Pet Food Ingredient
Taurine
Essential amino sulfonic acid for cats (who cannot synthesise it) and conditionally essential for dogs. Critical for cardiac muscle function — deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Also labelled as
Regulatory status
AAFCO nutrient profile: required for cats at minimum 0.1% dry matter (dry food) or 0.2% (wet food). Not required for adult dogs but commonly added.
Key notes
- —Cat food legally must be supplemented with taurine. Dog food requirements are less prescriptive, which is part of the grain-free DCM concern — some grain-free formulas may inadequately supplement taurine to compensate for low whole-meat inclusion.
- —Natural dietary sources: muscle meat (particularly dark meat), heart, liver. Fish and shellfish are the richest sources.
Common questions
Do dogs need taurine in their food?
Dogs synthesise taurine from methionine and cysteine, so it's not strictly essential in dog food the way it is for cats. But dogs on low-meat diets may not produce enough — part of the grain-free DCM concern is that taurine synthesis can fall short when animal-protein inclusion is low and pulse inclusion is high. Some high-pulse grain-free foods supplement taurine as insurance.
Why is taurine critical for cats specifically?
Cats cannot synthesise taurine — they must get it from their diet. Deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), retinal degeneration, and reproductive failure. All AAFCO-compliant cat foods must contain at minimum 0.1% taurine in dry food or 0.2% in wet. Cat food without adequate taurine is dangerous within weeks; homemade cat diets without supplementation are a common cause of preventable feline DCM.
Is this ingredient in your pet's food?
Scan the label. If it contains taurine or any of the alternative names above, the scanner will flag it against your pet's allergen profile.
Scan a label →This entry is factual reference. It is not medical or veterinary advice. Consult a veterinarian for any decisions about your pet's diet.