares 1 mg B6 per standard daily serving of one 2.5 g sachet and lists the other ingredients. The product information includes adult-use and serving guidance.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6
10. [10]
    La Petite Labs. Hollywood Elixir Ingredients. 2026Evidence boundary: The ingredient guide identifies B6 as pyridoxal 5-phosphate, declares 1 mg and describes wet-food mixing or use as a kibble topper.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5 · ↩ 6
11. [11]
    Phillips and colleagues. Subacute toxicity of pyridoxine hydrochloride in the beagle dog. 1978Evidence boundary: Primary publisher abstract of oral pyridoxine hydrochloride at 50 or 200 mg/kg body weight/day for a mean 107 days. Microscopic dorsal-root myelin loss occurred in the lower group despite no overt clinical signs; the higher group developed clinical and tissue changes.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4 · ↩ 5
12. [12]
    Krinke and colleagues. Pyridoxine megavitaminosis produces degeneration of peripheral sensory neurons (sensory neuronopathy) in the dog. 1981Evidence boundary: Primary abstract of oral pyridoxol hydrochloride at 300 mg/kg/day in dogs, with sensory-neuron degeneration and a swaying gait within nine days. This was repeated high-dose pyridoxine exposure.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3 · ↩ 4
13. [13]
    Zhu, Lin and Banerjee. Kinetic Properties of Polymorphic Variants and Pathogenic Mutants in Human Cystathionine gamma-Lyase. 2008Evidence boundary: Recombinant-human-enzyme research on PLP-dependent conversion of cystathionine to cysteine, explaining a step in the supply of material for glutathione.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3
14. [14]
    Lamers and colleagues. Vitamin B-6 restriction tends to reduce the red blood cell glutathione synthesis rate without affecting red blood cell or plasma glutathione concentrations in healthy men and women. 2009Evidence boundary: Thirteen healthy humans underwent 28 days of B6 restriction. Blood glutathione concentrations were unchanged, and average declines in red-cell synthesis rates were not statistically significant.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3
15. [15]
    Reactome. Glutathione synthesis and recycling. n.d.Evidence boundary: Curated reaction records describe assembly of glutathione from glutamate, cysteine and glycine in two ATP-requiring steps. These assembly reactions are distinct from the PLP-dependent pathway supplying cysteine.↩ 1 · ↩ 2 · ↩ 3
16. [16]
    Reactome. Oxidized glutathione plus NADPH yields reduced glutathione. n.d.Evidence boundary: The glutathione reductase reaction uses a FAD-containing enzyme and NADPH to restore reduced glutathione. This is the recycling step, separate from B6-dependent cysteine supply.↩
17. [17]
    Fletcher and colleagues. Nicotinamide riboside kinases display redundancy in mediating nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in skeletal muscle cells. 2017Evidence boundary: Mouse skeletal-muscle and cellular research describes NR conversion through NMN to NAD, supporting NR’s distinct precursor role.↩
18. [18]
    Reactome. GABA synthesis, release, reuptake and degradation. 2010Evidence boundary: Curated human pathway and reaction entries describe GABA’s inhibitory role and its PLP-dependent synthesis from glutamate. They explain a biochemical mechanism, rather than a canine calming treatment.↩
19. [19]
    ASPCA. Which Supplements and Vitamins Are Dangerous for Pets? 2021Evidence boundary: Veterinary poison guidance on risks from human supplements, considering the whole product and promptly contacting a veterinarian or animal poison service after a pet gains access.↩