Iron

Iron Glossary: Iron is a trace element essential for carrying oxygen around the body: it is central to haemoglobin in red blood cells and of myoglobin in muscle, and it also drives many of the enzymes of energy metabolism. Not all dietary iron is equal. Animal-source iron, known as haem iron and found in meat and organs such as liver, is absorbed far more efficiently than the non-haem iron of plants, another reason animal proteins suit dogs and cats. A shortage produces anaemia, typically microcytic, with fatigue, pale gums and reduced stamina. In a healthy adult eating a complete food, spontaneous dietary deficiency is rare; far more often it stems from chronic blood loss, such as heavy intestinal parasites, flea infestation in very young animals, or bleeding in the digestive tract. Nursing puppies and kittens can have a more fragile iron status, since milk is relatively low in iron. Excess iron is undesirable too, causing digestive upset and oxidative stress, so more is not better. Iron also interacts with [zinc](/glossary/zinc), [copper](/glossary/copper) and [manganese](/glossary/manganese), and a complete food balances all four according to their bioavailability. On a label, iron may appear as ferrous sulphate or a chelated form among the trace elements. See the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

Petipedia · Editorial team

General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.