We are often asked “is copper sulphate dangerous to my dogs/cats health?”
Dogs need copper, as they can’t make it themselves it must be taken through diet.
Although all dog foods naturally contain a certain amount of copper from the raw ingredients, additional copper is routinely added to ensure there is enough for the dog's requirements.
Within the EU, copper sulphate is classified as harmful and dangerous to the environment as well as being listed as an irritant. These are not the sort of things you want to see on the side of any pet food bag. Commercial sources of copper sulphate are synthetically produced by treating copper oxide or copper metal with warm sulfuric acid to yield the blue hydrated cupric pentahydrate salt.
The most important thing to note here is that the amounts of copper sulphate found in pet foods are miniscule. Well below the amount that can cause harm to your pet, but it remains a controversial ingredient. It is not difficult to find that some parties claim that it is poisonous or even toxic to pets. The first thing we need to note here is that, as far as we are aware, there has never been any pet illness associated directly to copper sulphate in pet foods.
Here at FourFriends we air on the side of caution and use an organic copper source that is better absorbed by the body. This is because our pet’s health is the most important factor. Copper sulfates are inorganic whereas copper amino acid chelated is organic. While chelation can improve absorption by the body there is a downside. Chelated minerals can cost more than five times the price of non-chelated copper sulphate.
Remember, we are here to help and answer your concerns. Please feel free in contacting us.