Iodine For Dogs - Is It Safe and What Are The Benefits?

by Timothy Kinghan September 16, 2022

A tri-colored Australian Shepherd dog sits behind a bowl of dog food, looking directly at the camera with an expressive gaze. The dog's fur is predominantly black, white, and brown, with distinct markings around the eyes. The dog's paws rest gently on the sides of the bowl, set against a dark, neutral background that accentuates its attentive expression.

When it comes to our health, most people know that it is vital to feed our bodies with the right balance of essential vitamins and nutrients. What most dog owners don't know is that this applies for our beloved furry friends too. Some dog owners will try absolutely every diet out there to try and help with their dogs mysterious weight gain, recurring skin problems, joint pains and energy levels without any success because they aren't aware that it could be something as simple as iodine deficiency, one of the most common problems in dogs today.

Iodine, just like it is for humans, is essential for your dogs thyroid health. The thyroid is responsible for producing the master metabolism hormones that controls every function of the body.

A diverse selection of iodine-rich foods laid out on a black surface, ideal for a canine diet. Includes fresh seafood like whole fish and salmon fillets, eggs, dairy products like cheese, and seaweed—a potent source of iodine. These ingredients symbolize a diet formulated to support thyroid health in dogs.

WHAT DOES IODINE DO FOR YOUR DOG?

Iodine supports your dogs metabolism and builds a healthy amount of thyroid hormones. When these thyroid hormones are off balance, it can lead to drastic fluctuations in weight, energy and mood levels. Despite most commercial dry dog biscuit foods having at least one variation of iodine, recent studies revealed that some of these foods still lack the correct volume of essential vitamins and minerals, the most common being iodine. The thing about commercial dog food is that it is not reliable, because like humans, dogs are particular and some are more sensitive than others.

Without iodine, a number of health problems can occur, the most common being hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is basically a hormone deficiency as a result of not enough iodine. If your dog has chronic dry skin, rashes under the arms or on the stomach, hair loss or sudden weight gain or loss, the chances are he or she probably has hypothyroidism.

Insufficient dietary iodine is most common in medium-large sized dogs between 4-10 years old. Because small, young dogs don't need as much iodine in their diet, a standard portion of commercial dog food is usually sufficient, however larger older dogs can lack here.

In 1982, thyroid cancer and other tumorous diseases in dogs was calculated to be a high 48% and in 2002 it dropped to 3.2% due to the introduction of iodine in commercial dog foods.

If you are feeding your dog cooked meals or raw protein this can also increase your dogs intake of iodine, as livestock is very often supplemented with it.

A golden retriever sits on a sandy beach at sunset, holding a piece of seaweed in its mouth. The setting sun casts a warm glow on its fur and the tranquil waves in the background. The dog looks calmly towards the camera, embodying a sense of peace and contentment in the picturesque seaside moment.

BEST WAY TO GET IODINE INTO YOUR DOGS DIET

So what is an easier more economical way to monitor my dogs iodine intake other than feeding him expensive raw supermarket proteins or commercial dog foods?

Sea vegetables such as seaweed are the most effective, natural and economically sustainable way to keep your dog healthy and happy. Seaweed is packed full of naturally occurring iodine and is a great way to supplement your dogs nutritional needs. Brown seaweeds such as kombu, oarweed (check out our Irish Kelp for Pets here) or fucales are the most beneficial. However, given the temperamental trail of seaweeds, it is incredibly important to know the source of your seaweed and it's cleanliness.

That’s when Seaweed for Dogs, makes your life a lot easier. Seaweed for Dogs provides a range of different products, seaweed based.

Introducing seaweed into your dogs diet isn't just beneficial to your dogs iodine intake, as it is also rich in amino acids and phytonutrients such as lycopene and carotene, along with a whole range of beneficial unique bioactive compounds. These are considered 'whole foods', meaning they are complete foods and can be part of your pets daily diet. Also the vast array of vitamins, minerals and trace elements contained within them are bio-available, meaning they can be easily absorbed by the body.