Should there be a limit on the concentration of copper in dog food?

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) believes that existing guidelines for the copper concentration in foods for average dogs are, at present, properly and sufficiently regulated. However, it is open to monitoring the situation and eventually improving regulations after concerns were voiced in a study.

How it all started

The minimum inclusion levels recommended by the AAFCO, the organization that sets standards for pet foods in the US, are 7.3 parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (total diet) for adult dogs, and 12.4 ppm for growth, reproduction periods and all life stages.

However, a scientific article published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) raised doubts over the existing regulations and called for a maximum copper concentration in commercial dog food to be set.

The article states that the copper level in dogs’ livers has risen in the past decades and warned that the copper contents of many commercial dog foods “are greater than the biological requirement of dogs and exceed the tolerance limit for some of them”.

The reaction

The suggestions made in the article were analyzed by an AAFCO expert panel.

After analyzing the relevant veterinary literature, the panel determined that the data for setting a “safe upper limit or maximum tolerance” of copper in canine foods was “insufficient”.

The AAFCO’s Executive Director, Austin Therrell, says the association remains reluctant to make regulatory recommendations “based on implications or associations without definitive proof of cause and effect”.

Voluntary language

PETS International learned that during the last AAFCO annual meeting, which took place in August, it was decided a new workgroup would be formed to explore the development of voluntary language for “low copper claims”.

“There’s still not enough data to support a maximum copper level, as evidenced by multiple experts who all had different opinions at this meeting,” highlights Therrell.

The AAFCO will be paying “close attention” to veterinary literature on this topic but highlighted that until science “definitively shows” additional controls or restrictions are needed, it believes that copper concentration in foods for average dogs is “appropriately and sufficiently” regulated at present.