The Dog Food Ingredient One Veterinarian Says Every Pet Owner Should Know About
Veterinarian encourages pet owners to take a closer look at what's in their dog's food.
A Michigan veterinarian is urging pet owners to learn more about the amount of copper in commercial dog food, saying excess levels may contribute to serious liver disease in some dogs.
Dr. Pete VanVranken, founder of Voyager Dog Food Company and a practicing veterinarian, said his family’s experience with a dog diagnosed with copper storage disease led him to develop a dog food formulated without added copper.
VanVranken said the issue came to his attention after his family’s mixed-breed dog lost weight and was later diagnosed through a liver biopsy with copper storage disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
“We lost our dog,” VanVranken said. “I thought I should do something about this.”
Copper is an essential nutrient for dogs, but VanVranken said he believes many commercial foods contain significantly more copper than necessary because of supplemental ingredients added during manufacturing.
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“You have to have copper,” he said. “But we don’t need it in the amount that we’re getting it.”
According to VanVranken, many pet foods exceed the minimum nutritional recommendations established for dogs, with some containing several times the amount of copper he believes is necessary. He said excess copper can accumulate in the liver over time, particularly in older dogs.
VanVranken said copper storage disease has historically been associated with breeds including Labrador Retrievers, Doberman Pinschers, Dalmatians and West Highland White Terriers, but he said veterinarians are increasingly diagnosing the condition in many breeds.
He also said diagnosing the disease often requires a liver biopsy, making it more expensive and less commonly identified than many other canine illnesses.
VanVranken said he contacted a major dog food manufacturer after his dog’s diagnosis. He said the company later reviewed liver samples from dozens of its research dogs and found several with elevated copper levels, though he said the company did not change its formulation.
He believes reducing added copper in dog food could help lower the risk of copper accumulation in dogs over time.
VanVranken acknowledged that changing commercial formulations could be costly for manufacturers but said pet owners should educate themselves about the ingredients in their dogs’ food.
“The dogs don’t get to order their own food,” he said.
VanVranken said his company, Voyager Dog Food Company, produces food without added copper sulfate, relying instead on naturally occurring copper found in ingredients to meet nutritional requirements.
He said his goal is not only to sell dog food but to raise awareness of what he believes is an underrecognized health issue within veterinary medicine.
“This is what we do,” VanVranken said. “I’m still passionate about doing what I think is right.”