vitamin A problems?

[babybunsmum]

i didn’t realize until reading another thread here & checking out bb’s veggie list that green & red leaf lettuce were high in vitamin A.  since changing up baby’s diet i’ve fallen into a consistant habit of feeding her these 2 greens adding in a third green that changes between celery, carrot tops and curly parsley.  reason being… green & red leaf lettuce are always available & fresh & i wanted to give her some consistancy.  her poops have been very good & i rarely (if ever) see any cecal pellets anymore, but i wonder if she’s getting too much vitamin A now?  what are the risks / symptoms of rabbits getting too much?  

thanks

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[Kokaneeandkahlua]

To be honest I don’t think it’s a problem…But I am not entirely sure…The reason veggies w/ vitamin A are listed/noted is bunnies need vitamin a every day. I didn’t think it was something you would avoid, like veggies noted for being high in calcium. So my verdictis you are fine

Cute picture of Baby *sigh* I lurv her ears!

[babybunsmum]

lol… well that makes sense.  i wonder why i read ‘serve one of these per day’ and thought ‘restrict to one of these per day’?    i think i need another coffee

[JK]

Ok I just read about this on carrot cafe I think.  I need to go find that thread and post it here. 

[JK]

I cannot find it anywhere now!  I did read that all fresh greens are about 70-80% water which greatly dilutes all nutrients. So I don’t think it’s a problem but I really have no clue.  I’m giving Edson more than one thing high in Vitamin A too – romaine & parsley and that’s usually every day. Plus then I add in a 3rd like mint which does not have Vitamin A.  I’m sure there is Vitamin A in the Oxbow pellets too.  Does anyone out there know if giving 2 greens with Vitamin A plus the pellets is too much??? Excessive Vitamin A can cause neurological and skin damage!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ok, here’s what I found on wikipedia…

Overdose
Main article: Hypervitaminosis A
As vitamin A is fat-soluble, disposing of any excesses taken in through diet is much harder than with water-soluble vitamins B and C. As such, vitamin A toxicity can result. This can lead to nausea, jaundice, irritability, anorexia (not to be confused with anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder), vomiting, blurry vision, headaches, muscle and abdominal pain and weakness, drowsiness and altered mental status.

Acute toxicity generally occurs at doses of 25,000 IU/kg, with chronic toxicity occurring at 4,000 IU/kg daily for 6-15 months.[8] However, liver toxicities can occur at levels as low as 15,000 IU per day to 1.4 million IU per day, with an average daily toxic dose of 120,000 IU per day. In people with renal failure 4000 IU can cause substantial damage. Additionally excessive alcohol intake can increase toxicity.[9]

In chronic cases, hair loss, drying of the mucous membranes, fever, insomnia, fatigue, weight loss, bone fractures, anaemia, and diarrhoea can all be evident on top of the symptoms associated with less serious toxicity.[10]

These toxicities only occur with preformed (retinoid) vitamin A (such as from liver), the carotenoid forms (such as beta carotene as found in carrots) give no such symptoms.

A new study shows a correlation between low bone mineral density and too high intake of vitamin A.[11]

[JK]

I found this kind of info too but WHAT THE HECK DOES IT MEAN in real terms?????????????  Just want to know if 2 greens with Vit A plus pellets is too much?  But thanks though for the info!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve no idea….I was thinkig that too much vit A would be no prob, but after reading that I don’t know…

tell you what, I’m taking Kahlua in for a pre-spay check up and blood work probably next friday, so if i can get a chance I’ll ask the vet if it would be possible for bunnies to get too much vitamin A through diet and what we should do about it

[JK]

Sounds good.  I am assuming that since they are not eating more than a cup of things with Vitamin A it really isn’t a problem but then again I’d like to know that for sure. Thanks and I appreciate you asking the vet! In the meantime maybe someone knows for sure here.

[babybunsmum]

yeah hopefully you can’t get those high amounts by eating 2 cups of greens / day… it’d be nice to know for sure that those cautions are for supplementation only!  my vets instructions lists some examples (ones that are one bb’s list) and says ‘give a variety of greens for best nutrition’ but doesn’t get into further specifics. 

k&k… i’m curous to hear what your vet says.  thanks in advance for checking

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hmm, very inetersting question.  I have had a bit of trouble finding info myself.  The closest thing I can come to is that one veggie fo three should contain vitamin A that you feed your bunny each day.  Due to the real lack of info I am finding, I think it is safe to assume that it is not common and not real likely to happen and if it does, it is rare.  It would be something to ask your vet at the next check up though!

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