Hannah Zulueta Dogs need to be fed manganese through the diet in the amount of 1.25 mg/1000kcal daily for adult dogs.
Think of manganese as the vitamin “uber” transporting the rest of the vitamins from the gut to the body.
The Small Animal Clinical Nutrition states that manganese is a component and activator of enzymes (glycosyl transferases), lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, bone development (organic matrix), reproduction, cell membrane integrity (mitochondria).
Deficiency:
Impaired reproduction, fatty liver, crooked legs, decreased growth.
Deficiencies have also been linked to CCL injuries.
Excess:
Relatively non-toxic.
Why Is Manganese Lacking In Diets
Poor quality kibble and unbalanced cooked and raw diets do not contain enough manganese.
Whole Food Soures of Manganese
Manganese (Mn) [mg/100g]
Cinnamon: 17.46
Mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat: 6.8
Sesame seeds, dried: 2.46
Brown rice 1.03
Clam 1
Oyster, cooked, moist heat: 0.59
Oats: 0.56
Green Tripe – raw: 0.44
Kale, cooked: 0.42
Apples, raw, with skin: 0.03
Squash, acorn, cooked: 0.24
Blueberries: 0.2
Asparagus: 0.15
Interestingly enough, the highest level of manganese can be found in cinnamon and it actually came up during a call when I was receiving training from Animal Diet Formulator on how to use their software. The question of palatability came up – because not all dogs will eat food that has cinnamon.
Manganese In Animal Fiber – Chart
This graphic is from an old chart that Dr. Karen Becker posted years ago showing the manganese levels in animal fiber (see last entries in the table).
Manganese Supplements
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Kibble, cooked and raw meals that are formulated to AAFCO’s standards technically do not need additional manganese supplemented. You might see it as an ingredient as manganese oxide, manganese sulfate, manganous chloride, and manganese carbonate.
Food that is labeled “for supplemental feeding” may or may not have sufficient levels of manganese. Look at the label to verify levels or contact the manufacturer for the information.
If you are feeding DIY cooked, raw, or using unbalanced commercial grinds or mixes you will want to supplement or feed food sources that contain manganese. Ionic drops work well because you can tailor the dosage to the size of your dog.
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Resources
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition
Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats – National Research Council
Canine and Feline Nutrition, Linda Case
Animal Diet Formulator
There’s manganese in green tripe…….not even on your list.
Hello Lynn. You’re absolutely correct. I just updated the list. I pulled it up and you can find it right under oats. 0.44 mg/100g of green tripe. Also more about Green Tripe here: https://dailydogfoodrecipes.com/green-tripe-has-no-probiotics-or-enzymes/
The tripe I buy shows 4.5 mg of manganese per 100 g as fed. It’s what I use for manganese in the diet. The company I buy it from has it tested for their nutrient facts. I sure hope it’s correct.
Hi Wendy if they sent it out to the lab and that’s what they say… then I would also hope and assume that is correct. My data is from a different study. These things do happen. All depends on the quality of the food, when they tested it etc. We can only go with the data that is reported. Sometimes what I see happens is that averages are taken. For example in the case of zinc in oysters it can vary greatly depending on where the oysters are sourced from. The company that owns the software I use, actually will send out samples from different sources and then create an entry for the average of all those lab results. They don’t do it for ALL ingredients – only those that have wide deviations. Anyway as we learn more we use that data to guide us.
No dog is going to eat anywhere near 100g of cinnamon, so it’s really not that great of a source of manganese. I wouldn’t give my dog 1/2 a tsp (because it’s warming) and even if I did, it’s only .22mg of manganese.
Hi Val thank you for stopping by. Yes you are 100% correct – dogs would never eat 100g of cinnamon. It’s a unit of standard comparison. So that way each ingredient is set at 100g and then we look to see how much is in that ingredient. It’s pretty standard in nutrition. For a warm dog cinnamon isn’t a great option. But for cold dogs it is. That’s not the only personalization that takes place … yeasty dogs also can’t have cinnamon if they have a histamine intolerance.
How can we calculate the dosage for the ionic drops for our dog?
Hi Jani. I use a program called Animal Diet Formulator. I think they have a pet parent one for the phone. It’s not a lot they need. Typically most recipes only need 1 drop. But I need to build a guide and update this recipe with dosage – it will depend on the diet and the size of the dog and what else is in the recipe.