Most of us want to avoid giving our pets food that’s full of chemicals and unhealthy additives. As such, it can be a bit unnerving to see ingredients we don’t recognise on the packet. And choline chloride is one such ingredient that people often have questions about. To help put your mind at ease, today we’re talking about what this nutrient is and the benefits of including choline chloride in dog food. We’ll also discuss alternatives you can add to your pooch’s meals to ensure they get sufficient choline in their diet. So let’s take a closer look and find out whether this ingredient deserves a high-five or a side-eye!
What is choline chloride in dog food?
To put it simply, choline chloride is a synthetic version of the essential nutrient choline. While it’s not as well-known as other nutrients like vitamin C and iron, choline is equally important for canine health. Which means not only is choline chloride in dog food safe, but it’s also beneficial for your pet’s wellbeing. In fact, many people consider it a necessary addition to their grub. And it isn’t just dogs either. Manufacturers add choline chloride to food for cats, fish, and farm animals too.
As well as being a common ingredient in commercial dog food, choline chloride is available in supplement form. It’s a type of water-soluble nutrient that people sometimes call vitamin B4, although it’s not technically a vitamin. Choline chloride (and choline) is often grouped with B vitamins because it shares several similarities with these nutrients. For example, they fulfil some of the same functions and work closely together in the body. And because they’re water soluble, the body can’t store them in significant amounts. Your pooch will filter any excess through their kidneys and excrete it in their urine.
If you want to get technical, choline chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt formed from a choline cation and a chloride anion. And if your eyes glazed over at that last sentence, don’t worry! You don’t need a chemistry degree to understand the reasons for having choline chloride in dog food. Here, we’ll prove it.
Why do companies add choline chloride to dog food?
The main reason producers put choline chloride in dog food is that it’s an essential nutrient. This means that our pups can’t synthesise enough of it on their own and must obtain it through their diet. Other essential nutrients for dogs include vitamins A and D, omega-3 fatty acids, ten amino acids, and minerals like calcium.
For manufacturers to label pet food as ‘complete and balanced’, it has to contain all the essential nutrients your furry friend requires and in the right proportions. That means you can feed it to your pooch on a continuous basis with no need for nutritional supplements. The exception to this is if a vet advises you to use supplements because your mutt has a medical condition. A ‘complementary’ food, on the other hand, offers some variety and extra nutrients but isn’t enough on its own.
While there’s no specific requirement to use choline chloride in dog food, companies must ensure their products contain sufficient choline. Choline chloride is a common ingredient brands choose because it’s an effective, established, and affordable way to fulfil this obligation.
Of course, it’s not the only option. One downside of putting choline chloride in dog food is that it’s hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. This can cause practical difficulties during the manufacturing process. As such, some companies opt for alternatives like phosphatidylcholine, citicoline, and choline bitartrate. Research suggests some of these may also offer additional health benefits for our pups and be more bioavailable.(1) However, further investigation is necessary to confirm this. Speak to your vet if you’re unsure about the best source of choline for your mutt.
The health benefits of choline for dogs
Because the nutrient is involved in many functions, there are several notable benefits of choline and choline chloride for dogs. For example, they help to maintain the structure of all their cells by supporting the integrity of cell membranes. This includes the myelin sheath, which is a protective covering that surrounds nerve cells.
One of the most important benefits of choline chloride for dogs is looking after brain health. Choline acts as a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is crucial for cognitive functions like learning, memory, and focus. Acetylcholine is also involved in regulating mood and controlling muscle movements. Because of this, choline is key for both a puppy’s brain development and slowing cognitive decline in older pooches.(2)
Another aspect of canine wellbeing that choline helps to care for is liver health. First, it prevents fat from building up in the organ’s cells, reducing the risk of fatty liver disease. Second, choline is involved in the breakdown of cholesterol and moves it out of the liver. Adequate intake of the nutrient is key for both normal liver function and overall metabolic health.
Finally, putting choline chloride in dog food is good news for your pup’s heart too. There are a few reasons for this. For instance, acetylcholine is vital for regulating heart rate and dilating blood vessels. Plus, choline helps convert the amino acid homocysteine into a more beneficial one called methionine. This is advantageous because high levels of homocysteine can increase the risk of heart disease. Choline’s role in lipid metabolism offers further advantages for cardiovascular health by reducing the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream.
Does my dog need choline supplements?
Given how important choline is for canine health, you might wonder if the choline chloride in dog food is enough. Should we also be adding choline supplements to our mutts’ diets to ensure they get sufficient amounts of the nutrient? In most cases, the answer is no. If you buy complete commercial dog food, it should contain all the choline your pup requires to be healthy. This is one advantage it has over homemade dog food, where the nutritional content of meals is harder to quantify.
Having said that, some pooches might need more of the nutrient than the choline chloride in dog food provides. Research suggests that choline supplements could help support cognitive function in senior mutts with conditions like canine cognitive dysfunction.(3) Thanks to its role in producing acetylcholine, choline can aid memory and ease symptoms like confusion and disorientation. Other things choline supplements may be useful for include liver issues and epilepsy.
It's vital to stress that you should always consult a vet before giving your pet choline supplements. This is both to determine whether they need them, and to work out the appropriate dosage if they do. Plus, if your dog has health conditions or is on medication, you have to ensure there’s no risk of interactions.
It’s also possible for our pets to consume too much choline. This is rare because the nutrient is water soluble, and it usually occurs due to over-supplementation rather than choline chloride in dog food. Symptoms include tummy troubles like vomiting and diarrhoea, low blood pressure, and changes in behaviour such as hyperactivity and nervousness. If you notice any of these in your pet when they’re on choline supplements, take them to the vet immediately.
Other sources of choline for dogs
As choline is a water-soluble nutrient, the body can’t store large quantities of it. That means it’s important for our pups to consume it in their daily diet. The inclusion of choline chloride in dog food makes this easy, but it’s not the only source. The nutrient is also present in plenty of pup-safe ingredients that you can add to your pooch’s meals. So, if you want to ensure your pet is getting sufficient choline without resorting to supplements, try some of these:
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Meat like beef, pork, and chicken
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Fish such as cod and salmon
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Organ meats (e.g. liver and kidney)
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Egg yolks
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Legumes like black beans and soybeans
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Whole grains and wheat germ
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Vegetables like Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and cauliflower
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Shiitake mushrooms
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Yoghurt and milk (plain and unsweetened)
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Peanuts (plain and unsalted)
It might take some trial and error to find out which of these your mutt is happy to munch on! And remember to adjust the amount of grub you give them to compensate for the extra calories.
Fortunately, because there’s choline chloride in dog food, choline deficiency is rare in our furry friends. But that doesn't mean it’s impossible. Some of the signs that your pooch might be deficient in the nutrient include:
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Weight loss and decreased appetite
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Poor growth in puppies
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Muscle weakness or spasms
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Poor coordination
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Cognitive impairment
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Lethargy
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Restlessness
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Anxiety
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Vomiting
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Diarrhoea
Other symptoms that may not be as noticeable include liver problems (e.g. fatty liver, increased liver enzymes) and high cholesterol. If you have any concerns that your pet could be deficient in choline, book an appointment with your vet.
Boosie’s approach to essential nutrients for our pets
Here at Boosie, we believe that wherever possible, it’s preferable for animals to get the nutrients they need from whole foods rather than supplements. That’s why we create functional foods specifically for our fluffy companions to boost their nutritional intake in a natural way. From plant powders to oils, you simply mix a little into your pup’s normal wet food.
For example, the choline chloride in dog food isn’t the only ingredient that supports your mutt’s liver health. Another option is to add some milk thistle powder to their diet. This contains a group of potent antioxidants called silymarin that protect your pet’s cells from inflammation and oxidative stress. Research suggests that milk thistle could lessen the damage caused by both acute and chronic liver disease in our pups.(4) The plant might also prevent toxins from binding to their liver cells.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in the potential cognitive benefits of choline chloride for dogs, you could consider lion’s mane powder. This is a type of medicinal mushroom that contains neuroprotective compounds like erinacines and hericenones. These are able to stimulate the growth of brain cells and the production of nerve growth factor. This could help to slow neurodegeneration and reduce the symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction. Plus, it can have a positive influence on your pup’s gut microbiome.(5)
We recommend speaking to a vet before adding any functional foods to your pet’s diet. This is to confirm that the ingredient is appropriate for their individual needs. Our products are not suitable for pregnant or lactating dogs, or those who are still puppies themselves.
Beyond nutrition: other ways to care for your dog’s health
Feeding your pup a healthy diet is one of the most important things you can do to look after them. Yet it’s far from the only one! Other ways to support your furry friend’s wellbeing include:
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Exercising them regularly. For most pups, that means two walks a day (no matter the weather!).
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Providing fresh, clean water so they can stay hydrated.
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Grooming them frequently to keep their coat in tip-top condition.
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Staying up to date with their vaccinations, flea treatment, and similar.
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Ensuring they get enough mental stimulation and socialisation by playing together and giving them plenty of toys.
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Setting up a warm, cosy, and quiet sleeping space where they can relax in peace and feel safe.
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Getting your pup microchipped.
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Training them to be well-behaved and safe around other people and in potentially dangerous situations (like near busy roads).
Final thoughts on choline chloride in dog food
Hopefully, this post has cleared up any confusion you might have felt about seeing choline chloride in dog food. Rest assured that this ingredient is not only perfectly safe for your pup, but it also supports their health. By providing your mutt with the choline they require, it has a positive effect on brain, heart, and liver health. Of course, it’s not the only source of this essential nutrient. Some manufacturers choose to use other ingredients, such as soy lecithin and phosphatidylcholine, instead. And you can top up your pooch’s intake by adding foods like organ meats and egg yolk to their meals. Simple!
