Taurine
A sulfur-containing amino acid concentrated in heart, eye, and muscle tissue.
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- Where it comes from
- Synthesized commercially, and naturally present in animal tissue.
- Why it's in the product
- Required in the diet for cats, who cannot make enough themselves. Deficiency causes blindness and dilated cardiomyopathy, and its discovery in the 1980s is one of the genuine success stories of pet nutrition.
- Safety and toxicity
- Safe. No meaningful toxicity at supplemental levels.
- Interactions and who should be careful
- Taurine has been added to many grain-free dog foods in response to the ongoing FDA DCM investigation. That is a reasonable precaution, not a proven fix.
General reference, not veterinary advice. Dose, breed, and existing conditions change the answer, so talk to your vet before changing what your pet eats. Think we got this wrong? Tell us and we log it publicly.
Found in 311 scored products
Lowest scores first. Its presence here is not what drove those scores.
287 more scored products list this ingredient. Showing the 24 lowest-scoring.