potassium iodide

What it is

A simple iodine salt, supplying the trace element thyroid hormones are built from. Requirements are measured in micrograms, the narrowest scale in nutrition, and both deficiency and chronic excess disturb the thyroid.

Why it's in pet food

Precision: a synthetic iodine salt delivers an exact dose, which is the entire argument for it over iodine-rich whole ingredients. The kelp page tells the variable-dose version of this story; potassium iodide is the metered version.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Neutral — iodine adequacy is formulation arithmetic the label can't show. The feline research conversation about chronic iodine intake and hyperthyroidism (noted on the kelp page) applies to totals, not to which salt delivered them; measured beats variable either way, and neither belongs in home supplementation.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list potassium iodide

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• Fernbrook Kitchens Heritage Rabbit Single-Protein Pâté92
• Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Dog Chicken & Rice Formula91
• Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula91
• Taste of the Wild Lowland Creek Feline Recipe with Roasted Quail & Roasted Duck91
• Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Canine Recipe with Roasted Lamb91
• Hazelmoor Puppy Chicken & Oat Loaf90
• Taste of the Wild Ancient Mountain Canine Recipe with Roasted Lamb90
• Taste of the Wild Ancient Wetlands Canine Recipe with Roasted Fowl90

Sources

• NRC Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006)
• AAFCO Dog & Cat Food Nutrient Profiles (2016)

Related ingredients

• manganese proteinate
• manganese sulfate
• monocalcium phosphate
• selenium yeast
• sodium selenite
• zinc oxide

Further reading

• The guaranteed analysis, decoded
• How to read a pet food label