Commercial Dog Food May Not Be Reliable
A 2011 study discovered some commercial dog foods have an imbalance of the minerals and vitamins necessary for keeping your dog healthy — iodine included.[5] You need to check your dog food label just as you check the label on your food. A careful review of the ingredients is the best way to assure your dog is getting the iodine they need. If there are shortages in, it may be necessary to find another brand, make your own, or supplement your pets nutritional needs.
What foods are high in iodine?
Fish (such as cod and tuna), seaweed, shrimp, and other seafood, which are generally rich in iodine. Dairy products (such as milk, yogurt, and cheese), which are major sources of iodine in American diets. Iodized salt, which is readily available in the United States and many other countries*
Dangers of Kelp for Hyperthyroidism in Cats
At the North American Veterinary Conference 2005 Dr. P. Schenck showed studies which suggested that cats fed a canned food diet were more at risk from hyperthyroidism. This may be because of chemical substances in the lining of the can, or because continuously feeding this diet results in excessive iodine levels because cat food commonly relies on fish as the protein source. In addition, more and more pet food companies are relying on kelp to provide minerals for their food, treats and supplements.
As mentioned previously, kelp can have extremely varied levels of iodine and powdered kelp can be a very concentrated source of this micronutrient making it very easy for over-supplementation. This can be dangerous for cats susceptible to hyperthyroidism because consuming too much iodine (either from food or supplements) can cause the thyroid gland to overproduce thyroid hormones.(2)
Kelp is commonly used as a mineral source in pet supplements and foods because of its broad spectrum of trace minerals and vitamins. The reason for this is that kelp very efficiently absorbs minerals directly from ocean water into its tissue.
However, this efficient process can also create toxicity concerns, especially when the water source is highly polluted as are our oceans. Sea kelp grown in polluted waters will absorb toxic heavy metals, like arsenic(3), which if ingested can cause major health problems. Alarmingly, Scientists at California State University, Long Beach found that radioactive iodine from the Fukushima nuclear reactor contaminated kelp near Orange County a month after the accident. Luckily, iodine 131’s short half-life of 8 days left it undetectable in the kelp a month later.
This concern has lead to recommendations that kelp not be ingested if an individual is pregnant or breastfeeding, or by children or people with health issues, especially liver or kidney problems. This most certainly would apply to our dogs and cats as well.
When purchasing kelp, obtain that which is certified organic. These kelp products are obtained from waters considered to be cleaner and meet certain guidelines to obtain this certification. Does this mean that this kelp is free of heavy metal contaminants? Probably not, but contaminant levels should be much lower in these kelp products.
IODINE: Essential or Dangerous? Why You Need Iodine? How Much?
Kelp is the largest plant in the seaweed family (considered a brown seaweed), usually found and cultivated as dense forests of kelp usually found 25 to 100 feet under water. Sea kelp is a natural source of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E, as well as minerals including zinc,